Small safe/container for disaster protection in basement...

[John Albert]

Hello all -

I need a small-sized fireproof AND waterproof storage box, to store some items in the basement of my house.

The items stored will not necessarily be "valuable" in a dollar-wise sense, but rather things I want to protect from a home disaster, such as a fire. Pehaps a few "bare" hard drives, some important papers, etc.

If one goes to an office supply store like Staples, they carry such a chest by Sentry (#H4100). BUT -- this item gets some bad reviews for a hinge that is only plastic and breaks off, plus mildew inside.

I've seen another (similarly-priced and sized) by First Alert, and the user reviews on that also indicate mold forming on documents placed inside over time.

I'm wondering if mold becomes a problem in all "hermetically-sealed" type storage boxes? Probably stands to reason. Can this be prevented with silica gel kept inside the container, as well?

Has anyone else bought/used a similar storage container? It doesn't have to be large (small enough to be "carry-able", at least into the basement), but the whole pupose (above and beyond a basic "safe") is that it withstand a house fire, and the subsequent water poured in by the fire department to quell the house fire.

Another thought -- for those who keep a fire-resistant safe (but NOT waterproof), how do you handle documents/items inside? Will keeping the items in waterproof bags _inside_ the safe work?

Thanks,

- John

[dadiOH]

I handle them - and the other stuff - with a safe deposit box at the bank.

[Jon Danniken]

Yes. Even if it is sealed, warm/cold cycles will cause condensation, which will feed the mold. Since I doubt any consumer enclosure would actually be hermetically sealed, you will want to refresh/change the silica gel from time to time.

Jon

[nestork]

John:

Another option to consider is renting a larger safety deposit box at your local financial institution.

But, you've been shopping at the wrong stores. I would go to may local locksmith's shop and see what they have in the way of small safes. But, safes are more meant to be tamper resistant than they are water resistant.

If I was wanting to make things waterproof inside such a storage box, I'd buy one of those home vaccuum packer's for food or clothing. They advertise them on TV so that you can vaccuum pack your own food and pack a quilt into a bag the size of a baggie. If air can't get into such a bag, water can't either.

I think if I wanted to protect something from fire, I'd put it in a vaccuum bottle like you find inside every Thermos.

If you can vaccuum pack your documents, roll them up and put them in a vaccuum bottle, they would survive everything but a fall.

I'm now thinking that if you can stopper up that vaccuum bottle, and store it inside a metal bucket of water...

[Stormin Mormon]

And that relies on other people to give you permission to get at your own stuff.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

.

[Ralph Mowery]

There are some items that you do not want to store in a safe deposit box at a bank.

A will is one of them. At the time of death, the box becomes sealed for a while and you have to have an officer of the court with the person opening it and an inverntory is then made.

When my dad died, all that was in his box was a lot of old coins. The court officer thought she was going to be there hours counting them. She decided to just call it 'one coin collection' and we took care of it in a few minuits.

Scan any important documments and keep them on you with a USB drive and another one at someones house in a sealed envelope.

If you are worried about mildue, you can do what the gun safes do. There are smaller electric heaters that only run about 5 to 20 watts that go inside the safe to keep it dried out inside.

[philoÂÂ]

Surplus ammo boxes are pretty good...but really you need to store copies of everything odd-site.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Costco currently has (online only) a SentrySafe 1.23 cuft electronic USB-connected Fire Safe for under $200 which looks interesting

[The Daring Dufas]

You can always get a vacuum food sealer that would do dual duty in the kitchen and in the office for sealing anything in a vacuum sealed plastic pouch. Heck you could probably protect documents in zip lock freezer bags too. ^_^

TDD

[David L. Martel]

Oren,

Powers of attorney often cease at the moment of death. Check your State's laws.

Dave M.

[Ralph Mowery]

They do or atleast did 10 years ago in North Carolina. I had one with my dad and the lawyer told me when we got it, it would stop at his death.

Many things are locked up/frozen or whatever at death. If you and someone close have money together in a bank or stock or whatever, make sure you have a clause in it that includes right of survivorship. That way at death everything goes to you. There may be some laws that state you have to clear all the bills before you get the money free and clear. It also can eliminate some estate taxes as that money is not put on the offical books. Lots of fine points of the law than most working people do not know about. The rich have lawyers and such to make sure they keep most of the money. I only know of a few.

[micky]

Yes, and for sure, any uncashed check you've written is no good anymore, the moment you die.

[micky]

For that price, you could buy a food printer and make as many copies of your food as you wanted.

And you wouldn't have to save the food at all, except on a harddrive or flash drive. Then when you're hungry, just print some.

[Ralph Mowery]

I have no idea on that. I just know that in order to be safe have the will and maybe some other things in a place you can get to them and not in the bank.

[bob haller]

banks get notified of people dying to freeze their assets and access to everything.........

[Unquestionably Confused]

I keep a can of silica gel (renewable kind that you pop in the oven for a couple of hours when the top changes color) and keep both some handguns and documents within.

Dispense with the desiccant and just use plastic bags and you should be fine. For valuable papers, I'd think that zip lock bags would do the trick.

"Problem" with the "fireproof" (actually, resistant) safes is the gypsum material used to insulate is designed to attract moisture - that's part of it's insulating/fire resisting schtick

Take a clue from the Preppers and make a PVC tube sealed on one end, screw plumbing cap on the other - liberally lubricated with silicone grease, toss some desiccant packs in with the papers and put the whole kit in the safe.

[krw]

That's usually what happens but before the bank finds out that the old man croaked. Lawyers will say, "I didn't tell you this, but get down there before the death notice...". Even in the case of a jointly held box, it has to be inventoried. Nothing says that everything in the box is jointly owned. The tax man also wants to get paid. Another reason that everything should be in joint survivorship.

[krw]

Nonsense.

[krw]

But HP charges a fortune for the cartridges.

Ever hear of "stiction"?

[David L. Martel]

micky,

This seems unlikely. Do you have a citation?

Dave M.