Home safes - ideas on securing


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Old 02-10-14, 10:18 AM
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Home safes - ideas on securing

I don't see any threads here about locking/bolting down a home safe. Is there a recommended read on the best way to do this? I am on a crawlspace, and am looking for some ideas on how best to place a secured (bolted down) safe in my home. Just a small home safe (savings bonds, jewelry, passports...that sort of thing) where I can feel secure when I leave my home overnight. I don't live in a high crime area, but I recently had valuables stolen by a family member (a nephew - don't even get me started!) and I think a safe would be my best option for future piece of mind. All advice appreciated!
 
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Old 02-10-14, 10:33 AM
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Google wall safe, they can be mounted right between the studs and covered with a picture.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 11:21 AM
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Agreed...wall safe would be easy. Interior wall with no insulation would prob take 15 min to install. They can also be put in a closet...but thats the first place actual thieves look if they know you have valuables.

Crawl space gives you the option of a floor safe covered by a flap of carpet. Doable in a closet, not in a traffic area.

Go bigger than you think you need...they fill up quick.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 12:06 PM
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The only problem with wall safes, unless there is dead space behind, you will only have about 4 or 5" of depth, then the door will take up some of that. A good free standing safe has provisions for lag bolts to the floor, which you can seal with Firestop.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 03:09 PM
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How big is the safe you want to install? Generally I think the best defense is hiding the safe. Have an alarm that makes a lot of noise. Next is to always leave a pile of cash in a location easy to find. If it's a simple smash and grab robbery let them grab a hundred buck in small bills and leave. The more time they spend in your house the more damage they will do and if you really want a mess let them find your safe bolted down as they may tear the house apart trying to remove it.

There are things like passports you want to protect from fire and water damage but have little monetary value to most people. A simple fire safe will work and I'd even leave the key or combination posted on it and leave a stack of cash in small bills in plain sight nearby to draw their attention. If the cash does not throw them off let a thief easily open the safe and find nothing of big value. If they find a safe they'll destroy your house ripping the safe out thinking it's full of gold and diamonds. Carefully hide your valuables, in a safe if you like, but leave something for the thieves to find and think they've been successful and leave.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 05:06 PM
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I once considered , but didn't, installing a safe in my closet by piling junk tires from the ground to the flour boards. Temporarily removing enough floor to access the tires, pouring concrete in the bottom with J bolts to match the mounting holes in the bottom of the safe and height needed for the safe, suspending the safe in the middle of the hole in the tires and finish filling the tires with concrete to surround the safe. Patch floor, slide trunk over safe.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 08:08 PM
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"Crawl space gives you the option of a floor safe covered by a flap of carpet. Doable in a closet, not in a traffic area.

Go bigger than you think you need...they fill up quick."

Yeah, I agree. I think a wall safe would be too small at the outset. A floor safe sounds ideal.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 08:11 PM
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" There are things like passports you want to protect from fire and water damage but have little monetary value to most people. A simple fire safe will work and I'd even leave the key or combination posted on it and leave a stack of cash in small bills in plain sight nearby to draw their attention. If the cash does not throw them off let a thief easily open the safe and find nothing of big value. If they find a safe they'll destroy your house ripping the safe out thinking it's full of gold and diamonds. Carefully hide your valuables, in a safe if you like, but leave something for the thieves to find and think they've been successful and leave. "

Sorry, but passports absolutely can be of interest. My good friend at work had not only cash stolen in his house, but jewelry, cameras, and passports. No way would I get a safe, use it, and leave the combination posted to it. That's just crazy.
 
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Old 02-10-14, 08:53 PM
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Don't just look at small wall safes ...they also have gun cabinet type things that would give plenty of room if you add a little shelving...DIY of course.
 
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Old 02-18-14, 09:42 AM
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many floor safes will come with mounting holes for securing to concrete floors. if you do secure to concrete, use loxin bolts.

Sometimes customers wanted floor safes but not on a concrete base. We used liquid nails to bond the safe to the floor without drilling holes. Very strong and very secure, but immovable.
 
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Old 02-18-14, 11:24 AM
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"Sorry, but passports absolutely can be of interest." Interest, yes. Sorta like shiny beads or a stack of dollar bills. Valuable... not so much if it's 2007 or newer. Modern RFID passports are of little value to the average petty criminal just like a credit card. It's dead once you report it stolen. It may be a hassle to replace but it has little street value and you'd be a fool to try crossing a boarder with a stolen one.
 
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Old 02-22-14, 02:42 AM
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Three posts extolling the advantages of a certain "system"; are you trying to sell something?

(In case the post to which I refer is removed it was a new member mentioning a specific name of some kind of security software.)
 
 

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