"Safe Condition"

As an avid collector and dealer of paper and coin, Mostly paper
I have become concerned about the conditions that exist in my
Safe, And this is no small safe in measures 6.5 tall by 3.5 wide
And weighs 1,560 pounds!!

I had no concerns when i lived in California but since i have moved
To Indiana the temprature swings are massive one day it will be
40 out the next it will be 10, I have put several moisture absorbing
Devices in there hoping for the best, Oh by the way the Safe is in
The garage maybe not the best place but moving into the house
Is not an option "Its Just to Big"

I have become so worried about this i moved all of my paper inside
Not an easy task since i really dont have an ultra high security
Place to put it, maybe in my mattress!! LOL, I do have a locking
Cabinet inside but would rather have the higher security of a 1,500
Pound safe!!

Would appreciate your opinions and suggestions!!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I have four fireproof boxes that I got from Fry's electronics, one for ammo, one for important papers, and two for misc valueables. Can you do something like that? You can get stackable fireproof boxes if that helps.

 

MPCUSA...

This is what I use in my safe...
http://www.foodservicedirect.com/pr...ds-Both-Temperature-and-Relative-Humidity.htm

Along with 6 boxes of rechargeable silia gel beads (boxed and bagged)
It works great!! Each box is good for 33 sq feet. I might add that none of the gel is inside the other safes.. I just keep the internal main safe cool and dry..the smaller safes are sealed.

Also each note size Large, Small, fractional, Obsolete has it's own portable fireproof safe contained within the main safe..the expense is worth it...when I have the notes home from the Safe Dep Box this is where I keep them until they are returned.




RickieB

 

a safe within a safe is an awesome idea, you know how ticked off a potential theif would be to crack your safe, only to find another safe inside! That is great.

 

Edited ** TMI**




RickieB

 

Safe with in a safe, Agreed a great idea!! Do you live in a cold
Climate rickie??

 

Cold won't hurt paper. I'd be more concerned with summer heat and humidity. Archives usually store paper documents in conditions between 40 and 50 degrees. Not cold enough to form frost, but cold enough to hamper humidity and particulates from circulating freely.
Guy~

 

I got to try the safe in a safe idea. I think if I put a safe inside my gun locker, and then a small firebox in the safe, that would make my collection kind of hard to get to. I don't need to use my valueables so maybe this is a good start.

 

Indeed and I have climate control in the basement as well. The winters are cold and dry and in the Summer I use dehumidification in the safe room along with RH control and monitoring. Wet Paper means staining and foxing issues.

Best to eliminate the source if you have a collection you want to protect.
This is just my personal preference...in the area I live in

RickieB

 

I do have have some slabbed coins, How would the weather
Effect them in the safe, I also have over 15 guns in the safe
As well, In a separated area so far so good!

 

I am not 100% sure on this MPC..but I am under the impression slabs are not air tight, hence humidity can reach inside a slabbed case. In fact if a material is not 100% gas impermeable, humidity is subject to invasion of said piece.

As for porosity of materials used for slabbing notes and coins go, I would check with the slabbing companies on the MSDS Sheets of material comp and performance data.


Best I can do for you guy..

RickieB

 

humidity

I bought a used data safe many years ago. I put a jar of calcium carbonate desiccant inside to keep the humidity out. Every few weeks, I put the desiccant into the toaster oven to drive off the absorbed H2O. Works pretty well.

 

Indeed it does...I have 6 boxes of it in my safe..
I bake it at 225 degrees F for 5 hours to recharge the beads (drive out the absorbed moisture.

It's doing the job in the Summer months for sure..

RickieB

 

Go to Midway and order a electrical dryer for the safe. It will keep the moisture out. Most safe's have a vent, run the wire out this. Moisture absorbing chemicals work, but have to be replaced, the elc heater works for a long time. Good luck. -O)

 

a time to vent [no, this is not a nasty reply ]

I didn't realize that you could get safes with vents. Is this new? How does that work for a fireproof safe? For those of us with old style safes, we'll have to stick with desiccants.

 

I want a vented safe, mine is completely sealed and so is my gun locker. I didn't know that you could have a vent safe, that would be good for those of us that want to run wiring into our safe.

 

It is a matter of personal choice, however, a hole in a safe is not a real good thing. If you want a vent or hole for wiring it should be placed in the back of a floor based safe that is bolted down to the floor and against the wall where you would have had an elcetrician install an outlet for such a device.

Just my 2$ worth...

RickieB

 

Some have the vent, or a anchor hole so you can host it up. Mine is not fire proof. But a fire proof one may have a point so you can install a dryer to keep the moister out and still be fire proof.-O) You can bolt it to the floor and yes you can drill a hole in the bottom, but heat flows up, So when any moisture you have in it will flows up and out. That's good and bad, but so far (five years) mine has done a great job. -O)

 

i will try some of these ideas, They all sound great!!

 

Try a bank safety deposit box