Gun Safe Dehumidifier-Am I missing something?

[possom813]

I just put a safe on layaway. 23 gun Timber Ridge from Gander MTN. Anyway, I was looking at the dehumidifiers they had out there and have also been looking at different ones online.

The question:

The gun-safe has a 30 minute UL fire rating that means it has to be good and sealed up, so how do you install a dehumidifier with a cord? What am I missing?

-John

 

[lurch37]

Most safes have a hole in the back for this very purpose and if not, you can always drill a small hole in the back of yours for passing the cord through. If you don't want to do that you can buy dessicant in reusable canisters. Once the dessicant is say used up, you put it in the oven and bake it for a certain time, then it's as good as new.

 

[crashresidue]

Cheers,

Go to Amazon.com and search for dehumidifiers - one they list is by Remington. You plug in in for a couple of hours - until the window turns blue. Unplug it and put in the safe - it's good for a couple of months before it needs recharge.

Got one in both the rifle box and the pistol safe - both seem to work just fine. They're about the size of a paper-back.

Gentle winds,
cr

 

[jackmead]

On the back of your safe is an opening for a cord that is covered by a plastic cap, lower right hand corner if you're facing the safe. Install the unit first, thread the cord through the hole and attach the plug.
The plastic cap should fit back over to seal it.

 

[no_problem]

A fireproof safe just has some Gypsum drywall attached to the inner wall. There is still a hole in the actual metal of the safe to run an electrical line.

 

[btg3]

For heater-rod type dehumidifiers, there is more to it than just a hole for the wire. As noted by Golden Rod . . .

To be effective, the Golden Rod requirements include:
1. The rod must placed near the bottom of the safe.
2. The rod must be mounted horizontally.
3. The safe must have vents or loose fitting doors.

Because this "dehumidifier" is actually just a heater, it depends on convective air circulation.

For dehumidification, the moisture must somehow be carried outside the safe, not just moved around inside the safe. I would think adsorption may be preferable to convection.

 

[JediJJJ]

Your safe may not have an opening to run the cord through, mine did not. I also found that the door on my safe does not close to an airtight seal. The gasket that is around the door expands when there is heat and that seals the safe and gives it the fire rating. This type of safe does not provide protection against rising water. (I have mine 4" off the floor.)

I use one of the Remington types mentioned above and one of it's larger cousins. Recharge them every 2-3 weeks and all is well.

 

[a1abdj]

The gun-safe has a 30 minute UL fire rating that means it has to be good and sealed up, so how do you install a dehumidifier with a cord? What am I missing?

I can assure you that your safe has no UL fire rating, and will only provide a small percentage of the protection an actual UL fire rated safe would offer. This is one of the big frauds perpetrated by gun safe manufacturers.

The gun safe companies get a UL RSC rating (which has nothing to do with theft or fire) and attach a very similar looking sticker beneath it showing the "fire rating". This tricks consumers into thinking the safe is in fact a UL rated unit.

That aside.....

Your safe is made by Liberty, and all of their safes are predrilled for an electrical cord. Standing behind the safe, it's in the lower left hand corner. The hole is usually not all the way through the safe, and is easily completed with a screwdriver.