FAQ

Your Canadian Experts on Safes & Security Products

At Brawn Security products, we want you to feel confident that you’ve chosen the right safe or security product to suit your needs. We invite you to browse just a few of our most frequently asked questions featured here on this page, and then call us today to get started!

What is the difference between burglary and fire safes?

A burglary safe has been tested and rated against an opening attack. A fire safe has been tested and rated against a fire. Fire resistant products generally use relatively light weight steel to reduce heat transference, which in turn prevents the products from attaining a security rating.

What does the initial BF stand for?
BF stands for Burglary/Fire. They are fire tested for 1 hour and have also been tested against burglary attacks.

Why do I need a special product for computer media? Don’t fire safes protect everything from fire?
Fire safes are available with different ratings, because paper and media require different forms of protection. During a fire, paper is more durable than media and can tolerate heat up to 450º F before igniting. However, paper will dry out and become brittle when exposed to heat. So, the paper rated file of safe is designed to release a little steam inside to balance the heat’s drying effect when the internal temperature nears 300º F. Media such as diskettes, CDs, and tapes cannot tolerate either the higher temperature or the humidity levels found in the paper rated products. They must be stored in an environment that will stay below 125º F and 80% humidity in order to be protected.

What does UL mean?
UL means Underwriters Laboratories Inc. which is an independent, non-profit product-safety testing and certification organization.

What are the different categories of the Burglary Safe?
Burglar Resistant Safes are available with or without the fire ratings described above. Burglary Resistant Safes are classified in the following categories:

B-Rated: Residential Burglar Resistant Rating with a 1/2″ steel door and a 1/4″ steel body
C-Rate: A little better than the above with a 1″ steel door and a 1/2″ steel body
Class 2 (TL 15): Tool resistant by professionals for minimum 15 minutes. Only the door is attacked. The body must be 1″ of steel or greater and the safe must weigh at least 750lbs or have provision for anchoring.
Class 3 (TL 30): Tool resistant by professionals for a minimum 30 minutes. Only the door is attacked. The body must be 1″ of steel or greater and the safe must weigh at least 750lbs or have provision for anchoring.
Class 4 (TL TR 30): Tool/Torch resistant by professionals for 30 minutes.
Class 5 (TL TR 60): Tool/Torch resistant by professionals for minimum 60 minutes. The safe must weigh at least 1000lbs or have provision for anchoring.
X6: The addition of X6 (i.e. TL-60X6) means that the requirements apply to all six sides of the safe and not just to the door. It can only apply to a rating of TL-15 and higher.
TX: The addition of TX means that the safe will resist nitroglycerin and other high explosives for a specific amount of time.

How do I install my safe?
The installation method depends on what the safe is being fixed to. If you are fixing it on:

Concrete: use dyna Bolts
Timber: coach bolts into studs

What if the batteries run down on a safe with electronic lock?
All electronic locks are designed to save your combination through an internal memory even if the batteries run down. Batteries are very easy to replace, follow the manufacture instruction.

What should I consider when I decide to purchase a safe?
Things to be considered when you are purchasing a safe:

What are you going to use the safe to protect: records, computer media, valuables, cash?
What hazards are you trying to protect against: fire, burglary or both?
What is the expected total value of the items you want to protect? Include in this figure any future needs.
Does your insurance company have a minimum level of security or safe rating requirement for insured valuables?
Where will the safe be located? What is the maximum weight that the floor will safely support in that location?
How much space do you have available to locate the safe in? What obstructions to door opening are in that area?
What is the volume of the items you wish to protect?
What are you willing to spend to achieve the level of protection required?

Are electronic locks reliable & easier to use?
Electronic digital locks have evolved over the past 10 years and locks are now extremely reliable. They are not only very quick and easy to use; they offer a wide range of optional functions including multiple user codes, time delay, time locking, audit trail and remote access.

Are cash safes fire proof?
Not necessarily. There is however a tendency amongst the principal manufactures to submit their cash safes for fire testing. The testing house & degree of fire resistance will be mentioned in their literature. If a degree of fire resistance is featured it will only be for paper documents. You cannot protect computer media in a cash safe. Higher levels of fire protection for paper records and computer media are provided by specialized document safes or data ones.

Will you need a specialized delivery service?
All safes shipments include dock to dock delivery. This means that the safe will be delivered to your loading dock. The driver’s only job is to back the truck up to the dock, it is the customer's responsibility to remove the safe from the truck and place it in its desired location. Inside delivery service is always an option and generally advised considering the fact that some safes weight over 2000 lbs. There will be some questions that need to be addressed first including:

Do you have a loading dock?
Are there any stair steps involved?
Is there a freight elevator?
Do you require floor protection?
What are the doorway dimensions?

Asking these questions first allows us to give you a more accurate delivery quote. If answered incorrectly, there could be a discrepancy when the inside delivery company arrives, and additional charges may apply.