I'm about to drop a huge amount of money on a TL30x6 safe from Original Safe & Lock. It has 2 hour fire protection. I've heard that some safes have fire protection that spits off humidity. This would obviously be bad for coins. Does anyone know this brand will be ok?
If you're going to store coins in a safe, get a rechargeable dehumidifier. They're cheap and easy to use.
There are several different companies that make a TL30x6 safe. And those safes are then sold by several other companies all over the country. The TL30x6 is a UL listing, it means the safe is manufactured in such a way that it will withstand attack using tools, on all 6 sides, for 30 minutes. It's a burglary rating, that's all it means. And there is another rating, the TR/TL30x6. That means the safe will withstand attack by tools or torch, on all 6 sides, for 30 minutes. But please realize that those are 2 different ratings - one, the TL is only rated against tools, not a torch. The other, the TR/TL is rated against both. Some of them have fire ratings up 2 hrs as well, others may not. I cannot answer your question about the moisture issue as that is specific to the company that manufactures the safe. There are different types of fireproofing materials that can be used. If the company uses what are usually referred to as "beads" - those have moisture problems. The safes that are infamous for having moisture problems are those made by Sentry, and there may be others as well. But not all companies use "beads", some use other materials. Also, be aware, not all manufacturers tell you up front if they have moisture issues or not. This is because when you are storing paper, sometimes moisture is a good thing because paper requires a bit of moisture to keep it from deteriorating over time. And paper is usually what you are trying to protect from fire. So how do find out your answer ? Find out who built the safe and ask them directly. Your seller should be able to tell you who made it.
I appreciate all the responses. I'm in the Houston area, so we have plenty of humidity regardless of my dehumidifying efforts. The safe in question is 2400 lbs empty and will only be accessible from one direction, and that will be behind a wall. That still needs to be bolted down?
By all means decide for yourself. Just remember that the safe has a burglary rating, and what that rating means is this. If a thief can tip the safe over on it's back so he can get at it with nothing more than a crowbar, he can be inside it in 30 minutes. That's what a TL30x6 rating means.
