Home security is a massive topic that encompasses lots of different home security and protection products. It is so much more than better locks on your doors and windows. When we hear the words home security, most of us probably think of better locks, burglar alarms and security cameras, but home security isn’t just about keeping thieves out.
Protecting your home and making it secure it not just about protecting your contents from thieves, it is also about protecting those important documents from loss or damage caused by a house fire. You wouldn’t want to lose very important documents relating to your house or car, precious irreplaceable photographs or even your birth certificate or passport – they can be hard to replace, if at all, and not having important documents can create all sorts of problems and make things a lot harder to sort out.
If the unthinkable does happen and a fire breaks out within your home, you want those precious and even valuable documents protected as best you can. Having them locked away in a bank safety deposit box is probably the best idea, but not always the most practical – who wants to go to the bank every time they need their passport? And it is another monthly or annual cost that most of us could do without (if your local bank offers this service, you are looking at a minimum cost of around £200 per year for a small box). The next best thing is locking those important documents, photos and even digital media (USB sticks) up in a fireproof safe or document box. A fireproof document box will keep those valuable documents under lock and key, out of the way of prying eyes and sticky fingers and, most importantly, will protect them from damage in the case of a house fire.
Burg-Wächter is Europe’s largest internationally leading manufacturer of locks, entry controls, window protection, safes and secure letter boxes, all designed to keep your valuables and home protected. They offer a wide range of security products and very kindly sent us a fireproof document box for review.
We received the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof Document Box. It is a lockable fireproof box capable of holding A4 documents (without binders/folders, just A4 sheets). This fireproof box can resist temperatures of up to 1093 degrees Celsius (approx. 2000 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 30 minutes, protecting the contents from burning or heat damage. It has a handy carry handle for easy manoeuvrability (it weighs approx. 9kg before adding anything into it) and for added security it can be fixed to the floor.
Features:
- 30 minutes fire resistance up to 1093°C (approx. 2000°F)
- The box will fit up to A4 sized documents for safe keeping
- Double walled construction for protection from removal and fire
- Prepared for ground anchoring for screws up to a maximum of 6mm
- Includes 2 keys
- Capacity: 5.6 litres
Are you aware that a typical house fire can reach temperatures of between 800°C (1500°F) and 1093°C (2000°F). Very hot temperatures indeed. Therefore, if you have valuable documents (monetary or sentimental) in your house, and we all do, a small investment in a fireproof box to help protect them is an excellent idea. It is probably something that you have never ever thought of purchasing before or if you have, you have might have looked at expensive fireproof safes. Hopefully it is something that you will never need to put to the test, but it is a good investment for those important documents such as house deeds, your last will and testament, identity documents such as birth certificate or passport, insurance paperwork etc. If the worst does happen, buildings can be repaired, house contents can be replaced but valuable documents are a lot harder to sort out and precious memories such as photographs might be lost forever, so doing what you can to protect them is a must when considering your home protection options.
The Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof Document Box is a certified UL 72 Class 350 fireproof box, but what does that mean? Well, it has been tested by Underwriters Laboratory of America (UL for short) and is guaranteed to protect paper documents within it for up to 30 minutes (the paper won’t burn or suffer any heat damage).
The box has an external measurement of 15.5x28x41cm (HxWxD) and an internal measurement of 8.5×22.5×31.5cm (HxWxD). It has a 5.6 litre capacity and weighs approx. 9kg. It has a portable briefcase design with a carry handle for easy movability (it’s light enough to move around and pick up to open but quite heavy if carrying for any length of time). If you want added security and don’t want it to moved or carried away it can be fixed to the floor, it is part-prepared for floor fixing meaning that you will have to drill through the rest of the way (fixings bolts/screws are not included) – it is part drilled because it maintains the fire resistance when it isn’t anchored in place on the floor but gives you the option to do so. It is a lockable box and has 2 keys supplied. It is constructed from double-walled toughed plastic fireproof polymer to keep the contents safe.
Overall, the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof Document Box is a solidly constructed fireproof box. It is heavier than we excepted and quite thickly constructed which is reassuring that fire and heat from a fire can be kept at bay for a while. It is roughly A4 size inside, storing A4 sized papers without any folders (although the paper does curl up very slightly in each corner if not folded).
We all have very important documents that we need to keep at home, such as passports and insurance paperwork, and without them it would make life very hard trying to replace them, prove identity or even make insurance claims, so protecting them is a must and a fireproof document box is a great way to do so.
The FP22K is a fireproof document box, not a safe. Whilst it keeps documents safe from fire and heat damage for up to 30 minutes it would not stop a very determined thief from breaking the lock and gaining entry – but it is not designed as a safe but a box to protect important documents from the ravages of fire. Therefore, you wouldn’t store very expensive items like jewellery within it (well you can, but they might not be covered by insurance), Burg-Wächter have a range of fireproof safes if you want to secure things like that .
At 9kg when empty it is light enough to move around or lift onto a table to open, at least for most people anyway, but it can get quite heavy if carrying for longer periods of time. It does have a carry handle that makes it easier.
If you are serious about your home security and protecting not just your home and contents but those extremely important documents, then you really should invest in a fireproof document box. We think that the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof Document Box is a very good solidly constructed box with double walled fire and heat resistance at high temperatures. Burg-Wächter are experts in their field, having over 120 years experience in security so you can rest assured that the document box will keep your important paperwork protected and safe.
We haven’t set fire to the house or the box to test the fireproof qualities, if nothing else it would be completely irresponsible, but it has been tested by experts at UL and has been given a fire certificate of UL 72 Class 350 – 1/2 Hour which gives it 30 minutes fire resistance protection in temperatures up to 1093°C (approx. 2000°F) – so we are very confident that it protect the contents in the event of a fire.
We think that this is an excellent quality, sturdy and strong fireproof document box – if we had to find a fault, the internal dimensions could do with being slightly bigger to hold A4 sheets without the corners of the paper curling slightly. It has quite a bit of space inside, enough for all those important documents and more.
We all have important documents that we would be lost without and could do with storing securely, so investing in a fireproof document box is a smart decision.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £70
For more information, visit uk.burg.biz. Available to buy from Amazon here.
