Find The Answers To FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
LIST OF QUESTIONS
1. Is IdealGuard™ for me?
2. Why do I need IdealGuard™ if I already have CCTV or/and intruder/fire alarm?
3. How do I reduce property maintenance costs by fitting IdealGuard™?
4. How much can I safe on energy bills if I fit IdealGuard™?
5. Is IdealGuard™ suitable for individuals of pensionable age, back sufferers and disabled?
6. In which way IdealGuard™ is different from other security letter/mail boxes available on the market? For example, the anti-arson ones with the fire extinguisher?
7. Can the fire extinguisher and/or intumescent lining be fitted inside the IdealGuard™ as the additional means of protection against fire if I wish so?
8. Can IdealGuard™ products be given security classification and/or fire resistance rating and used on security and/or fire rated doors?
9. Why having protection from liquids is so important?
10. Are there any restrictions to the items of mail that can be delivered?
11. Can I fit IdealGuard™ myself by DIY?
12. Shall I tell the postman that I have a new secure letter box installed?
13. Was IdealGuard™ tested?
ANSWERS
1. Is IdealGuard™ for me?
Answer
There are easily available statistics and media reports on letter box related arson and crime attacks on a property, which clearly indicate the need for the improved security in the letter box.
With new legislation in force in the UK improving security and energy efficiency in the letter box is not optional any more for owners and managers of non-domestic premises.
In domestic premises the common sense tells us that for the same reason you have your front doors locked you must also have security against crime and vandalism in your front door letter box for protection of your most valuable assets, such as your family, high-priced property and contents.
Simple calculation proves that fitting IdealGuard™ for physical security, saving on energy bills and reducing insurance premiums is much more economical than damaged property restoration, replacing contents and stolen valuables, like cars, paying increased insurance premiums, suffering the consequential loss and paying soaring energy bills.
If you are considering the most cost-effective means of improving the security and energy efficiency of properties you should take the opportunity and install IdealGuard™, which pays for itself just from the savings on your energy bill.
IdealGuard™ products are recommended since they are world's first and world leaders in letter box advanced maintenance-free physical security and functionality in conjunction with saving house energy, protection of the environment and ergonomics for a postman. With IdealGuard™ fitted indoors you will receive your mail in the traditional way but with more comfort and security.
2. Why do I need IdealGuard™ if I already have CCTV or/and intruder/fire alarm?
Answer
The unprotected letter box offers an easy and attractive route into a property for perpetrators whatever locks, alarms and CCTV may be installed.
CCTV and alarms cannot substitute the physical security to your property. Those systems and warning signs are powerless to stop vandals, arsonists, thieves, burglars and terrorists who will use any opportunity to attack your property.
Burglars noted that the public were so accustomed to alarms going off that they tend not pay attention when they are activated. The effectiveness of CCTV is also questioned as burglars can easily mitigate the risk of being caught by wearing hoods and caps.
3. How do I reduce property maintenance costs by fitting IdealGuard™?
Answer
The average cost of a domestic fire is estimated at £24,900 in 2004, of which approximately £14,600 is accounted for by the economic cost of injuries and fatalities and £7,300 due to property damage.
Fitting IdealGuard™ will stop accidents that would give rise to building, contents and health insurance claims and insurance premiums going up in the following year. You can consider reducing insurance premiums by opting for larger insurance policy excess since accidents become less likely.
Add to that the savings on costs from accidents that occur on your property, which are not covered by your insurance. Also you will better protect the property when it is temporarily not occupied, so insurance typically does not cover vandalism, theft and malicious damage to the building and contents.
You can negotiate a discount on your insurance premiums based on the increased security of your property.If you do not have insurance you will reduce the risk of suffering losses. By protecting against such accidents you escape the risk of death and injury and save on property refurbishment costs. Fitting IdealGuard™ will cost you much less than paying for the insurance on the annual basis, although it is not a full substitute to having the insurance, of course.
4. How much can I safe on energy bills if I fit IdealGuard™?
Answer
With soaring energy prices it makes a lot of sense saving energy wherever possible.
In contrast to the solid wall and roof the aperture of the open letterplate creates no such barrier and the heat of a room or a house exits in moments, especially in colder seasons, which are prevailing in the UK.
With the January 2011 gas and electricity prices every 1°C drop in room temperature will typically cost you around £75 per year and result in extra 300kg of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Since in the UK the average temperature difference between outdoor and indoor temperature is 16°C, average room temperature is easily reduced by much more than 1°C when the letterplate stays open. Imagine what it real costs you and the environment!
With the IdealGuard™ price the indoors fitted IdealGuard™ should pay for itself in a two or three years just from the savings on the house energy.
After paying for itself IdealGuard™ will be saving you money on energy bills year after year. The cost of energy goes up. So will go up your savings. Your home and/or office will be more energy efficient. It will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home and/or office comfort and durability.
Compare IdealGuard™ cost-effectiveness with cavity wall and loft insulation.
It is estimated that up to 35% of the heat from the dwelling can be lost through the walls and up to a further 25% through the roof. According to the Energy Saving Trust, cavity wall insulation can save a home 550kg of CO2 a year, whilst installing up to 270mm of loft insulation can save between 110kg and 220kg CO2 a year.
Cavity wall insulation can only be installed where the walls of a house have a cavity. The cost depends on the size of your house, however, with subsidies, it will usually cost £100 - £350. It can save up to £135 a year, so can pay for itself in 1 - 3 years.
The loft insulation costs for an average family home would be approximately £200 to £300. It does depend on if you have any existing insulation in your loft, as it may only need to be topped up. If you decided to install this insulation yourself, it is widely believed that this will pay for itself in about 2 years.
5. Is IdealGuard™ suitable for individuals of pensionable age, back sufferers and disabled?
Answer
With IdealGuard™ fitted your mail does not fall on the floor so the hygiene is improved and where letter box aperture is arranged at high level you do not need to bend over in order to collect your mail. Also, IdealGuard™ is helpful for people in wheelchair who cannot access mail, which is scattered on the floor, but can access mail from IdealGuard™ letter box. In compliance with the (DDA) Disability Discrimination Act and Part M Access (Access to and Use of Buildings) for most doors IdealGuard™ will leave the required door clearance for access to the property.
6. Are IdealGuard™ products unique? In which way IdealGuard™ is different from other security letter/mail boxes available on the market? For example, the anti-arson ones with the fire extinguisher?
Answer
There are products on the market attempting to solve the problem with letter box security. However, as a matter of fact, none of them is up to the job.
For example, the product for simply locking the letterplate defeats the purpose of the letter box. It will disrupt the mail delivery - that is for sure, so it is not an option.
IdealGuard™ is the Trade Mark of PowerPrize Limited. IdealGuard™ new brand products are unique in many ways and patent protected. They are very different from any other security letter/mail box available on the market.
The full list of benefits contains more than 60 great benefits to customers from a single IdealGuard™ product. Among these benefits there are very special ones: enhanced functionality and security, protection against liquids, suitable for fitting indoors at any level and outdoors, saves house energy, pays for itself, genuinely maintenance-free and fights Global Warming.
In fact, similar to a mobile phone, which offers much more than just making phone calls, IdealGuard™ products offer a number of significant benefits, which are integrated in the product and make it especially advantageous and cost-effective.
The special feature of the IdealGuard™ is that exceptional security is achieved by providing a three-tiered maintenance-free protection against arson attacks without the use of a fire-extinguisher:
This concept is very different to anti-arson letter/mail boxes that mostly rely on the work of an internal fire extinguisher. Different types of fire extinguishers can be used but all of them have a negative side.
The fire extinguisher action begins only after the fire had started so the fire extinguisher cannot protect against noxious substances that do not give rise to temperature. The fire extinguisher can be efficient only against some fire fuels and it is inefficient against others.
The temperature for starting of the extinguishing action in the internal fire extinguisher typically used in anti-arson mail boxes is 57°C/135°F. It may be too late since flammable liquids with flash point below 32°C are defined as highly inflammable. For example, the easily obtainable petrol, which is often used in letter box arson attacks, has a flashpoint below 21°C. It takes only 15 seconds for the fire extinguisher, such as pyroflex tube, to burst, but this is too late to protect against the explosion (100 msec).
The fire extinguishing substance (gas) is poisonous so it is a hazard to health. The amount of the fire extinguishing substance in the fire extinguisher may not be enough to deal with the fire. If there is a second fire extinguisher it may start action at the same time as the first one, so there will be no protection against the second and further arson attempts.
The responsible seller should tell you that if you are happy to have a fire extinguisher in your letter box than be ready for annual pressure tests by a suitably competent company to check if it is OK or for buying and fitting the replacement fire extinguishers every few years as it is a legal requirement that all fire extinguishers are serviced and maintained on a regular basis. Buying the replacement fire extinguisher, if you are lucky to source it, would typically cost over a third or a half of the anti-arson letter box original price.
For these reasons, although the fire extinguisher might be helpful in some cases, you cannot rely on it entirely. It is clearly much more preferable to fence in the letter box from the inflammables rather than relying on the fire extinguisher for dealing with them later on.
You can even come across anti-arson mailbag products with or without the fire extinguisher, which are manufactured from cloth rather than metal. Clearly, cloth is not near as strong as metal. It can be easily pierced through the letterplate, so what kind of security can be expected from these products?
This space can be also used for placing of the alarm, entry phone, etc., and as a platform for the deployment of the latest technology solutions, like smart meter, with the potential to become a part or a focal point for the delivery of a range of beneficial services to the occupants.
7. Can the fire extinguisher and/or intumescent lining be fitted inside the IdealGuard™ as the additional means of protection against fire if I wish so?
Answer
This is not a standard requirement but IdealGuard™ products allow fitting of a fire extinguisher and/or intumescent lining. Please contact PowerPrize Ltd to discuss your special needs.
8. Can IdealGuard™ products be given security classification and/or fire resistance rating and used on security and/or fire rated doors?
Answer
IdealGuard™ products provide high security and fire protection but a security classification or a fire resistance rating cannot be given in isolation since IdealGuard™ products are not used in isolation. The indoors fitted IdealGuard™ products are designed for use with all kinds of doors and the security classification and/or fire resistance rating can be related to whole door assembly only.
The performance of the complete door assembly with fitted IdealGuard™ product will depend on a number of factors e.g. door material, construction, location, etc.
As the design and construction of the security classified and/or fire rated door assemblies varies greatly, it is vital that any test report for the security classified and/or fire rated door assembly with fitted IdealGuard™ product should be available from the door manufacturer.
Fitting IdealGuard™ product in accordance with these recommendations will enable you to comply with the performance requirements of the door assemblies related European and British Standards and the ACPO CPI Secured by Design Scheme for awarding 'Police Preferred Specification' licence.
One thing is absolutely clear. The risk of fire starting through the entrance door letter box (letterplate) is well known and identified by the insurance industry, Fire Brigade, Police service, Master Locksmiths Association, etc. and also in the guidance document on fire safety for blocks of flats recently drafted by CS Todd & Associates (4.32).
Therefore, it does not make sense fitting of the intumescent letter box type to protect the letter box opening in fire-resisting doors. This product cannot stop introduction of flammable liquids and is useless against arson.
It is appropriate here to recommend the fitting of IdealGuard™, which is the gravity powered maintenance-free letter box product type that expels liquids and stops arson.
9. Why having protection from liquids is so important?
Answer
Recent studies indicate that over 63% of losses from all deliberate ignition fires were from fires started by liquids. The secure letter boxes fitness to protect against liquids is especially vital for that reason and also because liquid inflammables are more dangerous than the solid ones: liquid inflammable gives out twice as much heat from the same mass and burns twice as fast.
Twin Towers in New York were designed to withstand any kind of natural calamity but they collapsed on 9/11 simply because the steel frame could not withstand the exceptional heat produced by the burning liquid kerosene from the planes.
From the events of August 2006 in Heathrow airport it appears that terrorists have resorted to use of liquid explosives for their attacks.
10. Are there any restrictions to the items of mail that can be delivered?
Answer
As you would probably agree, there is a limit to the size of items that can be delivered even through a usual letterplate. Items like thick catalogues, magazines and thick newspapers, etc., cannot be inserted. For security reasons many letterplates are so narrow that the only way to deliver even a standard letter post item is to have it folded.
IdealGuard™ is fitted with the large size letterplate 4x12", which is suitable for daily delivery without folding of letter post items not exceeding A4 size and 25mm in thickness. This is in full compliance with the current European Standard EN BS 13724:2002, SBD New Homes 2007 document and Letter Size Guide© introduced by Royal Mail Group Plc in 2004.
DVDs, CDs and video cassets can be easily delivered into IdealGuard™. Even magazines not exceeding A4 size and newspapers can be delivered into IdealGuard™ as long as they are flexible and not over 25mm in thickness each. For delivery of the multitude of the post items they can be easily split into flexible stacks where each stack thickness is not over 25mm.
However, items that are different in size and flexibility from the standard letter post items - which are over A4 size and over 25mm in thickness, are not allowed normally since the unrestricted delivery would defy the security purpose. It is important to understand that there can be restriction to their delivery for the sake of your security.
When you are expecting an unusually large number of mail items and the letter box limited capacity becomes an issue, you can have Cover left open or take it off the letter box.
During the time period, when the Cover is left open or taken off the letter box, the security will not be at its full. This should not be a problem in many cases where the letter box full high security is not required round the clock.
11. Can I fit IdealGuard™ myself by DIY?
Answer
Like with every security product IdealGuard™ correct installation is essential. You receive IdealGuard™ Fitting Instructions and User Manuals with the product. If you are an experienced enough DIY person to fit a letterplate than you can fit IdealGuard™ yourself. Otherwise get a professional or an apprentice contractor, like a joiner or a carpenter to do the work.
12. Shall I tell the postman that I have a new secure letter box installed?
Answer
IdealGuard™ is really good news for the long-suffering postmen and postwomen. There is a duty for a postman to deliver mail through the letter box. Our postmen are used to struggle with narrow letterplates so regardless of the letterplate size they instinctively tend to roll the mail up first and then push it in. Often they leave the mail items not fully inserted through the letterplate.
We cared about a postman when we designed IdealGuard™. The letterplate flap is opened by a natural downward hand action without twisting the wrist, like when the door handle is pressed down. Delivering mail, especially into the low level fitted letter box, becomes much easier. In addition postman's fingers are protected against pets, naughty children and tight brush draught seals that come with or without high strength secondary flap.
Delivering mail items over the letterplate flap is all that is needed for securely delivering mail inside IdealGuard™. There is absolutely no need to push fingers inside the letter box. Fitted with the large 4x12" letterplate, it can easily accept all items of mail up to A4 size without folding and with IdealGuard™ this large size letterplate does not undermine the letter box security.
All this relieves work of a postman and gives him protection at work. Like with everything new it helps if this is explained to the postman when he encounters IdealGuard™ for the first time so he can realise his benefits right away.
13. Was IdealGuard™ tested?
Answer
Yes, IdealGuard™ was tested for the environmental protection and for fire resistance.
The IP (Ingress Protection) Rating achieved is IP66.
In the Fire Resistance Test the perimeter seal remained intact and even retained its original colour after 30 min of exposure in the open flame with the temperature near 1400oC. The test had proved that 30 min is not the limit.
IdealGuard™ features superb characteristics, it is easy-to-handle and reliable in operation.