A Question for The Safe Professionals

[lightman]

I've been needing to bolt my safe down, and have not done so. My question is: Do you need something under it to promote circulation? Maybe a 1x4 on each end, something low enough that a pallet fork won't fit under it. Looking for the pros and cons.

A rash of thefts in the area where the whole safe went missing has prompted me to get this done. I don't know the details like the safe location, size, ect. Mine is a little hard to get to and weighs 2K empty.

I'm an Electrician, so I have the tools, and probably the anchors. I'm thinking to match the anchor size to the pre-drilled holes, if there are any. Thanks, Lightman

 

[GarySTL]

The fellow who sold and delivered mine, and posts here, usually puts a rubber stall mat underneath. I drilled through the mat into the concrete and installed anchors.

 

[matrem]

Do you need something under it to promote circulation?

I'd be far more concerned with getting it anchored as solid as possible.
I'm certainly not a safe "professional", but I do have a fair amount of experience.
Keeping air circulating inside your safe is easily more important than worrying about air movement underneath it IME.

 

[45_auto]

My Cannon safe manual seems to think that you want some airflow under the safe:

Anchoring of the Safe

Anchoring the safe to the floor is highly recommended. To help eliminate rust issues there should be a gap between the safe
and floor to allow air flow (treated wood shims are recommended). Before leveling the safe, make sure the safe is
square/level. Use the appropriate hardware for the wood or cement surface the safe is anchored too; anchoring hardware
can be purchased from a local hardware store (not included). After the safe is anchored use the four or two black floor plugs
(depending on safe) to cover the anchoring holes inside the safe.

 

[a1abdj]

I have done it several different ways. You can bolt it directly to the floor, but there will be rust issues. A little standing water, from a pipe break for example, could get into the safe and ruin the gypsum board. This is the most secure way to bolt it since the safe is on the floor.

Hockey pucks, strips of wood, etc. provide you with air flow, which is great. It will also keep the safe high enough that a wet floor will not ruin the safe. It does however provide you with a pry point.

The stall mat, in my opinion, is the best middle ground. You don't get the air flow, but you do get the height without the pry point. The rubber mat is dense enough that compression is not an issue. It will never rot out, absorb water, get moldy, etc.

 

[Elkins45]

When I moved my safe into position in my garage I used a layer of steel BBs as ball bearings to move it from where the deliveryman left it to where I wanted it bolted down. I just left the BBs in place. The gap is too small (no larger than .177) to be a pry point but possibly large enough to allow a little air circulation?

I have considered sticking the nozzle of a spray lubricant can under the edges and giving it a squirt every now and then, but I haven't gotten round to it just yet.

 

[Schutzen]

Air Gap

I would be far more worried about rusting the bottom out of my safe than I would about the gap being a pry point. If you anchor the safe down properly, prying should not be an issue. Anyone who shows up with enough equipment to pry up the safe will have enough to pry it loose if it is flush with the floor. I recommend at least four (4) 3/8" to 1/2" anchors to the floor and two (2) to the wall. On concrete floors I prefer Red Head Expanding anchor bolts. On wood floors lag screws are ok if you run them into the floor joists at least 4". My preferred method on wood floors is to run a U-bolt around each floor joist and into the safe. The nuts are protected inside the safe and unless you rip a section of floor out, you will not move the safe. Even this will not deter a professional thief. I have seen one case where the floor was chain sawn around the safe and apparently drug into the attached garage with a winch. Even though the collector had multiple expensive Luger pistols, the damage to the house exceeded the value of his collection. There is an old saying, 'Locks on keep honest men out'. A determined thief will likely defeat any safe most of us can afford, but we can stop the amateurs.

PS I do not use pressure treated wood as a shim. PT is preserved with arsenic SALT and will rust metal. I use 1/2" X 2" steel strap cut to length. It never compresses and by the time it rusts out you will not care. I also place a shim between to wall and the safe. This too is for air circulation. Run your bolts/screws through your shims so no one can hammer the shims free to give them added leverage to rock the bolts/screws free.

 

[nyresq]

If the floor is concrete, then yes, you want a barrier. If its wood, tile, linolium or what ever, I wouldnt worry about it. Mine sat on the hardwood floor in my apartment for 10 years without moving and when I moved it to my new house, the bottom of the safe still looked new.

But concrete, even with a dry enviorment, will eat the bottom of a safe. A stall mat, hockey pucks, or rubber gym flooring under the safe can be drilled through and bolted down while still maintaining the barrier.

 

[lightman]

Thanks for the replies, everybody. I have access to conveyor belt material and also a very dense matting like that used in stock traylors. My floor is concrete, but is covered in vinyl.

Thanks also, for the warning about treated wood. I did not think about that. Lightman

 

[rockhopper46038]

How heavy does a safe need to be in order to not really have to worry about bolting it down? I've got one I picked up a few months back now that didn't come with any pre-drilled holes, and I can't drill through the safe bottom to create them. It does weigh a great deal though, about 4000lbs. After the safe technician transported it, leveled it and put it on safe blocks I asked about bolting it down. He told me there wasn't any way in hell it was going anywhere, but I am curious...

 

[a1abdj]

For liability purposes we say that all safes should be bolted regardless of weight. Commercial insurance companies often require it on safes weighing less than 1,000 pounds.

Do 4,000 pound safes walk off? Not very common, but it has happened.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Thanks, a1abdj! How do you put holes in a single piece cast commercial safe like an ISM? Should my local safe technician be able to do it in place? What's best to seal the holes around the bolts when done to preserve the fire resistant characteristics?