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Wanting a waterproof safe is understandable, whether you live in an area that’s prone to flooding, or you’re worried about a home fire and the water from the firefighters hose damaging it, but it’s important to understand that no safe is actually waterproof. They can be verified as ‘water resistant’ at a specified depth, for a specified period of time, but they are not designed to protect valuables.

Let’s look at water protection ratings for safes in a little more detail:

Water protection ratings are defined for a given amount of time in a given depth of water, and if you’re looking specifically for a safe that offers water protection, you should look for an ETL certification mark. Safes may come with ratings such as:

Completely submerged or ‘water up to’ a set number of inches. When inches are mentioned, this means that the safe will not be completely submerged.

What to avoid with waterproof safes

Some safe manufacturers will make claims that their safes are waterproof when in reality, they haven’t been independently verified from the ETL or any other reputable verifying third party organization. Such safes are usually certified internally, and while the values stated may hold true, you have no independently verified proof.

The best fire and waterproof safes

For a safe to be afforded water protection, they need to be completely sealed and in most instances, they are made of fireboard or another similar fire-resistant material, and encased in plastic to ensure that there are no seams or holes anywhere on the body of the safe. A rubber seal is then usually added around the safe’s door.

The best safes that are both fire and waterproof, have solid body’s with no seams and are entirely encased in plastic with a rubber, often grooved, door seal. For the safe to be rated as waterproof, it must have an ETL logo or other such certification from an agency.

If you’re specifically looking for a safe that protects against both water and fire, then a waterproof rated safe can be a worthwhile investment, however, it’s important to recognize that they don’t give you a high security anti-burglary solution. If you’re concerned about what kind of safe will give you the level of protection you’re seeking, it’s best to consult with a reputable local security expert, such as a locksmith or safe specialist. Keeping your valuables in a high security safe is the best way to protect them for as long as possible.