The Top 5 Ways Safes are Damaged (and How to Prevent Them)

When you purchase a safe, your first concern is likely ensuring that your personal property isn’t damaged or stolen. However, it is also important to understand that safes can be damaged too. To help you learn about the risks, here are the top five ways safes are damaged and what you can do to prevent them.

1. How to Avoid Water Damage

Water damage is one of the top causes of damage to homes in the US, resulting in billions of dollars in damage annually. Standard homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies cover water damage from rain or burst pipes, but they don’t cover floods. Separate flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program is available, but it only provides up to $100,000 in personal property protection and will only offer actual cash value coverage for household goods, including your gun safe and its contents. And that makes having the right safe in the best location critical.

Flood risk is what makes having a safe in the basement such a risky move. Regardless of whether the water comes from a natural disaster or an incident inside the home, water always flows down. Even water from fire hoses can collect in the basement. This exposes your safe to both water and fire during a single emergency.

Ideally, you should consider installing your safe in a location that isn’t on the basement floor. In some cases, an elevated position in a basement can help limit your risk. However, a first floor or higher installation is the best way to limit water damage risks. Similarly, keep safes out of rooms with a water presence, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

However, if you must have your safe in the basement, explore waterproof varieties. They can resist water damage for at least a few hours, and provide the best chance of having a working safe in the end. Additionally, some waterproof safe makers offer replacement options after water exposure occurs. This gives you access to a low-cost or free replacement should the worst occur.

2. Being Damaged by a Fire

In 2015, there were approximately 380,900 residential fires in the US resulting in over $7 billion dollars in damage. The most common cause of residential fires is cooking accidents.  This is a clear reason to avoid putting your safe in or adjacent to the kitchen. While the other reasons, including heating and electrical malfunctions, can happen in almost any room, choosing to place a safe in a bedroom or home office closet may lower the risk of directly exposing your safe to flames.

You can also decrease the risk of fire damage by selecting a fire-resistant model. Ideally, choose an option that has a UL rating and provides a minimum of one hour of protection. The UL rating system bases its evaluations on how long a safe can be exposed to a particular temperature. To qualify, the safe’s internal temperature must remain at or below 350 degrees F for the noted time.

It is important to understand the exterior of a safe is susceptible to fire damage. This is especially true if it features an electronic or digital lock, as the components may not withstand the heat. Certain manufacturers offer replacement options for safes exposed to fire, so read through any associated warranties or guarantees to see if the maker of your safe offers this additional protection.

3. Falling Damage

Smaller safes that are easy to pick up and install on high shelves are at risk of fall damage. The same applies to any safe kept on an upper floor.  Damage can occur depending on the construction of the safe, the height of the fall, and the angle of impact.

Often, the easiest way to avoid fall damage is to keep the safe installed on the ground on the lowest floor of the house. However, choosing a basement installation does increase flood damage risks. This means a first-floor location may be preferable if you are in a flood zone. You can also opt to reinforce the floor under especially heavy safes, providing additional structural support and extending the time it would take for a fire to eat through the beams and allow the safe to fall through.

In some cases, fire safes take part in drop tests too. The manufacturer can then assert how far the safe can fall without sustaining notable damage. If you choose such a safe, then installing it on an upper floor or a ground floor above a basement is a better option to help you limit flood damage risks without increasing the risk associated with a fall. Just remember, when you have a basement, that is technically your lowest story. So, a safe that can survive a one-story fall needs a ground floor installation. This allows it to tumble into the basement without damage.

4. Crushing Damage

Earthquakes and fires can cause portions of the house to come crashing down, crushing anything on which it lands. Roofs can also collapse under the weight of heavy snow, shoving some of the construction materials into the home. Safe damage occurs when building materials or personal belonging on higher floors fall onto the top of the safe.

If you are in a single-story home or your safe is on the upper floor (not necessarily including the attic), your best bet for limiting your crush risk is to keep your roof in good repair. A strong roof structure can typically support around 20 lbs. of snow per square foot, helping to lessen the chance of collapse. In certain portions of the country, roofs can carry more weight to manage the higher than average snow loads. You can generally find out about your home’s construction by contacting the building department. Simply request the data regarding the original build of your home.

You can also lower the risk of crush damage by being aware of what is directly above your safe. Heavy furniture or weighty bathroom fixtures, like cast iron tubs, may fall through during an earthquake or fire, adding additional dropping weight. Often, installing your safe below a clothing closet or fairly empty space can help lower your risk.

Most safe tests don’t review crush damage risk. However, you may be able to draw some conclusions if your safe has a drop rating.

5. Break-In Damage

If a thief tries to force their way into your safe, they may damage it in the process. Crowbars, drills, and other tools can harm the external structure. They can also damage locks, and hurt hinges, even if the burglar doesn’t gain entry.

Often, your best bet for avoiding this form of harm is to keep thieves from finding your safe in the first place. Installing a safe in the back of a large closet, tucked away in a basement, or another discrete area can make it more difficult to spot. So, you lower the risk of damage by ensuring no one finds your safe in the first place.

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This article is by Will Salisbury, owner of the gun safe review website bestgunsafepro.com. Best Gun Safe Pro provides the best gun safe reviews and information out there. I’m an avid hunter and gun enthusiast, and have been hunting since the age of 12. Educating people on gun safety is one of my passions, as it can help save lives.