How to choose a security for cash and valuables? Money safe

Securing the contents of a safe against burglary depends on several factors:

• burglary resistance class,
• fire resistance class,
• the weight of the safe,
• the type of lock,
• proper execution of the installation.

Only the sum of these factors provides optimal and comprehensive protection against the contents of the safe falling into the wrong hands. There are plenty of models that provide high protection against burglary and loss of property. Today we will briefly look at these aspects and discuss the steps to take when choosing a home safe or a safe for a company.

There is no uniform definition of a burglar-proof safe. In the big picture, however, a safe is a device made of high-quality materials – such as steel, concrete or layers of thermal insulation – that is resistant to mechanical damage to the point that it provides protection for the contents against theft when the door has been closed.

Safes are different and their design varies depending on their purpose, security class, weight, etc.. The common denominators are the use of solid steel bolts, steel construction, a certified lock and permanent mounting to the floor or wall.

Burglar-proof class is a basic parameter of any safe. Certificates guaranteeing high burglary resistance are issued by EU-accredited bodies such as VdS, ECB-S or the Institute of Precision Mechanics. The classification of safes according to burglar-proof classes is primarily intended to determine the time it takes for a given safe to be forced through, and thus to tailor the device to individual customer needs. Of course, the higher the resistance class, the safer the property inside will be.

Starting from the weakest to the best, burglar-proof classes look like this:

• S1 / S2 according to EN 14450 – the lightest safes, most often they are very compact furniture safes used for storing cash in small amounts, small items or, although here the larger models, quite a lot of easily reproducible documents such as invoices.

• I, II and III according to EN 1143-1 – these are in fact multi-walled safes, whose construction is based on a combination of several layers of steel poured in special concrete. These safes are quite heavy (the larger the size, the greater the weight).

• IV and V according to EN 1143-1 – are heavy and very resistant to any mechanical damage. By choosing a safe in class IV or V, you ensure the highest possible level of security in storing cash, jewelry, valuables, gold or other valuable items, such as watches and even small works of art.

Fire resistance is a separate parameter of those safes that have undergone the appropriate tests in this direction and obtained the relevant certificates. Fireproof safes are most useful for storing flammable items, such as documents, securities and, of course, cash. In addition, if you want to keep family heirlooms in the safe, for example, it is definitely worth investing in this type of product. In addition, fireproof safes are useful in the office, where you need to protect important documents and storage media.

Fireproof safes are classified as follows:

• S60P / S120P – 60/120 minutes of fire resistance for paper documents, respectively,
• S60DIS / 120DIS – 60/120 minutes of fire resistance for electronic data carriers.

Fireproof is available in a number of models having different burglar-proof classes. In our offer you will find fireproof safes in classes from S2 to II.

Read more:   Fireproof cabinets and safes in the workplace

The weight of a safe is a product of burglar-proof class and size. The higher the size of the safe, the heavier the safe. A higher burglar-proof class, on the other hand, means more complexity of construction, more material used and, again, a higher tare weight. This is understandable. However, why does the weight of the safe matter so much?

As numerous cases of more or less successful thefts have shown, burglary is a process that takes a few-odd minutes. During this time, the burglar will first try to steal the safe in its entirety, take it to a secured place and get to the contents there in peace. The weight of the safe is supposed above all to make this stage of the burglary more difficult.

The choice of lock does not directly affect the level of security of the safe. The most important thing is that the lock has a security class according to the European standard EN 1300. Whether you choose a key lock, a combination lock with a knob or an electronic lock, the money safe will be just as secure, as long as the work culture and certain healthy habits are maintained. For example: if you opt for a key lock, remember that you have two keys in the set, which must be guarded, kept away from the safe and under no circumstances kept inside.

We write about different types of locks in other articles of our blog, such as:

Safe locks under a magnifying glass. Choose optimally

How to open a safe equipped with a mechanical and electronic lock?

The last point that will keep your money and other valuables protected is the proper installation of the safe. First of all, you need to choose a location for mounting the safe. This is due to the fact that it is not possible everywhere, for example, not in a place with too much humidity. We are familiar with cases where customers choosing a location for mounting at home wanted to set the safe in the laundry or drying room, and this is a very bad idea. Similarly, to mount a safe in a cupboard, at a height other than the floor, is very risky.

Freestanding safes that weigh less than 1,000 kg should be mounted to the floor or wall, or preferably to both. For this to happen, you should choose a site where the ceiling and wall are reasonably solid, and where no water, electricity or gas lines run.

In addition to the above features, the safe can be equipped with two functionalities to make the security of storing money or valuables more complete.

Silent alarm

The so-called alarm-box is a component of the ZS 62 electronic lock.What is this all about?

Even the best security won't help if you are terrorized by an armed assailant. Therefore, with the help of an additional device installed in the safe, we connect the electronic lock to the existing alarm system in the house, and set an additional code in the lock, which, in case of danger, will obviously open the safe, but at the same time it will send a silent and unnoticeable signal alerting security.

EMA alarm control panel

The EMA is a clever device. It is a small box, to which sensors are connected, positioned in several spots of the safe, such as bolts, the area around the lock and so on. These sensors react to abnormal behavior of the safe, such as the opening of bolts without opening the lock, a sudden shock, a rise in temperature – in a word, actions that accompany a burglary.

Such a control panel is connected to an existing alarm in the house just like the above alarm-box.

We realize that the choice of a safe, like the choice of any everyday appliance, involves certain compromises. Sometimes the boundary value is weight, sometimes size, and sometimes budget. So let's assume that we want the highest possible level of security. Such a top, in which you will be able to put your own soul with good conscience.

We start by choosing a safety class. We want the best, so we choose from among class 5 models. In this class, the smallest of the available models, HTV 515-01, is quite large, its height exceeds 80 cm. Class V is the apogee of the complexity of multi-walled construction, so drilling inside to pull out the items contained there will take days.

In classes 4 and 5, the requirement is to use two independent locks, and which lock it will be is already on the customer's side. Most often we apply two electronic locks from the business line, model ZS 62.

Each of them can be set to double coding according to the 4 eyes rule, 2 separate codes per lock, a total of 4 eight-digit codes to open the safe. This lock is simple to use and you can easily handle it. The lock is equipped with emergency opening by mechanical key, a plus. An even greater advantage is that it can also be supplied with the alarm-box described above.

Since we obviously have an alarm system in the house, our money safe will be equipped with an EMA control panel, so we won't be frightened of break-ins in our absence.

The whole thing will weigh more than 700 kg, we will mount the safe to the floor.

Now that we have covered everything, you need to face the offer, where you will define your money safe, choose the model, size, lock and details such as the number of shelves. There are quite a few things to discuss, so check out what we have on offer, and preferably give us a call. We will be happy to help you with your selection.