Gun safe question

[Five-O]

I bought a Cannon safe from Costco and delivery was made about a week ago. I have it in the garage figuring it would be hard to steal a 500lb safe from a well-secured garage with dead bolt in side door and locking garage door.
But today I read something from an old post in another gun-related forum. Here is what poster says:
" If you have a garage with a concrete floor that would be your best bet, (to store the safe) also if the garage is unheated be sure to use a heater or a product such as Sta-Dri to prevent corrosion."
Having a garage with a concrete floor I want to know about this "corrosion" in question. Is it for the guns, or for the safe? I didn't read anything about using a heater in a garage-stored safe in the owner's manual. Also, being in San Jose, temperatures here tend to be moderate with no extreme heat or cold. Am I ok under this circumstances? Or should I have to do something to prevent "corrosion?"

 

[CoRoMo]

I know that it is recommended that you set the safe on some sort of moisture barrier before you anchor it to the concrete slab. That way, if water collects on the concrete floor, your safe isn't setting in it. I think I remember the resident expert here describing a perforated rubber mat for the safes he sells/installs. It is also recommended to have some type of moisture mitigating technology inside the safe to preserve the guns. The 'heater' that was mentioned is for inside the safe, to remove moisture from that atmosphere.

edit:
Here it is... http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=6146551#post6146551

...figuring it would be hard to steal a 500lb safe from a well-secured garage with dead bolt in side door and locking garage door.

I hold a different opinion. Every time the garage door opens, anyone can see what you have in the garage. Garage doors are easy to violate as is a side entry door. I'd recommend anchoring the safe to the floor and a wall if possible. If the safe were inside the house, nobody would know it was there. I'm not saying it is going to happen, but if the wrong guys were to look in through an opened garage door and see a gun safe, they wouldn't even need a crowbar to come back later and load it up into their pickup. Having it anchored into the concrete floor would at least slow down that type of a 'smash-n-grab'.

 

[Blue Line]

I use a "golden rod" to deter humidity in mine. its been working over 15 yrs with no rust. You can google golden rod but they are easy to find at your local sporting goods store

 

[rondog]

Yeah, you'd better secure it to the floor right away with at least four of the biggest, deepest, heaviest-duty concrete anchors you can. If I had the room in my garage for a big safe, I'd also build a wooden shell around it to make it look like a homemade cabinet or something, just to disguise it. And a Goldenrod is a great idea to keep the inside humidity down.

I wish I did have the garage space and were able to put a big safe in there, it gets really old schlepping alla my stuff up and down the basement stairs. Life would be grand if I could just back my truck into the garage and load it up.

 

[CoRoMo]

...I could just back my truck into the garage and load it up.

That's exactly the 'smash-n-grab' I was referring to!!

 

[a1abdj]

A 500 pound safe is very light as far as safes go. I sell very small safes (less than 1 cubic foot) that weigh over 900 pounds. You want to anchor it into the concrete to stop somebody from casually walking off with it. With it being in a garage, a chain around a truck will pull it out quickly regardless of the bolts you use. They will pull out of the thin bottom of the safe before they will pull out of the concrete.

A vapor barrier is a good idea. I like to use stall mat. It is dense and very firm, and provides a solid base without allowing access for a pry bar between the safe and the floor.

 

[Five-O]

use a "golden rod" to deter humidity in mine. its been working over 15 yrs with no rust. You can google golden rod but they are easy to find at your local sporting goods store

Midway has one on sale for $15. But it's for a 200 cu ft. My safe is only 21 cu ft. Is that ok? Sounds like overkill. I'll research it more. I did call Golden Rod but all I heard was the usual, "leave a message - - - "
btw, the Cannon has four large holes in each corner of the safe floor. I assume they are for using floor anchors. I don't think I'll go that way. Building something around it sounds easier. And there is always someone home. I was thinking, how about an audible alarm? Anyone tried this?

 

[CoRoMo]

You can over-dry the air in there. NRA recommends 50% humidity at 70 degrees for storage. Going dryer can affect the wood furniture (shrink / crack).

 

[Five-O]

A 500 pound safe is very light as far as safes go. I sell very small safes (less than 1 cubic foot) that weigh over 900 pounds.

900 pounds?? What da heck is it made of??!!
Anyway, your message was in cyberspace as I was composing mine. So didn't see it until now. I should add that between a pick-up with a chain and the safe are two cars, 6 motorcycles and 2 tons of wife's "junk." (she calls it something else)
In the end I think I'll move it to the inside of the house. Meanwhile, just to be safe, I'll drape it with something that will at least conceal the unit. Which brings up another question, if I do bring it inside, will I still need a dehumidifier?
Again, thanks to you all

 

[Walkalong]

In my youth I could take a hand truck and leverage a 500 pound safe sized object up in a pick up bed by myself, and I am not a big person. Get it it the tailgate, and lay it up in there. Gotta be bolted down to something.

 

[oneounceload]

Another vote for a stall mat if you place it in a garage - they're hard rubber used in horse stalls and can be cut to fit - steel and concrete are not really compatible

 

[CB900F]

Five-0;

The sad fact is that if the Cannon isn't secured to the structure in some way, all that stuff in the way won't help much. See the video "Security On Sale" on Youtube. In that video, an RSC gets flopped & popped in under two minutes. So, in something like five minutes, your door gets pried, the Cannon is spotted, tipped over, opened, cleaned out, and the police response time in your neighborhood is what? I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just pointing out that anchoring it really is a good idea.

Check out MidwayUSA.com, you should be able to find a Golden Rod there that is properly sized for your unit.

900F