Anchoring a safe

[TJdamon]

Hi guys and gals, I'm looking for some input on anchoring a safe. We are moving this weekend and I'm trying to decide on where to put my safe. At our current house it's in a back room lagged into some supporting beams I installed under the house. At the new house I'm thinking about anchoring it into the garage floor. Are there any concerns doing this and should I put something between the safe and concrete before anchoring?
The safe is a Fatboy JR.

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[The B]

Certainly nothing wrong with padding the safe to prevent corrosion. Concrete wicks moisture to some degree. You could use pretty much anything waterproof. "Sill seal" is what we use between sill plates and the top of foundation walls - you probably aren't going to find a "sill seal" that's wide enough, and I'm guessing the safe probably has some kind of "feet" or legs or something other than a totally flat bottom that will tend to sink and cut through anything soft. At the same time, I wouldn't suggest you use anything that could be easily compromised.... no wood or concrete board type stuff, as a thieve could use that to his advantage - hammer some wedges under there, slip a sawsall blade under and cut your bolts. Maybe a nice steel plate, cut roughly in the footprint of the safe bottom?

What are you gonna fasten it with? I'd recommend an epoxied stainless steel all-thread for the same reason as a pad - corrosion resistance. Make sure to use a good foundation wall bolt approved 2-part epoxy... you can buy them in little mini-mix tubes so you don't have to buy the giant $150 mixing gun. Be sure to brush and blow the holes out with compressed air before you fill them with epoxy.

 

[jbett98]

A piece of pond liner would work.

 

[The B]

A piece of pond liner would work.

Probably be adequate. EPDM is it's industry name.

 

[TJdamon]

It has a flat bottom. The pond liner sounds good as well as the epoxied bolts. Thank you

 

[Caveman Jim]

Make sure you also anchor it tight against a wall so thieves cannot get a chain around it & drag it out!!!

 

[Charliehorse]

I used Red Heads to anchor pressure treated 2x6 to the cement and then bolted the safe to the 2x6's.

 

[etrain16]

I used Red Heads to anchor pressure treated 2x6 to the cement and then bolted the safe to the 2x6's.

View attachment 252754

+1 on these bolts. As an electrician, I secured a lot of big, heavy electrical equipment to concrete floors. These types of anchors were one of the most common for us. Usually 3/8", 1/2" or 5/8" diameter depending on the size/height of the device being bolted down. In most cases, we bolted the item directly to the concrete floor with nothing in-between. If we did put something in-between it was usually for vibration insulation, such as when we would mount a large motor or generator. In those cases, we used isolation pads that were usually a galvanized steel plate sandwiched between heavy rubber pads, like this:



If you want to put something between the safe and the floor, a less expensive option would be some square washers like this:



They should be readily available at most big box stores or electrical/mechanical supply stores.

If you're not familiar with how to use and set red head wedge-type anchors, there are likely some YT videos you can learn from.

 

[jbett98]

If possible, try placing the bolts as close to the base corners as possible.
My 1st "cheap China" safe had two holes pre drilled close to the center and you could easily slip a pry bar under it and rock it loose.

 

[TJdamon]

The redheads are what I was thinking about using, we use them at work to anchor our elevator parts. The safe has a hole in each corner to it should be good. I just hope the concrete is a decent thickness.

 

[jbett98]

Slab should be a minimum of 4".
Just don't drill all the way through.

 

[Member 5605]

RedHead wedge anchors. Check their strength, times that by 4 and then figure out your concrete breaking strength.

Wedge anchors are enough. I just did that with mine when we moved a couple months ago.

 

[Burt Gummer]

I not only didn't bolt mine down, I left the pallet underneath! My driveway is a long 35-degrees so anyone stealing my safe (more than one) - more power to you .... mine is ready come moving time though.... lol

 

[Dreams of Steel]

The guy who delivered and set up my safe used 4 50,000 capacity bolts after drilling the holes in my concrete slab. Fort Knox included the bolts with the safe and he bolted it down for no charge. I doubt any normal vehicle could pull it out even if they could get to it. The old manta applies here - I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I know he used some very thick washers or spacers at the head of the bolt but I do not know what length / thread the bolts are. You could call around and ask some safe dealers what they use and go from there.

 

[Lowpower]

It sounds like you have a lot of good advice coming in. The only thing I might add is to make sure your boat can handle the weight of that safe anchor.

Actually my safe is in an interior closet and is anchored to the floor and the inside wall.

Lp

 

[coop44]

the problem with redheads, and all anchors of that type, they are only rated for shear strength, not draw strength. sooo that 50 thousand pound strength does not apply. sure they will hold fairly well, but don't kid yourself about the strength. I've pulled out quite a few with a crowbar.

I would still use the redhead type of anchor, but set them with a concrete epoxy, and anchor the back to a couple of studs if possible.

 

[jbett98]

If you worry about fire destroying the contents of the safe, caulk the safe bolt holes on the inside with an expanding fire sealant.

 

[Classic]

+1 on these bolts. As an electrician, I secured a lot of big, heavy electrical equipment to concrete floors. These types of anchors were one of the most common for us. Usually 3/8", 1/2" or 5/8" diameter depending on the size/height of the device being bolted down. In most cases, we bolted the item directly to the concrete floor with nothing in-between. If we did put something in-between it was usually for vibration insulation, such as when we would mount a large motor or generator. In those cases, we used isolation pads that were usually a galvanized steel plate sandwiched between heavy rubber pads, like this:

View attachment 252761

If you want to put something between the safe and the floor, a less expensive option would be some square washers like this:

View attachment 252762

They should be readily available at most big box stores or electrical/mechanical supply stores.

If you're not familiar with how to use and set red head wedge-type anchors, there are likely some YT videos you can learn from.

Mine is anchored to my concrete slab. The holes in my safe we pre-drilled so Northwest safe put it on plastic pads to get it off the concrete and drilled though the existing holes. Pounded in expansion bolts and bolted it down. Gotta have the plastic pads to get it off the ground

 

[MagDump]

Putting your safe in the garage is not ideal since garages are easy to break into. Every time someone drivers by and your garage door is up they wonder what you got in it. It makes you a candidate for a home invasion or break-in. If you do use the garage you should build a temporary wall or curtain so people can't see the safe. Also, garages have more humidity than inside the house so you will need to dehumidify garage or take other precautions.

 

[etrain16]

Mine is anchored to my concrete slab. The holes in my safe we pre-drilled so Northwest safe put it on plastic pads to get it off the concrete and drilled though the existing holes. Pounded in expansion bolts and bolted it down. Gotta have the plastic pads to get it off the ground

I've bolted more metal electrical equipment directly to concrete than I can count. Motors and generators always got isolated for vibration/noise. But large electrical cabinets were routinely bolted directly to the concrete. Often if we did put something underneath, it was to shim it to level it out.

I don't know how necessary isolation from the concrete is for a safe, but I can say that if the concern is due to corrosion or wicking of moisture, I've never seen it happen with a wide variety of metal equipment in direct contact with concrete. I don't know with a safe if it's really truly necessary, or maybe just a good practice that they recommend.