In the real world, there is nothing fireproof. Extreme and a longer period of fire could damage anything. Having a fireproof gun safe can only extend the time of fire protection. However, the fact is that owning a fireproof gun safe requires you to spend a lot of money. Although it will not guarantee you fire safety for a longer period.
Moreover, you might not want to spend lots of money right at this moment but like to ensure fire safety at the same time. So, how to fireproof a gun safe then? You don’t need to be worried as we’re going to depict the method of fireproofing a budget gun safe even if it isn’t fireproof.
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How to fireproof a gun safe?
Get a fireproof gun safe
Getting a branded fireproof gun safe is the best thing to keep your firearms and ammunition safe from fire. You should consider a few things before purchasing a fireproof gun safe. It should have a very good fire rating and endurance during the time of the fire.
It should protect fire for at least half an hour to maximum four hours at the rate of 1400 degree Fahrenheit or more if possible. But this article is not about getting a fireproof gun safe rather it’s about fireproofing a gun safe. So, stay with us until you finish the full article.
Find a suitable place
Having fireproof gun safe is not the only solution. Most important part of fireproofing a gun safe is to find a suitable place. Try to put your gun safe in basement on concrete floor or slab so that fire could not catch from the bottom. Keep the other items away from gun safe for extra security.
However, if you haven’t got basement then keep it in a place that is secured and isolated. Don’t put your safe on wooded floor or weaker floor that is easily vulnerable. If your gun safe is heavy don’t put it on upper floor as it can be fallen through the floor during extreme level for fire.
Put a soft rubber mat or carpet under the gun safe
Bottom of the safe is susceptible to moisture especially when it gets touched with hard materials like concrete, wood and slab. To get rid of moisture and rust at the bottom of the safe, you should use soft rubber mat and carpet underneath the gun safe. To know details about this you may also read our guide on what to put under gun safe on concrete.
Keep flammable materials away from gun safe
Keep flammable materials and wooden items away from your gun safe. Gasoline, hand sanitizer, turpentine, paint thinner, aerosol can, non dairy creamer, linseed oil, rubbing alcohol, nail polish, nail polish remover and gun cleaning copper solvent all are flammable. So, don’t keep these flammable items near to your gun safe even if it’s fireproof.
Keep bullets outside the guns
You might be thinking about having bullets inside the gun cannot be a reason for fire as long as you pull the trigger. Unfortunately, pulling a trigger might not be required if changes in air pressure, especially when atmosphere is so warm, causes a bullets to be released.
During the time of fire if surrounding of the gun safe gets very warm there is a high possibility of releasing bullets accidentally. Another reason is your gun’s safety. Keeping bullets outside the guns help ensure safety of your firearms.
Use flame retardant insulation
Insulator has the power to keep the temperature normal especially when you use it inside the gun safe. Use as much insulation as possible inside the gun safe so that temperature during the time of fire remains under control. Make sure your insulation fits perfectly inside the safe. You can cut insulation with hacksaw and glued against the wall of the gun safe.
However, the most important thing is that insulation must be flame retardant otherwise all of your effort turns out to be failed. You can use 5/8 inches drywall, gypsum board, at the exterior part of the gun safe.
Gypsum board is considered to be one of the best flame retardant insulators. Thick drywall will not protect fire for long time. You can purchase drywall from any hardware shop near to you.
Prevents moisture and rust
Excessive moistures help produce rust and mold within the gun and gun safe. Rust and mold in the long run damage and weaken the gun as well as gun safes. Therefore, if there is a fire incident, it could easily attract the weaker point of the guns. This eventually reduces the effectiveness of fire protection.
So, we would like to recommend you to use a moisture absorber for gun safes to keep the moisture out of the safe and increase the effectiveness of the fire protection.
How to fireproof a wooden gun safe?
Fireproofing a wooden gun safe is the hardest job in the world as the wood itself is the fuel of the fire. The first and foremost thing is to keep all flammable materials away from the safe. Cover the whole body of the gun safe with flame retardant insulation which can extend the time of fire protection until the firefighters reach the place.
Why should you fireproof a gun safe?
Safety of firearms
Ensuring the safety of you firearms is the most important. For ensuring that you need to comply all the safety measures. Obtaining a gun safe is not the only solution for ensuring security. A fire could easily damage your gun safe within just few minutes. Therefore, you should fireproof your gun safe so that firearms could be protected from fire.
Safety of valuables
Needless to say, you won’t buy your gun safe only for securing firearms and ammos rather for whole lots of other things. You may also need to preserve other valuables like bullions, money, documents, and passports.
All these important things could be damaged by fire if you don’t ensure fire safety. You might buy new firearms and gun safe or get compensation from insurance. But what you cannot do is to buy those important documents or memories with your family that damaged by fire.
Conclusion
Fireproofing a gun safe is not the easiest task. It’s almost impossible to make a gun safe completely fire resistant. All you need to do is to protect the fire as long as you can. To accomplish the job done, using the flame retardant insulation is not the only solution but other safety measures are also equally important for a gun safe being fireproof.