Waterproof Home Safe Considerations
What to think about when you need to protect valuables and important documents from water damage.
Worried About Water Damage?
Is water damage at the top of your mind right now? Given the recent flooding due to Hurricane Helene, searching for a waterproof home safe makes a lot of sense. But it’s not just a hurricane that can cause massive damage. In 2022, we saw homes flood in the nearby town of Issaquah as water poured through the downtown core. Puyallyp regularly experiences flooding, with entire homes being demolished.
We have nearly 40 years of experience selling safes and we understand the need to protect valuables, important documents, and firearms from water damage. “I’m looking for the best waterproof home safe” is a request we hear regularly.
Unfortunately, there are no waterproof home safes. During your search, you may find safes labeled as waterproof, such as the Digital Fireproof Waterproof Home Safe by SentrySafe. But these safes are only rated waterproof up to a certain depth for a pre-specified amount of time. They are not, in fact, waterproof.
In this post, we’ll do our best to offer an unbiased explanation of why waterproof home safes and gun safes don’t exist and the precautions you can take to protect your valuables from water damage. Specifically, this post will cover:
Why Waterproof Home Safes Don’t Exist
The Importance of Understand a Safe's Capabilities
When it comes to the safe industry, big metal boxes aren’t inherently sealed tight. The cost and practicality of creating a completely waterproof seal for a safe that would also defend valuables against a physical assault hasn’t proven to be realistic.
The primary purpose of a home safe or gun safe is to keep unauthorized individuals from accessing the contents.
Furthermore, a properly installed safe is bolted to the floor to increase its security level. Bolting it to the floor requires holes to be drilled into the base of the safe, creating an opening for water to enter.
Many safes also have light kits and an outlet kit installed. These two features require a small hole to be drilled at the back of the safe, allowing a power chord to be installed — another entry point for water.
Why Do Businesses Claim to Sell Waterproof Home Safes?
Businesses and manufacturers label their safes as waterproof for the same reason they label them as fireproof — people are searching for waterproof home safes. That’s why we titled this post, ‘Best Waterproof Home Safes.’ We wanted the best opportunity to share our industry knowledge with you so you aren’t duped into believing inaccurate information.
Why We Caution Against Safes Advertised as ‘Waterproof Safes’
Nearly all safes advertised as “waterproof” are cheaply made imported safes. These storage containers do not meet the level of security or fire protection that our customers generally need.
Additionally, there’s no such thing as a waterproof safe (as we stated above). These so called ‘waterproof’ safes have a predefined depth and submersion time limit. Rather, we recommend you focus on installing your safe in a location with the best chance of avoiding a flood.
Where and How to Install Your Safe for Floor Protection
If flooding is a concern, we recommend installing your safe upstairs, rather than on the ground floor or in a basement. If you are unable to install your safe on the second story, then we recommend installing the safe at an elevated level.
In years past, we have built platforms for customers to raise their safe above the floor’s surface. Some customers have also poured concrete pads. These elevated surfaces range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the customer’s needs.
How to Protect Valuables from Water Damage
There are two ways to protect your valuables from water damage:
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Bring them with you when you evacuate.
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Store them in a waterproof container.
You’ll notice that we did not say to store them in a waterproof safe. Locking waterproof containers do not meet the level of burglary protection needed in the event of a robbery. Furthermore, most waterproof containers are small enough to be carried by hand and do not offer a way to secure them to a fixture — allowing a criminal to walk away with them easily.
Top Waterproof Containers: FireKing SureSeal Boxes
We strongly recommend FireKing’s SureSeal containers for customers worried about water damage. These containers are designed for important documents and small valuables. They come in four different sizes:
Aren’t These Cases Like Any Other Waterproof Case?
FireKing’s SureSeal cases are similar to other waterproof cases, like the highly regarded Storm Cases sold by Pelican. However, FireKing offers some additional levels of security that we believe are important:
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Fire Protection: The FireKing SureSeal containers offer a 30-minute UL class 350 fire rating or a 1-hour UL class 350 fire rating, depending on the model. Most waterproof containers are not fire-rated. This fire protection is further enhanced if you store your container within a fire-rated safe.
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Key Lock: Not all waterproof containers come equipped with a lock. While we wouldn’t recommend this lock undergo a strenuous test, it does add an extra layer of security compared to a waterproof container without a lock.
Storing Your FireKing SureSeal Waterproof Container
We always recommend storing your SureSeal container in a safe. This gives you an even higher level of protection against water damage and fire damage.
Depending on the concern — fire or water — you’ll want to place the case accordingly. For the most protection against water damage, place the case as high in your safe as possible. For the most protection against fire damage, place the case as low in your safe as possible, where the temperature will stay the lowest.
Additional Precautions for Protecting Your Valuables from Water
Whether it’s flooding or humidity, moisture is one of the biggest culprits of damage to valuables stored within a safe. The following are a few additional (or alternative) precautions to protect your valuables.
Store Valuables in Dry Bags
Like a waterproof container, a dry bag is an excellent way to protect valuables from water damage. But keep in mind — dry bags are easier to steal, easier to cut into, and don’t have locks. So you want to carefully consider what you’re storing in a dry bag and where you’re storing said dry bag.
Additionally, dry bags do not offer fire protection. Generally, if you are storing valuables in a dry bag, you’re either taking them with you, or you’re storing the dry bag in a safe. As a group of avid hunters here at NW Safe, many of us are fans of KUIU dry bags. (KUIU offers an impressive collection of high-end hunting gear that many of the folks at NW Safe swear by.) These bags are waterproof, durable, and ultralight, making them easy to carry.
Install a Dehumidifier
We’re not going to beat around the bush: a dehumidifier won’t protect your valuables in the event of a flood. But, we ALWAYS recommend that safe owners have a dehumidifier in their safe. This is essential to keeping moisture from causing corrosion and mold to destroy valuables.
ZipLock Bags (in a pinch)
Generally, we don’t recommend storing valuables, especially firearms, in any sort of plastic bag. The plastic can easily melt and adhere to your valuables, ruining them. That being said, a high-quality zip-lock bag can keep items dry in a pinch.
Get a FireKing SureSeal Waterproof Container
There’s no doubt about it — protecting your valuables from water damage is essential. This is especially true of important documents and irreplaceable heirlooms. But as you’ve seen in this article, a ‘waterproof home safe’ isn’t going to fit the bill because they simply don’t exist.
For those really worried about water damage, other solutions are essential — like a Fireking SureSeal waterproof container.