Designing a Heat/Fire-Resistant Safe for Data Protection

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around designing a heat and fire-resistant safe intended for the protection of electronic media. Participants explore materials and construction methods, while also considering alternative protective strategies and the reliability of homemade solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Tom Fischetti outlines a proposed design using steel skins and various core materials, including gypsum and foam insulation, aiming for minimal heat gain and a wall thickness of 3 inches or less.
  • One participant suggests placing the safe underwater in a sump pump basin to avoid heat exposure, which is met with mixed reactions.
  • Another participant questions the effectiveness of a homemade safe, emphasizing that professionally manufactured safes are rated for fire protection based on time and temperature.
  • There is mention of advanced heatsinking methods used in computer systems, suggesting that these could inform the design of the safe.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the reliability of a DIY safe compared to commercially available options.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility and effectiveness of a homemade safe versus a professionally designed one. There is no consensus on the best approach to achieve the desired heat and fire protection.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of material selection and construction methods, but there are unresolved questions about the adequacy of the proposed design and the assumptions regarding fire protection capabilities.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in DIY projects for data protection, those exploring fire safety solutions, and professionals in materials science or engineering may find this discussion relevant.

Tom F
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Help. I need help in designing a "safe" that gives me heat and fire protection. I will be using an skins of steel and need help in selecting the core materials. I am trying to protect electronic media so the heat gain inside has to be close to minimal. I am also trying to keep overall wall thickness to 3" or less.

I have looked at a 1/16" steel, 1/2" gysum, 1" of Thermafiber Kfac SR (http://www.thermafiber.com/PDFs/TF668c.pdf ), 1" of foam insulation, 1/2" gypsum and an inner skin of 1/16" steel. This is not so much a safe but a data protection cabinet.

Thanks for your help.

Tom Fischetti
tom@remontllc.com
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Put it under water, in a sump pump basin, below floor level in your basement.
 
A comedian, Thanks
 
Tom, I was only trying to help. I don't know a better way to provide thermal protection, other than gypsum or concrete, so my suggestion was to locate your safe in a place where it wouldn't be subjected to the heat in the first place. I'm sorry that you took this as sarcasm, it wasn't meant that way. -Mike
 
what is it you are trying to heatsink?

you should look into microprocessor heatsinks, methods of heatsinking for computer systems are highly advanced in my opinion...

there are also models and completed models of water-based heatsinks, to support Sewell's solution...

check it out->

http://www.a1-electronics.net/Heatsinks/2003/Thermtake_AquII_Jan03.shtml
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wouldn't trust anything important to a safe you made yourself. Real fire protection safes are rated for time and temperature. And putting it underwater in your basement is not unreasonable - your house could burn to the ground and smolder for days and the safe would survive.

Elibol - swing and a miss.
 
Originally posted by russ_watters
I wouldn't trust anything important to a safe you made yourself. Real fire protection safes are rated for time and temperature. And putting it underwater in your basement is not unreasonable - your house could burn to the ground and smolder for days and the safe would survive.

Elibol - swing and a miss.

My thoughts exactly.

If you are wanting to actually protect something of value, you could not build a safe, that will actually do the job, for less then you could buy a professionally designed and manufactured one off the shelf.
 
Last edited:
uhh, yea i knew that... doh...

:D
 

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