Page 4 of 15 FirstFirst ... 2345614 ... LastLast
Results 31 to 40 of 150

Thread: Expensive lesson learned from fire.

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Southern CA
    Posts
    2,022
    Feedback Score
    0
    So sorry for the loss man. As a dog man and snake keeper, I feel your pain. This would be devastating. I've got cats too, but those are my wife's.

    Shop around for safes. There seems to be a lot of price difference. Sometimes the elements that are so expensive are cosmetic or non-essential as far as security goes. I found a local guy that made safes to the same specs, using the same steel and hardware, but charged about a third less. I also saved a few hundred by picking it up and installing it myself. It is surprisingly easy to move an 800 pound safe around using pivot points on and off of a pick up truck and shimmying it into place. And if you don't have an impact drill for redhead pilot holes in your slab, you can rent one pretty cheap.

    I don't want to go too far here, but what species of snakes did you have? I'm dying to know. And do you know how the fire started? I can pretty well guess given the scenario. Someone else might be able to prevent such a fire if we learn from your situation.

    Wishing you the best. Hope your hardware is able to be rebuilt and refurbished.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    649
    Feedback Score
    16 (100%)
    I am deeply sorry for your loss, I cannot imagine what your going through losing your puppies, prayers sent out.

    I don't have much parts wise but I do have some little stuff I'd be happy to send out in order to help for a rebuild. Shoot me a PM also if you would like. Best wishes for you in this hard time.


    "It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This."

    https://www.facebook.com/Blak1508
    Instagram Blak1508

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    8
    Feedback Score
    0
    Im sure you can save that AR, and I bet Springfield Armory Custom Shop can really bring that 1911 back to life.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Merry Hill, NC
    Posts
    98
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulletdog View Post
    I don't want to go too far here, but what species of snakes did you have? I'm dying to know. And do you know how the fire started?
    I had a Eastern King snake, 2 common ball pythons (large female and smaller male), 1 rupple pastel ball python(male), 3 corn snakes (red male, snow female and butter male phase) and a male albino burmese python. The Red phase corn snake and common ball python female were the only ones that actually survived. They were on the bottom of the rack system I had them in. The fire started in the corner of the room I had my vision cage in. It housed my albino burmese python.

    I think the heat lamp started the fire. Come to find out the breaker box had a 30amp breaker instead of a 15amp like it should of had for that room. I guess the heat lamp started malfunctioning and since it had a 30amp breaker it took longer to trip the breaker and by the time it tripped the breaker it was too late. Two more lessons were learned right there. Stay away from heat lamps and make sure you breaker box is squared away. I didn't put a 30amp breaker in it but I am pretty sure I know who did it.



    Thanks to everybody for the support and offers to help me out. I really feel like I have hope in getting my AR-15 and 1911 back in working order again. I have decided I will contact BCM and Springfield. If anything they can tell me if they can be reworked of if they are just scrap metal. Again I can't thank everybody enough for the support. It's one of the reasons I keep coming back here. I will email BCM, SA and Trijicon then keep everybody updated. I hope I will have some badass before and after pics. LOL! Again thank you all.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    NoVA
    Posts
    284
    Feedback Score
    31 (100%)

    Expensive lesson learned from fire.

    There was an article in SWAT Magazine a while back covering restoration of weapons burned in a house fire. Unfortunately I don't remember specifics , but someone here might.

    Sorry about the animals too...that's rough.
    I have far more guns than I realistically need, but far less than I want. - NongShim

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    466
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Sorry for the loss of life. Fires are devistating events.

    Truth of the matter is everyone is happy with their consumer-gun safe until it's actually put to the test. There are plenty of threads where people talk about how many guns they can store inside, how nice the paint is, how many lights and goldenrods they can fit in there, and how good the pinstripes look. There are also plenty of post-fire or post-burglary threads around the Internet where the contents were a total loss. Most consumer-grade gun safes will offer little fire protection and they're no guarantee your firearms will come out in better condition. In reality, they also offer very little burglary protection from someone with some imagination.

    There is a reason drywall isn't used in commercial fire-rated safes. If you're purchasing a consumer-grade gun safe, add a fire insurance policy to cover firearms loss and shop based on burglary protection. I would recommend purchasing a used commercial safe and build your own interior, which is a fairly easy task for even the lousiest of handymen. Unfortunately, at the consumer-price level, you're looking at basic variations of the same theme: sheet metal construction with drywall fire liner. Steel is expensive. Security aggregate is expensive. You can only buy so much of it for the typical $300-3000 gun safe price range. Consumer-grade safes will NEVER be good as UL-rated fire safes or commercial burglary safes. There is a reason why no consumer-grade gun safe pays for UL fire testing and instead employ lesser-known third party laboratories. There simply isn't the demand from the consumer market for 4,000lb, $10,000 gun safes.

    That's the reality of it and we must adjust accordingly for this weakness. Talk to some safe technicians that are members of SAVTA. They work on million-dollar commercial vaults to high-end safes from wealthy private collectors. They can shed a lot of light on the issue without bias.

    On the restoration of weapons, you'd have to get critical steel parts like the barrel or frame hardness tested. A fire will often anneal the steel, reducing it's hardness. That makes it dangerous. You'd have to get in touch with the manufacturer to determine if these parts are safe to put back into service.
    “The practical success of an idea, irrespective of its inherent merit, is dependent on the attitude of the contemporaries." Nikola Tesla

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    3,963
    Feedback Score
    3 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by Steel View Post
    I had a Eastern King snake, 2 common ball pythons (large female and smaller male), 1 rupple pastel ball python(male), 3 corn snakes (red male, snow female and butter male phase) and a male albino burmese python. The Red phase corn snake and common ball python female were the only ones that actually survived. They were on the bottom of the rack system I had them in. The fire started in the corner of the room I had my vision cage in. It housed my albino burmese python.

    I think the heat lamp started the fire. Come to find out the breaker box had a 30amp breaker instead of a 15amp like it should of had for that room. I guess the heat lamp started malfunctioning and since it had a 30amp breaker it took longer to trip the breaker and by the time it tripped the breaker it was too late. Two more lessons were learned right there. Stay away from heat lamps and make sure you breaker box is squared away. I didn't put a 30amp breaker in it but I am pretty sure I know who did it.



    Thanks to everybody for the support and offers to help me out. I really feel like I have hope in getting my AR-15 and 1911 back in working order again. I have decided I will contact BCM and Springfield. If anything they can tell me if they can be reworked of if they are just scrap metal. Again I can't thank everybody enough for the support. It's one of the reasons I keep coming back here. I will email BCM, SA and Trijicon then keep everybody updated. I hope I will have some badass before and after pics. LOL! Again thank you all.
    There is a Mr. Smith here on the forum from Superior Firearms. As I recall, they are in Virginia, or at least reasonably close. They have done some incredible firearms refinishing, you might want to check out their site. I cannot do Ceracoat but if all else fails, I'll disassemble and Duracoat them for you. They may not be picture perfect but they'll be functional, with character.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    seattle(ish)
    Posts
    585
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)

    Expensive lesson learned from fire.

    Sorry to hear about your pets and possessions. Like others here I would suggest paying close attention to the fire ratings of any safes under consideration. I've been eyeballing the Sturdy Safe products:

    http://www.sturdysafe.com/fireliner.htm

    The seem to have a good value story for residential firearms protection.

    -john

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    466
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    The fire ratings on consumer gun safes are irrelevant when trying to compare different brands side-by-side, and they're irrelevant as there is no reference standard. Take note that each gun safe company picks a different third party laboratory to do their testing. They do not list the testing procedures or make the spec available for purchase. Is there a spec you can even reference to? Does an insurance company recognize and accept the fire rating specifications from these third party laboratories as sufficient?

    The insurance companies default to the reference standards created by Underwriter's Laboratories. You'll notice fire safes specific for protecting fragile documents make the effort to passa UL fire rating like a Class 350, which includes an actual drop test while the safe is hot to simulate falling through the flooring of a home.

    A fire rating from these lesser-known laboratories is perhaps equally good, or perhaps worthless. There is no way to know. These labs have very vague websites. However, if you run a business and the insurance company won't insure against fire because a non-UL fire label on the safe is insufficient, that should say something. Insurance companies aren't in the business of taking on risks that they have to pay out on.
    “The practical success of an idea, irrespective of its inherent merit, is dependent on the attitude of the contemporaries." Nikola Tesla

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Merry Hill, NC
    Posts
    98
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Those safes look good. I was looking at Liberty safes but I am going to do more research. Also since I am staying in a single wide trailer now placment and supporting the safe on the floor are important things to think about. Also want too make sure the safe doesnt decide to walk off.

Page 4 of 15 FirstFirst ... 2345614 ... LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •