InfoSub - OBE-Vaults

Although it is NOT required by state law, most New Jersey cemeteries require that all earth burials be made within a "hard" outer burial enclosure. The reason for this requirement is so that the surface of the ground will not sag or depress in future years. Some cemeteries that require a hard enclosure will not allow either a sectional liner nor a thin wall "rough box."

Today, most outer burial enclosures are made of concrete and many are lined with a waterproof material...many are coated on the outside and/or painted. The lining materials range from polycarbonate to fiberglass and some areadditionally lined with either stainless steel, copper or bronze.

The construction style is basically either sealed or not sealed. The least expensive models (often called boxes or enclosures) are not mechanically sealed...the lid merely rests on the sides. Some non-sealed models use a sealant but are not "guaranteed" by the manufacturer to protect the contents of the enclosure. Some rough concrete boxes are made with holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

Burial vaults are generally guaranteed by the manufacturer to be sealed against the penetration of the closed vault by water or any other substance. The lid of most sealed vaults are domed to afford more weight-bearing strength.

Air-Seal burial vaults are available in concrete, but most generally in Steel or Copper. They are designed with a flat bottom (on which the casket is placed in the grave) and a five sided dome (two sides, two ends and a top) that is lowered to cover the casket and attach to the bottom. The "air-seal" principle is the same as when you lower an empty glass, open side down, into a vessel of water. The pressure of the air in the dome precludes the entry of water. Air-seal vaults are not generally available in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, the only provider of outer burial enclosures and vaults is the funeral home which usually handles a variety of enclosures and vaults that can be purchased in advance AND at the time of need.

Each funeral director chooses which line of vaults he will display and sell. Most funeral directors deal with one supplier of burial enclosures.

Because of the size and weight of the concrete burial enclosures, it is not feasible to have actual boxes and vaults on display at the funeral home ... but we do have models and pictures that show what these enclosures do and how they are made.

The actual enclosure is delivered, installed and sealed by the local vault manufacturer (in cooperation with the cemetery that digs the grave) prior to the arrival of the funeral procession at the cemetery. The casket is placed over the vault (which is already in the grave) on a devise that ultimately lowers the casket into the vault after the family and friends leave the cemetery. The lid is then installed (and, as appropriate, sealed). Usually the vault company provides the artificial grass around the grave, the devise to lower the casket and often the tent and chairs...although some cemeteries require that they, themselves provide these services.

We offer a variety of enclosures at the Ocean Grove Memorial Home and can arrange for the delivery of any available enclosure. It is our intention to post here pictures of some of the enclosures that we handle. Until those digital photographs are available, the following textual descriptions will have to suffice. Once those photos are available, click the blue underlined links (below) to see those enclosures.

Description	Seal	Price
Wilbert Concrete, Bronze and Strentex WILBERT BRONZE burial vault.	Yes	$ 15,000.00
Wilbert Bronze and Strentex lined BRONZE TRIUNE concrete burial vault.	Yes	4,600.00
Wilbert Copper and Strentex lined COPPER TRIUNE concrete burial vault.	Yes	3,800.00
Wilbert Stainless Steel and Strentex lined STAINLESS STEEL TRIUNE concrete burial vault	Yes	3,200.00
Wilbert Strentex lined ROSE concrete burial vault with Rose Carapace	Yes	3,200.00
Wilbert Strentex lined VETERAN concrete burial vault with Military Carapace	Yes	3,200.00
Wilbert Strentex lined VENETIAN concrete burial vault with Carapace	Yes	2,200.00
Wilbert Strentex lined CONTINENTAL concrete burial vault	Yes	1,800.00
Wilbert Strentex lined MONTICELLO concrete burial vault	Yes	1,550.00
Wilbert Strentex lined SALUTE concrete burial vault with military motif	Yes	1,550.00
Hall-Wilbert Standard GREYCRETE concrete outer burial enclosure	No	1,300.00
Hall-Wilbert concrete rough box	No	1,100.00

One of the reasons that some cemeteries disallow thin walled unsealed rough boxes is that under the weight of a second (or third) burial above or under the weight of machinery such as grave digging devises, the lid might break and collapse. Most sealed burial vaults have a domed lid and should be considered when additional burials are to be made above and if the cemetery commonly digs graves mechanically.