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Gun Safe Dehumidifier

18K views 26 replies 24 participants last post by  brianda 
#1 ·
Lived most of my life in NM, AZ or CO and never needed a dehumidifier in my gun safe. For retirement, we are moving to the Dallas area. My question, is the humidity high enough there that I will need to do something to protect my guns? If so, what is the best approach? :confused:
 
#3 ·
I run a 15W bulb in the safe all the time. Seems to keep the humidity quite low and doesn't cost much. A small hole in the back or side if there isn't already one, run the cord through without the plug, seal it in place with silicone or gasket seal to make it moisture proof, reeattach the plug and there you go.
I also have a sprinkler head over the top of the safe in event of fire. I think it will keep it cool enough to protect the contents before the heat ruins the water pipe and water flow.
Semper Fi
Rocky
 
#5 ·
Goldenrod.

I live in Georgia and our summers are very humid. My safe is in the basement (very dry basement), I keep a Goldenrod in the safe, and I've never had a rust issue. My safe has a small hole in the back that is there for the electrical cord to run through.

I do take all my guns out every 3 months and oil the outsides. Probably not necessary, but I enjoy the process.
 
#7 ·
we are moving to the Dallas area. My question, is the humidity high enough there that I will need to do something to protect my guns?
Welcome to North Texas:) ... overall, it's a good place to retire.

At times, the humidity in this area is high enough to be of some concern. It's not nearly as high as along the Gulf Coast, and it benefits from being far away from any body of salt water; nonetheless, humidity here is higher on average than where you have been living.

I would use the Goldenrod in a large safe, or a smaller demidifying device (Remington, among others, makes them), in a small safe. You'll easily find these devices, as well as desiccant packs, at local gun stores.

Better to be safe than sorry with one's lifetime collection of firearms.
 
#9 ·
I use a golden rod as well. No rust. Best investment you can have aside from the safe. And do not seal the safe. You need the air circulation.

Per FAQ from Golden Rod website...

How does GoldenRod® work?

GoldenRod® heats to a surface temperature of less than 150 degrees (which is almost too warm to hold) and circulates warm, dry air throughout an enclosure on a 24 hour basis. This increases the temperature of the air inside to several degrees above the ambient outside temperature. Expansion of the heated air forces the moist air outside through the vents or loose fitting doors leaving the dry air inside. In order to work correctly, it is important to ensure that there is adequate ventilation.
 
#11 ·
I would recommend you dehumidify the room/home the safe is in to begin with and use a desiccant in the safe. Sinclair International sells them. I never liked the idea of putting anything electrical in a safe for fear of fire to begin with and don't have a plug-in close anyway.
tc
 
#12 · (Edited)
#13 ·
I personally dont care for heaters inside a safe. Holes (for power) decrease fire ratings. They also use electricity, and really only work on a "loose" safe, which would mean it has a low fire rating to begin with. I use the plug in style desiccant modules as seen here.

They have a color code meter on them to tell you when they are "full", and when they are, you then take them out, plug it in, and it drys itself. After drying, you simply put it back in and it goes to work again.
 
#23 ·
I personally dont care for heaters inside a safe. Holes (for power) decrease fire ratings. They also use electricity, and really only work on a "loose" safe, which would mean it has a low fire rating to begin with.
Holes are required for fire safes as they act as a valve for the escaping steam when there is a fire.

Fire safes have a lining of drywall which is made of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (calcined gypsum) which contains chemically bound water. In the present of a fire, the elevated temp vaporizes the water molecules creating steam. The steam cools the inside of the safe as it escapes through the vent holes.

So, the holes you have in a safe do not decrease the fire rating but are actually necessary for the fire rating.

If you have a sealed safe and drywall in it, that steam is coming out one way or another....
 
#16 · (Edited)
since none of my safes have any holes in them except for the 4 floor mounting holes, i use an Eva-Dry rechargeable dehumidifier. I charge it up and then every now and again have to recharge it. They say 30-60 days before having to renew it. All the "recharging" does is dry out the moisture capturing component. so 30-60 days depending on how humid it gets inside the safe. I live in Virginia and it is more humid than... well use your imagination! However my basement is fairly dry so I do not have to worry so much. So this I only have to change (dry out) the device maybe twice a year.

Basically it is silica gel crystals and use heat to dry them out when "recharging" it is good for at least 10 years. think about it. Run a goldenrod for 24/7/365 * 10 years. How much money does that cost you? They claim pennies a day. how many pennies (i asked they won't say). On average a goldenrod uses about 38 watts, so that equates to on average $4.50 per month. Over 10 years that comes out to $540. May not seem like much but it all adds up. You decide.

Understand how a goldenrod works. It works by heating up the air inside to around 110 degrees (the rod itself heats to 150 degrees) and is supposed to push the cool damp air out through holes in the safe.

I simply prefer something that captures the moisture and removes it from the air all together. personally I would rather run an eva-dry and a small mini fan inside the safe to circulate the air much more effectively than a goldenrod does.

the Eva-Dry only uses 18 watts per hour and requires a 10-12 hour recharge time. That equates to a penny per recharge which you may do up to 12 times a year in an extreme humidity environment.

All cost calculations are based on the national average rate of $.08 per kW/hour

http://www.eva-dry.com/products/

Oh and the earlier posts showing items like remington etc are basically rebranded eva-dry's
 
#18 · (Edited)
I simply prefer something that captures the moisture and removes it from the air all together. personally I would rather run an eva-dry and a small mini fan inside the safe to circulate the air much more effectively than a goldenrod does.

Oh and the earlier posts showing items like remington etc are basically rebranded eva-dry's
Agree. This is how I store my highest value firearms. Conditions are so bone-dry in my storage units (I double-up with these devices, just to be sure), that I try to avoid storing any wood grips in these specific safes. Wood does not particularly like 0% humidity.

But the Golden Rod is also an effective dehumidifier, so I think a person would be O.k. either way, especially in North Texas. Personally, I would not store any of my firearms or ammo in the garage, no matter what kind of protection was in the safe ... too much heat in the summertime. Security might also be compromised in a typical garage.
 
#17 ·
I live in the Dallas area, and have never had an issue with humidity in my safe, but there are some questions that need to be answered before I could give a recommendation.

First of all will the safe reside inside your home or in the garage? Next question is will you leave your house closed up most of the time or open the windows? In Dallas we usually keep them closed due to the heat and humidity.

My safe is inside my home with the air conditioning on about nine months out of the year. I wipe all of my guns down from time to time with a light coat of oil, and I leave my safe door open often when I am home (I work out of my house). I personally have never had an issue and I have a lot of blued rifles, shotguns, and handguns. If you leave your safe in the garage you might need to consider a Goldenrod.

Good luck, and welcome to Dallas. If I can answer any questions for you about the area, please don't hesitate to PM me.
 
#20 ·
The same Goldenrod has been in my safe for 30 years. If necessary, drill a small hole in the back wall of the safe and thread an extension cord with one end cut off. Push the safe up against the wall, put an aftermarket female end on the cut extension cord, and plug it in. If it is against a fire resistant wall a small hole will do nothing to the fire resistance.
 
#25 ·
DampRid is corrosive, be careful. The thermoelectric dehumidifiers are best but you must remember to empty them every week or more, depending on location/humidity/sealing. Yes, the hole for the cord can decrease fire rating, plugging the hole with plaster will restore most of the loss and help seal the humidity gain.
 
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