Frequently Asked Questions

A safe is the last line of defense between your treasures and a thief. A safe buys you additional time either at home or your business. A thief’s objective is to steal and not get caught; in order to do so, it has to be done quickly. It is quite unfortunate that it can take police patrolling some time to respond to an incident, and neighbours who see what is happening may not always be willing to get involved or put themselves at risk. It makes logical sense to put your valuables in the appropriate safe and be confident that your items are protected.

Make a list of the items you want to place in the safe to help determine the size safe you’ll need and the content value. Some of the most common secured items are:

• Cash (local & foreign currency, bond, shares, treasury bills)
• Certificates (Birth, Marriage, Death, Insurance, Mortgage)
• Precious Metals (gold & silver)
• Collections (art, coin, stamp)
• Firearms & ammunition
• Jewelry
• Photography equipment
• Estate valuables, heirlooms
• Other Documents (contracts, deeds, passports, Insurance, trusts, wills, tax docs)

You can then decide on an adequate size which can accommodate what you intend to keep secure. You also have to consider the fact that you’ll acquire more valuables and important documents over time, so think about the future so you choose a safe that will end up being too small. When the size has been determined, you then have to choose between the following varieties of products to narrow down the exact product that matches your needs. They include a fireproof safe, a fireproof filling safe, a burglary safe, underground safe, a strong room or a vault.

A fireproof safe is a strongbox also known as a fireproof storage unit that is designed to protect and secure its contents in the case of fire. A fireproof filling safe is a piece of furniture with shelves or drawers intended to keep valuable documents and other items safe in the event of fire. A Burglary safe is a burglary chest also known as a burglary storage unit that is designed to protect and secure its contents in the case of fire and can withstand prolonged attacks from both unskilled and skilled thieves.

Note: Fireproof filling safe and safes are designed not only to protect valuables from being burned by fire, but also to protect them from damage by water or chemicals used to combat fire and explosion hazard. Burglary safes also have his function built-in as well.

The only way to actually KNOW the level of protection of a safe is to either work with a safe merchant that you know to be expert, who is honest and morally upright (you may check how long have they been in business for under their current trading name). Another thing to bear in mind is that quality safes have to be tested and certified by a respected laboratory like UL for fire or burglary resistance.

Even though you have a high quality safe you should still be aware of other ways to protect your self and your valuables. Always be aware of your surroundings and lock your doors and take notice of unfamiliar people in your neighbourhood or close to your home. Don’t allow strange individuals in your home that can see your safe or valuables unless necessary. Remember that being extra careful and taking extra security precautions will keep you and your important items secure.

Yes, they have been tested and certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Japan Industrial Standards (JIS), Swedish National Testing and Research Institute (SP), International Standardization of Organization (ISO), and Korean Standards Association (KSA).

The fire test is split into 3 separate test, they are:

Fire Endurance Test

This test measures the temperature rise over a given time span. Thermocouples are fixed on all six internal surfaces of the safe to record the temperature rise inside the safe, the unit is locked and placed inside a specially constructed test furnace where the temperature is raised in accordance with the standard temperature curve BS 476 to the to the required test temperature and for the appropriate time period. Once cooled, the unit is opened and examined for usability. The unit locking mechanisms and parts fastenings are examined for security and the interior examined for visible evidence of undue heat transmission.

Explosion Hazard Test

The aim of this test is to simulate the safe being suddenly exposed to superheated temperatures that could cause the fire resisting compounds used in the safe to expand rapidly and explode. The safe is locked and placed into a furnace preheated to 1093°C. This temperature is maintained for 30 minutes (2 hour test is 45 minutes) and if no explosion results, the unit is allowed to cool without opening the furnace doors.

Fire Drop Test

This test measures the strength of the safe and its ability to withstand the effect of falling through a burning and collapsing building. The safe is locked and placed into a furnace preheated to 925°C. This temperature is maintained for 30 minutes before the safe is removed hoisted to a height of 10 metres and dropped onto a bed of rubble. The safe is then placed back in the furnace upside down for a further 30 minutes.

Gubabi is the largest supplier of safes in Nigeria as a whole and has been in business for over 27 years. We value service and endeavor to provide quality support to every client, and potential consumer. We have thousands of very satisfied customers. Over 50% of our business is repeat business, and much of our new business comes from referrals.

You can get the comprehensive information on burglary and fire ratings for our products at the products page of the corresponding safe you require the information for.

There are exceptional storage units called the microfilm/data safe. These UL rated containers can be built with a variety of locking mechanism to help deter thieves. This is equipped with either a safe inside one of the drawers or a safe within a safe, and is specially designed to resist humidity making it ideal for storage of film or computer media.

Note: keeping such data in a standard fire safe is very risky because if the safe is exposed to fire, the safe creates humidity and if the heat is high enough, it could destroy the data on the computer media rendering it unreadable.

Gubabi manual safe are equipped with a combination dial lock and this comes with a preset combination number from the factory. If you wish to change this combination we recommend you contact us, and we will advice you accordingly. Electronic digital locks (digital keypad) are more user friendly and the combination is easy to change whenever you desire. Please follow instruction manual carefully.

You will need to contact Gubabi if it is our product. You need to have the serial number of the safe and prove that you are the original owner of that safe. Gubabi does not keep any records of combinations. We would have to contact the manufacture for you. There would be a charge for the retrieval of the combination number. We would need to pass that cost along to you.

Changing the batteries for your digital lock depends on how often you use your lock and how good the battery is. A reasonable estimate would be after a year of use. If your lock is not operating appropriately, changing the batteries is always the first and best corrective measure.

The internal mechanism of a good quality safe door is permanently lubricated, thus it needs no maintenance. Occasionally, it may be necessary to lubricate the door bolts. To do so, extend the bolts completely with the door open. Wipe a small amount of oil on each bolt. We recommend cleaning your safe with a soft cloth and ammonia free window cleaner. Avoid using paper towels. If you are at all in doubt contact us and we can assign a technician to provide the service you need for an agreed fee.

This depends on the weight and size of the safe, the smaller safes can enter a saloon car but a larger one must be delivered and installed by trained crews. All of our employees are trained in house. Note: This service may incur a fee.

Safes should be serviced on a yearly basis. Service cost is minimal in comparison to the price of an opening and repair of a safe. Note: Servicing should only be done by our trained technical staff.

We can provide quotations to remove and dispose of old or unwanted safes. We would require the following information in order to obtain a quote:

• Make or model of old/unwanted safe or dimensions and weight of old/unwanted safe.
• Address where safe currently located.
• Any access restrictions on site i.e. Does the safe need to be removed via stairs, lift, steps etc.

A safe should not be exposed to high levels of humidity or direct sunshine because both of these extremes could cause damage to materials. As a rule, a safe should not immediately catch one’s attention. Wall safes and furniture safes are remarkably discreet and can be integrated into a pre-existing wall, wardrobe or desk.

In case of a burglary, you wouldn’t want perpetrators to immediately notice your safe while rummaging through drawers and wardrobes. Structural engineering calculations should be taken into account with heavy safes to make sure a building can tolerate the weight and installation. A path to bring the safe into the room should also be cleared in advance.

Loose lips will increase the risk of your valuables been stolen. Many burglaries occur because someone in the family or business tells someone else that they have a safe. It might be an innocent conversation, but somewhere down the line, a person that you don’t know, or trust, may find out that you have a safe. We value the privacy of our customers and experience has shown that those who don’t talk openly about what they’re protecting with a safe are increasing their odds of avoiding becoming a target for burglaries. The good news is that if you have invested in the right safe, whether there is the threat of fire or burglary, you can peacefully go to sleep at night knowing that you are protected.

Floor safes offer burglary protection and some degree of fire protection (provided the safe was installed in the floor surrounded by concrete). Floor safes offer great protection for valuables because they are engineered to protect against burglary attacks. Most people assume floor safes will provide excellent fire protection because five sides of a floor safe are surrounded by concrete. With the door exposed and made of ONLY metal, heat from a fire rapidly enters the safe. Floor safe doors are made of plate steel that ranges from ½” to 1½” thick and unfortunately, nearly all floor safes DO NOT have fire retardant material included in the door. Therefore, most floor safes are not a good product to protect against a fire.

Even though you have a high quality safe you should still be aware of other ways to protect your self and your valuables. A quality home or business alarm is a good deterrent. Always be aware of your surroundings and lock your doors and take notice of unfamiliar people in your neighbourhood or close to your home. Don’t allow strange individuals in your home that can see your safe or valuables unless necessary. Motion activated exterior lighting will discourage a burglar from spending time breaking into your home or business. As a local law enforcement officer told me once, criminals are like rats; they tend to scatter when you turn a light on. Remember that being extra careful and taking extra security precautions will keep you and your important items secure.