The2aguy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Anyone have a large safe in an apartment? I recently purchased a liberty USA 30 thinking heavier is better with room to grow however @ 545 lbs empty I’m highly concerned it could damage the floor after a extended time I’m on the first floor but it’s not a concrete slab. I’m considering returning for either of these 2 models Champion M21 @ 490lbs Liberty centurion 24 @ 375lbs Quality is of high importance without concerns of damage, I do have cameras around my home that alert me of any motion in the home I do not want a cheap stack on 10lb cabinet Suggestions? Previous experience? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 do you really think the lighter safe will make that much of a difference? 55lbs is the difference between the liberty and the champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davsco Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 a sheet or two or three of plywood under it will help level out the load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The2aguy Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 I don’t think dropping to the liberty 24 will matter much, was thinking loaded weightIf anything I’d be more inclined to the centurionSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbeck Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Depending on the age of the apartment, it’s probably designed for 40-50lb/sf for live load. take the sf area of the bottom of the safe and multiply by 40 and see how close that is the the actual safe weight. My guess is you’d be over load capacity based on those weights but I don’t know how big the footprints are of them. A couple sheets of plywood under it would make the loaded area 32sf x 40lb = 1,280 lb capacity roughly. theres a lot of assumptions in the above just giving some ideas as to what the likely capacities are structurally. in all reality though, if the safe isn’t bolted down, a good thief will tip it and be inside in a few minutes with power tools, and only need a couple more minutes without them. In all likelihood though they’d just throw it on a dolly and roll it out the door. What you’re really buying in a small theft deterring metal box is safely from an opportunistic thief and fire protection and I’d weigh the reality of the likelihood of either of those to make the decision. A real safe weighs tons not lbs unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Buy the lighter safe and fill it with guns to achieve the desired weight. In all seriousness, guns and ammo add lots of weight. Maybe 75-100... Agree with posts above that both safes can be breeched in minutes by all but the dumbest / opportunistic teenager-type thieves. The safe is only part of a system of layers to achieve security: -Alarm -Dog -Best practices when out of town (timers, fake TV, mail and trash taken, don’t announce trips on social media) -WiFi cameras that alert phone -Disguise the safe- you’d miss mine standing next to it. -General OPSEC (bumper stickers, etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
practical_man Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Since you already have the safe.... the challenge is to increase floornload bearing capacity. Some good hints have already been given. Your challenge is to distribute the weight across as many floor joists as possible. You will need 3 sheets of AC grade 3/4” plywood stacked together. Ideally glued and stacked, but that’s overkill for a temporary installation. Determine the direction your joists run. Determine the spacing. A stud finder can be helpful. Lay your pkywood stack across across at least 4 joists. Place safe in center. Safe sitting across 2 joists. Lag screw to floor. Prepare to abandon your security deposit. Id you decide to abandon the safe then get something more suitable to apartment dwellers like the panel safes. Put in a closet for concealment and difficult access for would be felons. Buy it a big safe with your first home. I have a couple safes. A big one and a small snap-safe type (but a different brand). The big safe is bolted to a concrete floor. The small one Is bolted to a reinforced wood composite floor. It’s my house so I can do as I please; a luxury not afforded to apartment renters. The safes are safety devices to keep kids out and mollify my insurance company. Determined thieves take what they want. Most thieves just smash and grab what is easiest to get. Dont sweat these things too much. Enjoy life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAF1680 Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 The sheet of plywood helps just be carful not to stain or damage the carpet. With the weight of the safe it doesn't take much to do damage to the apartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12glocks Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Is there a refrigerator in the apartment? If so it weighs as much 300 pounds. I would think putting a 500 pound piano in the apartment or house would be fine too. I bought a small safe, 500 pound range, for a rental house and kept my 1200 plus pounder in storage. I think you will be fine. If you want to overkill it you could put the plywood down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiller Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Agree with all the above. Plywood will spread the load and raising it any will help you see into it. In our old house I bolted a riser (made up of 2x4's and 3/4" plywood on either side) to the floor and had the safe mover place the safe on it, then I bolted the safe to the riser. Not so much for stopping a bad guy, but ease of seeing into the safe and getting things in and out. Also, the door is really where all the weight is and if its open and you pull down the safe will tip forward......not good. I also second the above comments on many layers of security. As well as bolting it down, its was in the corner of a basement with concrete on two side and I also built a cabinet around it and the door leading into the room had a lock. Sure, someone with lots of time could have gotten in, but not without making a bunch of noise! Also, not sure if you paid someone to move it....but its not cheap to move on in and out a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CzViper Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Glad I'm not the only one who's had this issue. 600lbs safe on 2nd story but professional movers couldn't even get it up the narrow confined staircase.There are many great suggestions though, thanks. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The2aguy Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 For anyone else who ran into this issue here’s what I ended up with as an update I returned the USA30 for a centurion 24Since I couldn’t bolt the safe to the floor I cut out 2 40” by 20” 3/4 ready board and bolted that to the safe The board both spreads out the weight and is wider than the doorway making it more of a hassle to remove it from the room The safe is also in a tight spot difficult to maneuver In the end I concluded the safe is only one piece of the security, there’s also cameras and an alarm system I can watch from my phone at anytime which immediately notifies me of any motion The police station is less than 1/8 mile away from me so that’s also a positive The USA30 was a very heavy safe for an apartment empty but I felt the centurion loaded weight and extra security will hopefully be enough Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CzViper Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 You're right!!!!!! It's just one piece to the puzzle. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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