Hello, people interested in safe rooms and vault doors. You hear about vault doors protecting cash and firearms, but they protect the most sacred thing of all: our loved ones. Yes, people are the #1 most important asset you will secure behind a vault door. With global warming and temperatures heating up around the world, weather and storm systems are becoming more violent every single day. News outlets like the Weather Channel say tornadoes are getting more dangerous and in greater numbers across the world. They say dangerous storms will increase by 30% by 2030. That means more and more people are purchasing storm shelters and vault doors to protect their families, businesses, and homes. It’s very important to get a storm shelter that will work for you.
The first thing to discuss is where to put it and how to install it properly. You definitely don’t want the thing to flood or fly away if winds kick up over 200 miles per hour. Just a few years ago, a woman entered her backyard storm shelter only to have it flood and drowned her. Not a great way to go out. We suggest getting a concrete vault room with a vault door inside your house. And make sure it’s above ground. Once you build out your concrete vault room, all you have to do it equip the room with a great vault door. Another reason we like safe rooms with vault doors inside the house, is because if you run into the backyard to access your room during a storm, you could get hit in the head with a 2×4 or roof tile. By having your storm room in your house, you’ll be protected from flying debris during the worst storms.
The most important feature of a storm door is the frame. In 2018, many storm doors we taken off the market because their frames were built very thin and didn’t live up to the strength required to save your family from violent winds. In my humble opinion, you want your vault door to have a thick frame, at least 3/4″ thick steel so it doesn’t bend during a violent storm. You also what a decent thickness steel front too. At least 3/16″ steel or even thicker like 1/4″ or 3/8″. Most vault doors have this thickness of steel, so any residential vault door should do the job just fine.
Don’t forget to install your vault room correctly. You want to use at least 12 – 5/8″ redheads – 5″ long. And if you decide against a concrete safe room and want to get a small tornado shelter, don’t forget to bolt it down. A tornado or hurricane can pick up your room and sling it down the road. I know it sounds unlikely, but it could and does happen a lot more than you would think. The last thing you want to do is get in your storm room and have it end up across town when you exit it. A soft landing probably isn’t in the cards for you.
Let’s play a game called – “Am I safe in my storm shelter?” Question #1 – “Can I climb in my car in a storm and be safe.?” Answer: No, cars are picked up and hurled into other zip codes. Well, maybe not that far, but getting in your car could be deadly. Debris could fly through the window and kill everyone inside. So if you don’t want to end up on the evening news, stay out of your car during a tornado. Question #2 – “Can I put forty people in my small storm shelter?” No. If you’re stuck in a small safe room, not only will you run out of air, you’ll become claustrophobic and could possibly have a panic attack. This could make you exit your safe room and potentially get injured in the process. Question #3 — “Do I need an air filtration system in my tornado shelter?” Question: Not really. You usually won’t be in your safe room long enough and the quality of air isn’t that bad during a tornado. Question #4: “If I don’t live in a tornado area, do I still need a storm shelter?” Probably not. But as air heats up over the years as global warming become more and more a reality, areas and city that weren’t tornado areas may turn into ones. If you live on the outskirts of tornado areas, still consider getting your family protected against storms. But also remember, having a safe room with a vault door isn’t just for storms. It’s also to protect all your valuable belongings, especially firearms. Question #5: “I’m only want to protect my family of four. How big of a safe room do I need?” A 7 x 6 x 4 safe room with a vault door is the perfect size. It can not only secure your things when there’s not a storm, but you can still fit a family of four in there without having to move too many things around.
When it comes to locking up things in a storm shelter, they give people a false sense of security. Because these rooms are super heavy a lot of people think they can secure papers, weapons, motorcycles, tools, just about everything they love. But they’re not safe. If a kid knocked off the lock with a hammer in an attack, chances are the door will open. So remember to buy a safe room with a great vault door if you can afford a few thousand dollars more. Not only will you step uo the security of your family, but the are virtually impossible for a smash and grab robber to take your stuff.
One last great reason to buy a safe room with a vault door: they’re super fireproof. Because of vault room is manufactured with an 8″ thick concrete wall and the door has many layers of steel, they can withstand very high temperatures during a fire. Now your family is safe, your belongings are safe from burglary and your precious belongings are fireproof too. If you ask me, why not spend the extra for a vault door in your safe room? You will have it for a lifetime, plus when you or your family sell your home someday, it will be worth a lot more since you have a real-life panic room, storm shelter, and walk-in vault with a vault door.
This concludes our blog – “Safe Room with vault doors make the best storm shelters. If you have any questions about a safe room, vault door or walk-in vault, please call us at Sportsman Steel Safes – 800-266-7150. We’re here to help.