Anchoring your safe is one of the simplest yet most effective preventative methods you can take to keep your valuables safe (aside from the quality of your safe). Anchoring ensures that your safe cannot be easily lifted out and cracked at the burglar’s convenience. Some safes will come with an anchor kit. Almost all safes will have the infrastructure available to be anchored. However, sometimes the stock anchor kit isn’t always the most secure option. There are a number of different methods used to anchor safes with varying levels of effectiveness. Here we’ll look at some different ways to make sure that your safe is secure and anchored properly.
Concrete Strike Anchors These anchors are effective force driven anchors designed for use in concrete. These anchors are made from 2 basic pieces and are quite simple to use and install. The first piece is a hollow cylinder with the upper portion threaded and the lower portion having pre quartered slats. The second part for all intents and purposes is a nail. The idea is that you pre-drill a hole the size of the cylinder and then when you drive the nail into it the bottom part will expand and effectively anchor your safe. Then, you can tighten this with a bolt to get additional strength. These are very effective but not always as heavy duty as some of the other options. Wedge Anchor The concrete wedge anchor is an expansion type anchor used for solid concrete and noted for its high strength and durability. The basic idea behind a wedge anchor is a steel rod that is threaded at the top and tapered at the bottom with a fixed clip on the bottom that expands when tightened. Once you have inserted it into your pre-drilled hole and begin to tighten the clip is forced onto the tapered area of the rod and expands to effectively hold the anchor in place. This type of anchor is a favorite for its strength but due to its design it is prone to leave an exposed section of threaded cylinder above ground that can be bothersome. This can be taken care of with a hacksaw but may pose problems should you ever want to unanchor your safe. Lag Shield Anchors These anchors are about as simple as they get and a good option when anchoring in concrete, brick, or block. The basic idea is a sleeve with pre cut slats that is designed to expand when a screw is inserted. The outside of the sleeve is usually ribbed to increase friction and strength. It’s very similar in construction to hammer strike anchors. These are common place and effective but generally considered slightly inferior to some of the other options.
