Orders
Unfortunately we aren’t able to give discounts, even if customers buy more than one mailbox. Our costs from our suppliers keep increasing. We’ve held the line on prices even though our profit margins are getting squeezed. In fact, we’ll probably need to do a price increase soon. Because of this we aren’t able to offer discounts even for customers who purchase more than one mailbox.
We’re going to be buying more than one mailbox, will we get a discount on shipping?
Unfortunately we aren’t able to give shipping discounts even if customers have more than one package going to the same address. We get a discounted shipping rates from FedEx and UPS and we pass that discounted rate directly to you. However, FedEx and UPS don’t give discounts for multiple packages going to the same address. So if you have two mailboxes going to the same address, FedEx or UPS charges 2 X the cost of one mailbox going to that address.
The MailCase is a specialized product and is not available in stores, it is only available directly through our website, www.mailcase.com
We’ve sold MailCase mailboxes all over the United States, so there is likely one of our customers near you. However, our customer’s privacy is very important to us and we won’t give out the addresses or contact information of any of our customers.
No, unfortunately we don’t have any retailers in Canada, and shipping something the size and weight of the MailCase to Canada is too expensive.
If you have friends for family just over the border in the United States, we can send a package to their address. Also, we can ship to UPS Stores located on the US side of the border if you maintain a PO box at the UPS store.
Yes, if the color you are interested is listed on our Shop Page then it means we have them in stock in our warehouse ready to ship.
Orders are shipped nationwide from our warehouses in Utah and North Carolina by FedEx Ground. Orders placed before 9:30 am Mountain Standard time M-F will typically leave our warehouse the same day. Orders received after 9:30 am will leave our warehouse the next business day. Orders received on weekends or major holidays will go out in the next 1-2 business days.
From these two locations FedEx Ground can typically ship to the lower 48 from 2-3 business days.
We have a 30 day money back guarantee. You can return the MailCase for any reason. We refund the purchase price of the items you bought. You are responsible for the shipping cost of returning items back to us. If you want to return the MailCase, please go to our contact us page and send us a message.
PRODUCT
The MailCase comes with 6 keys. We don’t make the keys ourselves, they are made by our lock supplier. Our lock supplier provides us with 6 keys, and we give all of those keys to you. We don’t have a key duplicating machine, so we don’t have a way to provide you with more than 6 keys. However, most reputable locksmiths can duplicate the round type keys that come with your MailCase. Lowe’s or Home Depot would not be able to do it, but a good locksmith near your home will have a round key duplicating machine and can make duplicates for you.
Can I get multiple MailCase mailboxes keyed the same?
Yes, it is possible to have more than one MailCase keyed the same. Contact us for details.
Since every MailCase is keyed differently, and since we don’t make the locks or keys ourselves, then unfortunately we are not able to provide you with replacement keys. If you’ve lost some of your keys then there are two options:
- Most reputable locksmiths near you will have a round key duplicating machine. As long as you still have at least 1 key then they will be able to use that key to make as many duplicates as you need. Hardware stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot don’t have round key duplicating machines, but most good locksmiths have them.
- You can buy a new lock from us with 6 keys. If you use this option you will need to remove your old lock from your MailCase and replace it with the new lock. Your old keys will not be compatible with your new lock, so you’ll need to throw your old lock and old keys away, and use the 3 new keys that come with the new lock. The listing to buy a new lock can be found here: MailCase Replacement Lock
The narrow slot is 10” wide by 1 ¾” tall.
It depends on whether it is a rigid package or a soft package. If it is a soft package the MailCase can fit a pretty big package.
If it is a rigid package then the size that can fit depends on the thickness of the package. If the package is too thick then it will not fit. The following are examples of package sizes that can fit:
11″ Long x 9″ Wide x 3″ High
7″ Long x 5″ Wide x 4.5″ High
The easiest way to explain it is that a rigid package the size of a small standard size Amazon box (11″ x 9″ x 3″) fits, but something the size of a shoebox does not fit.
I need a mailbox that can fit large rigid packages, larger than a the small standard size Amazon box.
They key concept of a secure delivery receptacle is that the overall size of the delivery receptacle must be more than twice as large as the largest size rigid package that the receptacle will need to accept. This is because the receptacle has to have an upper delivery chamber that is as big as the lower collection chamber. Also, the upper delivery chamber has to have security features to protect people from accessing the lower collection chamber. These security features constrain the size of package that can fit through it. For these reasons it is not possible to get a post mounted mailbox that is large enough to fit a package the size of a shoebox.
To get a 2 chamber secure receptacle large enough to take a shoebox size package through the upper delivery tray, you would need a very large receptacle that is the full width and full size all the way from the top of the receptacle down to the ground. You would always need to bend over to the ground to open the collection door and get your mail. Such mailboxes exist, but they are large, expensive, and can be unsightly.
We only sell one size and one style of locking mailbox. The only difference is the color. In the case of the stainless steel MailCase it is not painted, but is the natural stainless steel finish.
Is there a rear access door option available?
The MailCase only has a front access door available. One of the main expenses of building a locking mailbox is building and securing the lower access door. By adding a rear access door it would increase the cost of the MailCase. We don’t have very many customers who need a rear access option so to keep the MailCase affordable for everybody we don’t have a rear access option available.
Can I get a newspaper holder for the MailCase?
MailCase does not make a newspaper holder. Not many people take the physical newspaper anymore, so we get very few requests for these so we’ve opted not to make them.
Do you have numbers or letters we can buy to put on our MailCase?
No, we don’t carry numbers or letters. There are a few options you can try. You can get numbers or letters at Lowe’s or Home Depot. They are not very fancy but are easy to read and typically have a reflective background for night visibility.
If you want something more fancy you can go to Etsy.com and search for “address numbers” and you will find several sellers who custom make very nice address numbers and letters. These are typically vinyl lettering with an adhesive back.
If you have a brick mailbox you can find sellers on Etsy who can custom make a number for you out of concrete that your mason can then set into the brick. Alternatively most masonry supply stores will have an ability to have concrete numbers custom made for your mailbox.
No, by federal law UPS and FedEx can’t deliver to a mailbox. Because of this, unfortunately it is not possible to get one large parcel delivery box for all your packages. If you are getting packages from the Post Office in addition to FedEx and UPS, then you will need one parcel delivery mailbox for the Post Office, and a different one for FedEx and UPS deliveries.
The MailCase is 13 ⅝” wide by 20” tall. The depth at the bottom of 16 ⅝” and the depth at the top is 18 ⅝”. The reason the depth at the top is larger than the depth at the bottom is because the top has a 2” overhang.
INSTALLATION
The in-ground post is 47” long. The sides of the post are 4” X 4”. The surface mount post is 28” long with the sides 4” x 4”. MailCase posts are heavy and strong with the post made from 12 gauge steel and the mounting flange (the platform which holds the mailbox) made from 1/4″ steel.
Can your in-ground post fit over a wooden 4 X 4 post?
It is not necessary to install the MailCase in-ground post over a wooden post. MailCase posts are more than strong enough to hold the MailCase. However if for some reason you decide to install the MailCase post over a wooden 4 X 4 post then yes, a MailCase post will fit over a 4 X 4 wooden post. The dimensions of the MailCase post are actually 4” X 4”, and the dimensions of a wooden post that is nominally 4” X 4” is actually 3.5” X 3.5” which is small enough for the MailCase in-ground post to fit over.
The in-ground post has a flange welded to the top of it. The MailCase has 4 holes in the bottom of the mailbox that line up with 4 holes in the top flange of the MailCase brand post. The MailCase is bolted to the flange on the post through these 4 holes. The mounting hardware comes with the post and includes 4 bolts, 4 nuts, and 8 washers. The bolts are put down through the holes in the bottom of the mailbox, through the flange on top of the post, and then the nuts are screwed on from underneath.
For more on installing the MailCase with in-ground post, watch the installation video on our Installation Page.
The surface mount post has identical flanges on both the top and the bottom. Each flange has 4 holes in it. These holes line up with 4 holes in the bottom of the MailCase.
The first step is you’ll need to mount one of the flanges to the surface of the concrete. We provide hardware to do this included with your surface-mount post. You’ll need to a hammer drill to drill four holes into the concrete, and you’ll use the hardware and these holes to mount one flange of post to the surface of the concrete.
Next you’ll need to mount the MailCase to the other flange (top flange) of the post. The MailCase is bolted to the top flange on the post through the 4 holes in the bottom of the MailCase. The mounting hardware comes with the surface-mount post and includes 4 bolts, 4 nuts, and 8 washers. The bolts are put down through the holes in the bottom of the mailbox, through the flange on top of the post, and then the nuts are screwed on from underneath.
For more on installing the MailCase with surface mount post, go to our Installation Page.
You can find a helpful installation video at www.mailcase.com/installation-help We recommend watching this video before installing your MailCase.
The depth of the hole for in-ground post installation depends on whether you have a curb or not. The Post Office HQ in Washington DC has a policy that the ultimate responsibility on installation of a mailbox rests with your local postmaster, so if you have any questions we recommend contacting your local postmaster.
However, the Post Office HQ in Washington DC has given guidance on how high to mount mailboxes which is that from the surface of the street to the bottom of the delivery point of the mail should be between 41” and 45”. We typically advise customers to install your mailbox so that if you have a 6” curb, the distance from the surface of the street to the top of the mailbox is 52” to 53” with the depth of the hole to bury the post about 19” to 20” deep from the top of the curb.
If you don’t have a curb then set the height of the mailbox at about 49” from the surface of the street to the top of the mailbox, which puts the post 17” deep from the surface of the street.
We recommend making the diameter of the hole 8” across.
Is 17” too shallow if I don’t have a curb?
17” is a good depth. It is important to think of the type of loads that will be on the mailbox. The main load will be the wind. The maximum wind loads won’t be that high…not nearly as high as on something like a fence. Our philosophy is that you want to make the depth and the amount of concrete around the post the minimum you can practically make it . You never know when you might have to dig up and replace the concrete and you don’t want a huge monolith of concrete that will be impossible to remove.
The MailCase comes with 4 mounting holes in the bottom of the mailbox. These 4 holes line up with the 4 holes in the top flange of a MailCase brand post. If you don’t want to buy a MailCase post, but instead want to mount it on your own post, then you will need to make a platform to put the MailCase on.
If you have a wooden post then you can make a platform from a piece of 2” X 8” lumber and cut it about 14” long. This will serve as a platform on which the MailCase sits. You will need to get a large lag bolt, say 4” long and lag the 2” X 8” platform to the top of your wooden post. You’ll need to countersink the lag bolt into the platform so the mailbox will be able to sit flush on the platform. Then you can drill 4 holes into the platform that line up with the holes in the bottom of the mailbox. You can either bolt the mailbox to the platform with lag bolts (say ¼” diameter X 1” long), or you can use a longer bolt that goes all the way through the platform and hold on with nuts underneath.
If you have an existing steel post, then you will need to cut the post, and weld a platform onto it so that MailCase can bolt to that platform. You’ll also need to drill 4 holes in your platform that line up with 4 holes in the bottom of the MailCase
One thing to keep in mind, the MailCase is pretty tall at 20”, so if you are using an existing post you’ll likely need to cut it down before installing the MailCase. If you set the height of the post such that from the surface of the street to the top of the post is 30″ to 32″ this will set the MailCase at the correct height to meet USPS regulations.
What are the dimensions of the mounting holes, can I get a blueprint or outline of the bottom?
We don’t have a blueprint or outline available since our design is proprietary and patented, but the holes are ⅜” in diameter and they are exactly 4” on center from side to side, and exactly 10” on center from front to back.
What mounting hardware comes with the MailCase?
We don’t provide mounting hardware with the mailbox itself because when customers buy a MailCase mailbox without also buying one of our matching posts, we don’t know how they are going to mount the mailbox. Are they going to be putting it in a brick, stone, or masonry column? If so, then they don’t need any mounting hardware. Are they going to be installing it on an existing wooden post? If so, then they need different hardware than if they are going to be installing it on an existing metal post.
When customers buy the MailCase mailbox and matching post together in a combo, then we know how they will be mounting it and so we include the appropriate mounting hardware with the post.
Yes, we sell a 2 place spreader bar that allows 2 mailboxes to be mounted on a single post, and a 3 place spreader bar that allows 3 mailboxes to be mounted on a single post.
The spreader bars can be found on our Post and Parts page.
Your mason will know how to install this in brick. This isn’t something you typically need to worry about. He’ll know how high to put it, how to cut the brick around, it etc. He’s likely built dozens or even hundreds of brick mailboxes.
How is the MailCase secured in a brick column?
Your mason will also know how to secure the mailbox to the brick. He will stuff mortar in-between the sides of the mailbox and the brick. The mortar is sticky when it dries and so it will bond the mailbox and the brick together such that somebody will not be able to pull the mailbox out of the brick column.
Do I need a post for brick installations?
Your mason will build a platform out of brick that he’ll set the mailbox on at the correct height, so you don’t need a post. You don’t need anything for a masonry installation except the mailbox itself. Your mason will take care of the rest.
I want to put the MailCase on a post now but later have it bricked, can I brick around the post?
We don’t recommend this because it will be more difficult for the mason to build and cut brick around the post than it would be for him to remove the post completely and build the brick from the ground up and then put the mailbox in its correct / natural placement in the brick column.
How does the flag work in the brick?
The flag can be easily attached and detached from the MailCase. The MailCase comes with the flag, but the flag is not attached to the mailbox. If you are not installing the MailCase in brick then you can easily attach the flag to the MailCase in a minute or two using the hardware provided.
However, if you are installing the MailCase in brick, then you would leave the flag unattached. There isn’t a way to use the flag attached to the mailbox when mailbox is installed in brick. It is not feasible to attach the flag to the outside of the brick because you would have to try to drill holes in the brick and then put some lag anchors in the holes to hold the flag.
There are two options regarding flags and brick column mailboxes:
Option A) Don’t use the flag. In our opinion this is the best option. The MailCase holds outgoing mail in a metal clip on the inside of the top door. If you have outgoing mail, when your letter carrier opens the top door to deliver your mail, they’ll see the outgoing mail and take it, even if you don’t have a flag. In fact, raising the flag on your mailbox is a signal to criminals that you have outgoing mail, which increases the likelihood they will try to come and steal your outgoing mail.
Option B) There are plastic push/pull flags that fit in a vertical mortar joint in your brick column. The flag pushes in, and pulls out of a plastic sleeve set inside the vertical mortar joint. We don’t sell these plastic push/pull flags, but your mason will be able to get them from their masonry supply store.
Can I retrofit the MailCase into an existing brick mailbox?
It depends on the size and style of the existing brick mailbox. If your brick column is wide enough, and has a concrete cap then you’ll probably be able to retrofit the MailCase into your existing brick mailbox. But if your brick column is narrow, if it has an arched top or flat top made from brick, or has any special brick designs, then you will likely need to have the brick column rebuilt by a mason in order to fit the MailCase.
We have posted an article on the Natural Handyman website that will help you determine if you’ll be able to retrofit your existing brick column with the MailCase, as well as instructions how to do it. Go to the following link to read the article: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infmailbox/inflockingmailbox.html
The MailCase is designed to mount to a MailCase brand post. The MailCase has 4 holes in the bottom that line up with 4 holes in the flange on the top of a MailCase brand post.
The MailCase is not designed to be wall mounted. It is possible to mount the MailCase to a wall, but there are no holes in the back of the MailCase for wall mounting. If you want to mount it to a wall then you’ll need to drill your own holes in the back of the MailCase.
You’ll need to remove the top door in order to reach into the mailbox to fasten the mounting bolts through the holes that you drilled through the back of the mailbox. The top door is bolted to the frame of the MailCase. You can access the nuts that hold the top door to the frame by opening the bottom door of the MailCase and then reaching up just behind the front frame to the nuts holding the top door to the frame. You’ll need to remove those nuts, and then you can remove the top door. You won’t be able to see these nuts since they are located on the rear side of the front frame. You’ll need to feel the nuts with your fingers, and then use a socket wrench to unscrew them.
SECURITY
This would be very difficult if not impossible. If you have ever tried to unscrew a nut without having access to hold the bolt on the other side with a wrench, then you know how difficult it is. You might be able to get a half turn on the nut, and then the whole bolt / nut assembly will just spin around in place.
Hmm..I still don’t like it that the nuts on the underside are accessible?
If you are still concerned, then you could put the Blue LocTite brand thread lock glue over the bolts before screwing on the nuts. Don’t use the Red LocTite because this will permanently lock the threads and you will not be able to get the nuts off even though you have access to put a wrench on the heads of the bolts inside the mailbox. But Blue LocTite is designed to be released using hand tools so you could get it off with access to the bolt heads, but a criminal who only access to the nuts on the bottom would not be able to remove the nuts.
Because of the difficulty in unscrewing a nut without access to hold the bolt head with a wrench, we don’t think LocTite is necessary and none of us here at MailCase use it on the MailCase mailboxes at our homes.
The primary protections of the MailCase from fishing attacks are the configuration of the top door bin, and the overall height of the mailbox. The configuration of the top door bin is such that it is extremely difficult for somebody to reach their arm through the opening and down to the bottom of the mailbox. They can reach their arm through the opening, but because the mailbox is tall and because the top door bin is blocking them, most people can’t reach down to the bottom to grab mail.
We have tested the MailCase with hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes, from very tall people with long arms, to very petite people. In all of our tests we have not found anybody who can reach to the bottom of the MailCase. We have had a handful of customers over the years tell us they can reach the bottom, but it is very rare.
Can somebody reach their hand into the narrow slot?
Not really. Somebody could reach their hand in the narrow slot about as far as the wrist and not further. Even if they reached their hand in as far as the wrist, and then tried to close the top door in order to get their hand closer to the mail, they would not be able to reach mail on the bottom of the mailbox.
Could somebody put something sticky like honey on the end of a stick and then reach through the narrow slot and stick it on a piece of mail and get it out that way?
Not really. It would be difficult because the line of sight through the slot is to the back of the mailbox, not to the bottom. If you slightly close the top door then the line of sight is looking at the rear bottom corner of the mailbox, which would still make it difficult for somebody to fish mail out with honey on the edge of a stick.
In our experience criminals will not try to attack your mailbox by fishing. Since most locking mailboxes have weak latches, criminals have learned that it is much easier to pry open the lower door on most mailboxes, which gives them access to all the mail in just a few seconds. Since MalCase uses Pry Shield to protect the lower door from pry attacks, most criminals will not try to pry attack a MailCase, and will simply move on to an easier target. While it is important for locking mailboxes to protect against fishing attacks, the most important thing is for locking mailboxes to prevent pry attacks.
There is a metal clip on the inside of the front door that can handle a handful of envelopes or invitations. It could fit something the size of a Netflix DVD, but it would not fit a 9” X 12” flat envelope. We highly recommend not using your curbside mailbox for outgoing mail, but instead we recommend taking your outgoing mail directly to the Post Office and putting it in the delivery tray inside the Post Office building.
Can I have my outgoing mail locked?
No, the Post Office does not allow outgoing mail to be secured behind a lock on individual curbside locking mailboxes. If it were behind a lock, then the letter carrier would have to have a separate key for every curbside mailbox on their route, which would be logistically impossible.
We recommend taking outgoing mail that is sensitive in nature directly to the Post Office and putting it in the delivery tray inside the Post Office. We don’t recommend the blue mailboxes in front of the Post Office, or the blue mailboxes that the Post Office has around the city. Criminals have discovered that inside these blue mailboxes is the motherlode of outgoing mail and are increasingly targeting them.
Why do some mailboxes have locked outgoing mail, like apartment buildings? Why can’t I have a mailbox like that?
Multi-Unit mailboxes can have locked outgoing mail. However, these are a special class of mailboxes called Commercial or Multi-Unit mailboxes. The USPS has different mailbox standards. The standard that governs individual curbside locking mailboxes is standard 7C, and according to standard 7C, individual curbside locking mailboxes can’t have locked outgoing mail.
However, Commercial Multi-Unit mailboxes are under a different USPS standard, and they can have locked outgoing mail. The way this works is the apartment building or commercial center that wants the Multi-Unit mailbox needs to contact their local Postmaster for permission. When they get this permission then they can buy a USPS approved mailbox that meets the USPS Commercial Standard, and then after they install the mailbox the Postmaster will send out a USPS contractor who will install a special lock to which only letter carriers have the key. Individual homeowners or individual business are typically not eligible to have this type mailbox installed in front of their home or business.
The MailCase is very strong, but it is not indestructible. For example, if a car hits the mailbox, the car will destroy the mailbox. If somebody hits it with a baseball bat, it won’t destroy the mailbox, but it will leave a mark and possibly a dent where it is hit by the baseball bat.
Bottom line, there is nothing that is impenetrable. If somebody really wants to break into your mailbox, they will find a way to get in. The amount of security you need depends on what you are securing. If you are securing things like cash, jewelry, car keys, and guns, then you will need a very high level of security. The amount of security needed for most incoming mail is not as high as you would need for cash, jewelry, and guns.
Some people do get very sensitive items in the mail. For example they might get several payments by check, or an accountant might get a lot of clients’ mailing them sensitive tax documents. If this is the case for you, then you might consider getting a PO Box. But for the kind of incoming mail that most people get, the MailCase provides excellent security.
No, the stainless steel MailCase is not more secure than the painted MailCase. Stainless steel is a harder steel, but this increased hardness doesn’t make the mailbox more secure.
Your mason will know how to install this in brick. This isn’t something you typically need to worry about. He’ll know how high to put it, how to cut the brick around, it etc. He’s likely built dozens or even hundreds of brick mailboxes.
How is the MailCase secured in a brick column?
Your mason will also know how to secure the mailbox to the brick. He will stuff mortar in-between the sides of the mailbox and the brick. The mortar is sticky when it dries and so it will bond the mailbox and the brick together such that somebody will not be able to pull the mailbox out of the brick column.
Do I need a post for brick installations?
Your mason will build a platform out of brick that he’ll set the mailbox on at the correct height, so you don’t need a post. You don’t need anything for a masonry installation except the mailbox itself. Your mason will take care of the rest.
I want to put the MailCase on a post now but later have it bricked, can I brick around the post?
We don’t recommend this because it will be more difficult for the mason to build and cut brick around the post than it would be for him to remove the post completely and build the brick from the ground up and then put the mailbox in its correct / natural placement in the brick column.
How does the flag work in the brick?
The flag can be easily attached and detached from the MailCase. The MailCase comes with the flag, but the flag is not attached to the mailbox. If you are not installing the MailCase in brick then you can easily attach the flag to the MailCase in a minute or two using the hardware provided.
However, if you are installing the MailCase in brick, then you would leave the flag unattached. There isn’t a way to use the flag attached to the mailbox when mailbox is installed in brick. It is not feasible to attach the flag to the outside of the brick because you would have to try to drill holes in the brick and then put some lag anchors in the holes to hold the flag.
There are two options regarding flags and brick column mailboxes:
Option A) Don’t use the flag. In our opinion this is the best option. The MailCase holds outgoing mail in a metal clip on the inside of the top door. If you have outgoing mail, when your letter carrier opens the top door to deliver your mail, they’ll see the outgoing mail and take it, even if you don’t have a flag. In fact, raising the flag on your mailbox is a signal to criminals that you have outgoing mail, which increases the likelihood they will try to come and steal your outgoing mail.
Option B) There are plastic push/pull flags that fit in a vertical mortar joint in your brick column. The flag pushes in, and pulls out of a plastic sleeve set inside the vertical mortar joint. We don’t sell these plastic push/pull flags, but your mason will be able to get them from their masonry supply store.
Can I retrofit the MailCase into an existing brick mailbox?
It depends on the size and style of the existing brick mailbox. If your brick column is wide enough, and has a concrete cap then you’ll probably be able to retrofit the MailCase into your existing brick mailbox. But if your brick column is narrow, if it has an arched top or flat top made from brick, or has any special brick designs, then you will likely need to have the brick column rebuilt by a mason in order to fit the MailCase.
We have posted an article on the Natural Handyman website that will help you determine if you’ll be able to retrofit your existing brick column with the MailCase, as well as instructions how to do it. Go to the following link to read the article: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infmailbox/inflockingmailbox.html
It doesn’t matter how deep you bury your post, or what kind of post you use, in a car vs. mailbox, the mailbox always loses. Even if your mailbox is held by a railroad tie, the momentum from a car will always destroy the mailbox.
Materials
The difference is in the composition of the metal, and the fact that the stainless mailboxes are not painted. The painted mailboxes we sell are made from zinc alloy steel. Zinc Alloy steel has very good rust resistance, but stainless steel has the best rust resistance. Other than the composition of the metal, and the fact that the stainless steel MailCase is not painted, the mailboxes are identical.
Most of our customers who buy the stainless steel MailCase either A) Like the look of stainless steel, or B) They live in a highly corrosive environment. This would typically be somebody who lives within a mile or two of the ocean, or somebody who lives on a busy street in a place with a harsh winter and the snow plows drop lots of salt onto the road. If you don’t live in a highly corrosive environment you will be fine with one of our painted mailboxes..
The stainless steel MailCase has a brushed finished. Picture the finish on stainless steel appliances, or the finish on the inside of an elevator, and that is similar to the finish on the stainless steel MailCase.
Stainless steel is a more expensive type of steel, so the cost of the metal itself is higher. Also, stainless steel is more difficult to fabricate. Stainless steel has high hardness so it takes specialized equipment to fabricate. Also, when painting a mailbox things like welding marks and sanding marks are all covered by the paint. However, to get the gorgeous brushed finish on the stainless steel MailCase, all of these marks must be buffed out by hand which is laborious and time consuming.
The top, sides, and rear of the MailCase are 14 gauge steel and the front doors and bottom of the MailCase are 12 gauge steel.
Zinc alloy steel is made by adding molten zinc and aluminum to red hot steel as the steel is formed into steel plate. This process heat-infuses the entire thickness of the steel with rust fighting zinc and aluminum.
Zinc alloy steel is much better at fighting rust than electro-galvanized steel used by most of our competitors. Electro-galvanized steel is made by electrically depositing only a tiny layer of zinc on the surface of the steel. Every cut, weld, or drill point breaks this zinc layer which makes an entry point for rust. This is why you see so many of our competitors rusting, sometimes even after just a couple of years.
Since we use zinc alloy steel, the MailCase will last several times longer than our competitors who use electro-galvanized steel.
Some customers ask how long the MailCase will last before it starts to rust. There is not one universal answer to this question. It depends on the environment where the mailbox is located. A MailCase located in a quiet cul-de-sac in a dry climate could last more than 25 years, but a MailCase located on a barrier island in the Florida Keys will start seeing corrosion much sooner.
If you live in a non-corrosive environment then our UV powder coated zinc-alloy mailboxes will last a very long time. However, if you live in a highly corrosive environment (lots of salt in the air or on the roads) then you might consider buying the stainless steel version of the MailCase.
We recommend getting windshield wiper fluid, and gently warming it up and putting it is a squirt bottle. When you squirt the warm fluid into the lock, it will melt the ice. The melting point of windshield wiper fluid is lower than water so the windshield wiper will not freeze in the lock unless it is very cold.
Stainless steel is metal, and all metal is reactive to its environment. What you are seeing is some surface discoloration due to the stainless steel reacting with something in your environment. It might be salt spray in the air if you are next to the ocean. If you live in an area with hard water and you have an irrigation sprinkler spraying the mailbox, then it might be reacting to minerals in the water.
It is easy to remove this discoloration by using Soft Scrub cleanser that you can find at a grocery story. Soft Scrub is designed to replace harsher abrasives like Comet or Ajax. We’ve found that it works well for cleaning stainless mailboxes and removing any surface discoloration due to the metal reacting with its environment.
Replacement
Touch up paint has a short shelf life. The longer it sits on the shelf the more viscous it gets until it completely hardens. Its best working life is about 6 to 8 weeks. Because of the short shelf life it is not something that we regularly stock. However, we occasionally get bottles of touch up paint made at our local automotive paint supply store.
If you need touch up paint contact us to see if we have any new bottles of touch up paint in your color in stock. If we do we’ll be happy to send you a bottle. If we don’t then we can get some made, but it usually takes several days. Alternatively you can go to an automotive paint supply store near you and have them make you a bottle.
Please contact us and we’ll help you get the problem solved.
Have you lost all of your keys, or just some of your keys?
All MailCase mailboxes are keyed differently. We don’t make the locks and keys ourselves, we get them from our lock supplier. We get 6 keys from our lock supplier and we give all of those keys to you. We don’t keep any duplicate keys for your MailCase and we don’t have a key making machine so we aren’t able to make additional keys.
If you still have at least one of your keys then there are two options.
Option A) Find a local locksmith and get duplicates made. Most good locksmiths will be able to make duplicates. Hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot will not be able to make duplicates, but a reputable locksmith will have a round key duplicating machine and will be able to make duplicates for you.
Option B) You can buy a new lock from us with 6 new keys at the following link: https://www.mailcase.com/product/replacement-lock/ When your new lock arrives you’ll need to remove your existing lock and throw the lock and the keys away. Then you can install the new lock with 6 new keys. You’ll want to pay close attention when you remove your existing lock so you can replace the new lock with the hardware on the new lock in the same configuration as the hardware on the lock you are removing.
If you have lost all of your keys then you will need to call a locksmith and have them come and drill out your existing lock and remove it, and then you can replace it with a new lock with 6 new keys that you can buy from us here: https://www.mailcase.com/product/replacement-lock/
