Speaking of moving a gun safe upstairs--

[Piney]

Saw a recent post asking about a safe moving company. It brought up a question I have.

I considered putting in an upstairs bedrooom closet. I am concerned that much weight in the small area footprint on the upstairs floor may cause the ceiling below to shift and crack. Is this a concern ?

[speedsix]

...if you'll put down a piece of 3/4" plywood covering almost the whole floor of the closet...it'll spread the weight evenly enough that it should never stress the sheetrock below...and set the safe in gently...

[Oldgringo]

In the event of a fire, the hottest place will be upstairs. Many of the economy safes are litle more than sheet metal boxes with no fire rating. That's the bad news, the economy safes don't weigh as much as the higher rated enclosures.

[XinTX]

In the event of a fire, the hottest place will be upstairs. Many of the economy safes are litle more than sheet metal boxes with no fire rating. That's the bad news, the economy safes don't weigh as much as the higher rated enclosures.

And in a fire, the weakened joists will allow that safe to fall through. Though I guess a fall is better than letting them all burn.

[jeeperbryan]

I hope not, my safe is upstairs. Its 440 lbs empty so pretty lightweight safe though. Guessing I have another 100lbs of stuff inside. I have it on an exterior wall. When the safe mover did it, he didn't seem to think it would be any probably because 440 lbs is super light for a gun safe.

Something to consider....my wife weighs 450 lbs and she hasn't fallen through the 2nd floor or caused any issues.

[PappaGun]

The advice to put a piece of plywood down is a good one.

If you can determine exactly where the floor joists are, and your safe is wide enough that it can span two or more, make sure you locate the safe over as many joists as possible, rather than centering it on one joist, simply by coincidence.

Also, if the closet is not over any downstairs walls, but over the middle of a room (and therefore, no additional support)
the potential for joist deflection is greater. The closer you are to a wall downstairs the better your support as the less span there is to deflect from a pivot point.

[Scott in Houston]

Something to consider....my wife weighs 450 lbs and she hasn't fallen through the 2nd floor or caused any issues.

[JRG]

Something to consider....my wife weighs 450 lbs and she hasn't fallen through the 2nd floor or caused any issues.

Oh my!!

Joe

[speedsix]

"...in a fire..." he wuz sayin' in a fire, it might fall through...is this Monday???

[Oldgringo]

I hope not, my safe is upstairs. Its 440 lbs empty so pretty lightweight safe though. Guessing I have another 100lbs of stuff inside. I have it on an exterior wall. When the safe mover did it, he didn't seem to think it would be any probably because 440 lbs is super light for a gun safe.

Something to consider....my wife weighs 450 lbs and she hasn't fallen through the 2nd floor or caused any issues.

How about some photos...of each?

[ELB]

In the event of a fire, the hottest place will be upstairs. Many of the economy safes are litle more than sheet metal boxes with no fire rating. That's the bad news, the economy safes don't weigh as much as the higher rated enclosures.

And in a fire, the weakened joists will allow that safe to fall through. Though I guess a fall is better than letting them all burn.

OldGringo and XinTx are correct. Safe designs that have passed (and not merely tested, but passed) UL's fire ratings test are rated to survive a 30' drop onto a pile of rubble without compromising their fire protection integrity. This is to simulate the scenario above: a safe falling from the second floor thru the ground floor and into the basement. Lesser/cheaper safes are basically Residential Security Containers (a metal box with a lock), and are not rated to survive such a drop (or a fire, or a burglary). Safes that are UL rated for burglary resistance are not necessarily fire safes -- those are separate ratings. Having both ratings means, of course, paying more.