Waterproof Safes-- Be Aware!

**addicted2freedom** · February 7th, 2013, 07:53 PM

I'm in the market for a safe to hold smaller items, e.g., important documents, collectibles, handguns, etc. I figured that fireproof is somewhat worthless without waterproof since fires are extinguished with water

Anyway, after some research I found that waterproof safes are vulnerable to mildew-- they're airtight and trapped humidity causes mildew to grow. To prevent mildew buildup, it's best to use a desiccant and open the safe for 30 minutes every couple of weeks.

Not sure if that information is in the manual. Just thought I'd share and possibly save someone some aggravation

EDIT: Forgot to add... going with a fireproof safe and will put water-sensitive items in plastic containers. That should be good enough.

**Dasbalddog** · February 7th, 2013, 08:54 PM

I would think that most people are using dehumidifiers or dessicant packets already to keep rust down.

Something else to consider that I HAVE seen in the manual.... in the event of flooding, waterproof safes become a falling hazard as they can (and apparently WILL) float and then tip over.

THE MORE YOU KNOW..........

**ungawa** · February 7th, 2013, 08:58 PM

Won't do it. Nobody likes a ware.

**Mirlen** · February 7th, 2013, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by Dasbalddog

Something else to consider that I HAVE seen in the manual.... in the event of flooding, waterproof safes become a falling hazard as they can (and apparently WILL) float and then tip over.

If your safe falls over then you failed to anchor it and deserve what you get. An un-anchored safe is a safe with legs.

**addicted2freedom** · February 8th, 2013, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Dasbalddog

I would think that most people are using dehumidifiers or dessicant packets already to keep rust down.

Something else to consider that I HAVE seen in the manual.... in the event of flooding, waterproof safes become a falling hazard as they can (and apparently WILL) float and then tip over.

THE MORE YOU KNOW..........

FYI, dehumidifiers won't help since waterproof safes are airtight.

**WVneighbor** · February 8th, 2013, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by addicted2freedom

I'm in the market for a safe to hold smaller items, e.g., important documents, collectibles, handguns, etc. I figured that fireproof is somewhat worthless without waterproof since fires are extinguished with water

Anyway, after some research I found that waterproof safes are vulnerable to mildew-- they're airtight and trapped humidity causes mildew to grow. To prevent mildew buildup, it's best to use a desiccant and open the safe for 30 minutes every couple of weeks.

Not sure if that information is in the manual. Just thought I'd share and possibly save someone some aggravation

EDIT: Forgot to add... going with a fireproof safe and will put water-sensitive items in plastic containers. That should be good enough.

You may want to reconsider that. Unless you want melted plastic infused water-sensitive items.

While the safe itself may be fire resistant, the air within will still heat up, possibly enough to melt the plastic.

A better solution, imo, would be one of those inexpensive keyed "fire chest" like this one from Sentry:

http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/1...AFE_Fire_Chest

Its water resistant, won't melt and has a 1 hour fire resistance. I have something like this in my safe to hold documents, dvds and other fire and water sensitive items. The air inside the the safe will heat up, while the air inside the fire chest will heat up, it will be less than the temp of the air inside the safe.

**addicted2freedom** · February 8th, 2013, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by WVneighbor

You may want to reconsider that. Unless you want melted plastic infused water-sensitive items.

While the safe itself may be fire resistant, the air within will still heat up, possibly enough to melt the plastic.

A better solution, imo, would be one of those inexpensive keyed "fire chest" like this one from Sentry:

http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/1...AFE_Fire_Chest

Its water resistant, won't melt and has a 1 hour fire resistance. I have something like this in my safe to hold documents, dvds and other fire and water sensitive items. The air inside the the safe will heat up, while the air inside the fire chest will heat up, it will be less than the temp of the air inside the safe.

Good point. Have you ever had any mildew problems with it? Do you frequently air it out?

**WVneighbor** · February 8th, 2013, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by addicted2freedom

Good point. Have you ever had any mildew problems with it? Do you frequently air it out?

The safe itself is less than 3 months old, so we are constantly in and out of it as we figure out what needs to go in there for long term storage and what we need frequently. The fire chest is pretty much the same, so at this point we haven't had any problems with mold or mildew.

Desiccant packs would probably help control moisture, and adding them to the monthly/quarterly/semi-annual "to do" list (smoke alarm batteries, oil changes, filter replacement, etc) would probably be enough to control moisture/mold/mildew.

**addicted2freedom** · February 9th, 2013, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by WVneighbor

The safe itself is less than 3 months old, so we are constantly in and out of it as we figure out what needs to go in there for long term storage and what we need frequently. The fire chest is pretty much the same, so at this point we haven't had any problems with mold or mildew.

Desiccant packs would probably help control moisture, and adding them to the monthly/quarterly/semi-annual "to do" list (smoke alarm batteries, oil changes, filter replacement, etc) would probably be enough to control moisture/mold/mildew.

Cool. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I've settled on this safe. Fits the available space almost perfectly and large enough to fit a waterproof chest or two ;o