RSC, basement, and fire questions

[Elessar]

First, thanks to everyone for some great information in general. I've enjoyed researching and becoming more educated regarding "gun safes".

I'm considering placing a soon to be ordered RSC in the basement. This is by far my best stategic location due to the confined spaces and solid concrete surrounding the location. This RSC, while offering decent burglary protection, will not have any fire protection. I figured I could get away with this due to what I think is minimal fire risk. However, I figured I would throw this out for comments to make sure.

-will be located in the corner of a small room on the edge of one side of the basement. We call them "cold storage rooms" or "fruit rooms". Essentially it is the area under the front porch. So, it is concrete slab on top, and 8 inch concrete foundation walls on all the remaining sides, except for the doorway. In my case one length side and one end side of this rectangular area border the earth, the other two border the main part of my basement.

-I live about 800 yards from the nearest fire station.

-I figure my main fire risk would involve a total or near total burn down situation where a bunch of heat is piled around this room and it becomes an oven. In that case, I'm not sure how much 60 or so min of fire protection would do anyway.

-It seems an even bigger risk may be water damage or flooding, although I am in a very flood safe area generally. However, firemen use lots of water.

-I will have full insurance on the guns, and an internal small fire safe, just in case.

Is this a reasonable risk assement?

thanks.

 

[JohnBT]

It sounds like my 1916 basement. My safe is sitting on concrete next to a 14-inch-thick solid brick wall, a boiler and a hot water tank, but the basement is not heated and not air conditioned. I've had 2 GoldenRods in the safe for 15 years; a long one across the floor by the door and a short one running front to back under the shelves. I pulled the shelves out 1/4" to get a little air circulation. So far so good.

You have to put it where you have to put it and hope it discourages the crackheads and drunks.

John

 

[Elessar]

Thanks John.

94 views, no further comments. I'll take this to mean I pretty much got it right. Thanks!

 

[FireStalker]

I'd reccomend placing the safe up on a pedistal of some kind (concrete preferred). After putting out some house fires in homes with basements, there is often more than a foot of water in the basement. Sometimes more, just depends on the extent of fire and size of basement.

 

[Geneseo1911]

Last house fire I was on, there was about three feet of water in the basement by the time we were done.

I also had en experience with about 4 feet of water in the basement of my last house, but that is a risk only you know. In my case one of the village's tiles plugged up and all the neighborhood flood water ran in to the lowest point.....my basement. I don't believe I would put anything sensitive to water below grade if I could help it.

I honestly don't think there is much you can do about fire, other than carry insurance. If you look at fireproof safes (the real thing, not the gun "safes" they sell at Cabelas), they are HUGE and are about 50% fireproofing and 50% useable space. I have a hard time believing an inch or two of anything will do much good unless maybe if you installed a sprinkler system in the room.

I think your concrete room sounds pretty darn fireproof. Maybe just a heavy steel insulated door to complete the 6 sides. At that point, you just put a few deadbolts in it and have a vault.

My theory is similar to yours....I'm trying to prevent theft. I don't want to arm a criminal. Fire, flood, tornado....that's what insurance is for. Be sure to bolt it to the floor for sure and walls if possible. RSC's can be pretty easy to pop open, especially if you can flop them down and get some leverage.

 

[Kingcreek]

I know of one fire resistant safe that was located on the first floor before the fire but ended up in the basement as the floor gave way. The gun collection survived the heat but not the 2-3 feet of water that it laid in for 3 days.
A RSC in the basement could benefit from a pedestal at least a row of block high. Mine is 2 rows of Bloch high and bolted to both base and wall.