Owning a safe is a great way to keep valuables and sensitive materials secure. Even the highest quality safe on the market is made useless in this regard without a few critical considerations. Taking some simple precautions can improve your safe's security, and it all starts with proper installation.

Keep Your Safe Safe

The average homeowner isn't likely to need a huge, hulking safe to store their valuables, which is why most people own smaller models. While these safes take up less room they're also small enough and light enough to be easily picked up and carried off. Savvy thieves target unsecured safes, because it's far more convenient to simply take it with them and open it elsewhere rather than making off with other items in the home.

All safes, regardless of their size or style, can and should be secured in place. The easiest way is with steel bracing, which can either encase the frame of the safe or lay across the top. This bracing should be bolted into the floor joists or foundation in order to prevent your safe from walking out the front door in the hands of a thief. You'll pay a little more to have your safe installed properly, but the added security will ensure that the only way anyone is getting into it is with the combination.

High Tech Locks Aren't Always Better

Old combination tumbler locks have been used to secure safes for centuries, and there's a reason why they've changed so little in all that time. The greatest enemy of any thief is time, so the more time it's going to take to gain access to a safe the less a thief is going to want to mess with it. Without knowing the combination to a tumbler lock it can take several hours to breech a safe.

However, newer electronic safes rely on a solenoid activated switch, and while the keycode can range from 3 to 10 digits, the solenoid itself can be triggered by sudden jostling, dropping or simple tools. Securing an electronic safe with steel braces will protect it from jolts or impacts, but it's far better to look for a safe that doesn't rely on electricity to operate.

When buying a safe, make sure it's large enough to store just those things you intend on keeping inside it. Be sure to also look at the fire rating for any safe you're considering, as the greatest threat to the contents of a safe isn't always a burglar. Talk to a qualified locksmith or security professional such as Georges Lock & Security Service to get help deciding on the right safe for your needs.