Choosing the Right Urn Burial Vault for Your Loved One
When it comes to choosing the right burial vault, it requires consideration of size, durability, and cemetery regulations.
It’s also a strongly emotional choice to make because it’s where you’ll likely visit your loved one when you need that connection with them.
Urn burial vaults can vary greatly from concrete options to high-density polymer or metal that protects the urn from moisture and ground pressure.
With that being said, here are some key considerations when choosing a vault and how to select the proper urn for your loved one’s burial.
What to Consider When Choosing a Burial Vault
When it comes to choosing a burial vault, you want to think about the protection level provided as well as the regulations put in place by the cemetery itself.
Cemetery Regulations
Always confirm the specific vault requirements with the cemetery before you purchase, as these can vary. The vault requirements, like size, material, and sealing methods, are all something to confirm with the cemetery before committing to a purchase.
Protection Level
It’s important to choose vaults that can withstand significant ground pressure. Ensuring it can handle at least 3,000 pounds per square inch is suitable to help protect the urn effectively.
Size
It’s worthwhile to ensure the vault interior can comfortably fit the chosen urn. If you’re using a large or companion urn, then a larger, customised vault will be required.
Material
Material is another highly important consideration to make. For example, concrete is a common and often desired choice, as well as lining it with plastic or metal to improve its sealing.
Metal and polymer are great choices when needing high strength and excellent protection against moisture.
Selecting the Proper Urn for Burial
When choosing the right urn for burial, considering its own durability and capacity is key too, and not often something that’s thought about as much.
For burial, you want materials like granite, stone, or metal for the long-term preservation of the urn itself. This is particularly important when it comes to urn burials that are being done without a vault.
As a general rule, capacity is 1lb of body weight requires 1 cubic inch of space. That’s something that you should be calculating as best as possible to ensure there’s enough room in the urn for your loved one to go into.
If the goal is for the urn to break down, then you might want to look at what biodegradable options are available. The use of specialised, eco-friendly materials is often offered when selecting the urn.
The urn or burial vault is something that you can personalize and make your own. You could consider adding nameplates or engravings to either or both to honor your loved one further.
Ultimately, it’s important to think carefully about the urn and the vault you choose when laying your loved one to rest. It can be much more of a personable experience when you’re selective on all of the above.
