Humidity inside gun safe

[WiscTJK]

I bought one of these EVA-Dry things and you plug it in and it turns blue. Then set in your safe. Once it turns pink (every 2 to 3 weeks for me), it is maxed on moisture and you plug it in an outlet overnight to "recharge" it. Pretty slick.

I think they are marketed as a Remington product now (at Gander Mountain), but the Eva is the same thing and they are cheaper.

http://www.allergybegone.com/eva-dry-edv300-mini-dehumidifier.html

I hope this helps.

 

[revjen45]

I have heard that cat litter makes a good dessicant. It's cheap too.

 

[waterhouse]

If your gun is in a safe you might not be able to use it when you need it.

The guns I might need to use right now are not in the safe.

I’m sure you’re now going to tell me that you need the two thousand dollar safe “for the children” or to “save the planet” or in case some burglar comes in to steal your guns, BS. Buy yourself a gun cabinet.

I personally know people that have had their guns stolen. The fact that it happens is not BS. I also personally know someone whose house was broken into. Jewelry was taken from a drawer in the closet. The gun safe in the same closet was not compromised. I'd be willing to bet if he had a glass front cabinet the guns would be gone.

For the price of a big, heavy, ugly safe you can buy a beautiful, handcrafted, cherry wood cabinet that will show off your guns. . .

A safe is tasteless.

I don't want to show off my guns to everyone who enters my house, and my soon to be wife probably doesn't want them as part of the decor anyway. In fact, I'm sure she would describe such "decoration" as "tasteless." Both you and she are entitled to your opinions on taste, but I'll stick with my big, heavy safes nonetheless.

It is 100% fine if you prefer to display your guns in a wood and glass case. For me, and obviously many others, it is not the best solution.

 

[Red6]

To #24

http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/uploadedFiles/Departments/police/UCRstats06.pdf

I don't care if it's Frisco, Plano, Allen......etc etc etc. The probability of someone breaking into a building is LESS than 1% and that's in a big city with commercial and residential bundled together. Get the picture? In a residential area as where many people live the probability of someone breaking in and stealing your stuff is far less than 1%. Often the burglar gets into homes that are unlocked all together or where keys are stored in really conspicuous places under the mat, on the door frame, or behind the flower pot. Simple pro-active measure to deter crime will greatly reduce the statistic even further. Think about this. You bought a device that will maybe be beneficial in a scenario that is far less than 1% likely. You paid $2,200 or more for that event. You must have an impressive collection.

Your safe isn't safe. You're safe will merely stop the burglar who opportunistically sees them in commission of his crime. Anyone coming in to get them will come in with simple to use, readily available, and inexpensive tools that will cut your most expensive cool sounding safe to **** in minutes. They will use carbide tipped tools or a plasma cutter and peel that safe open faster than it took you to fill out the paper work to have it delivered to your home (for an extra surcharge of course).

On the other hand, how many homes do you think get broken into that have two larger dogs that don’t really like strangers? A safe will not stop a burglar, but the threat of confrontation almost always does!

There are inherent advantages to a wooden cabinet; such as corrosion, ease of moving, and tailoring of storage space and its appearance. But hey, if you want to buy a $4000 safe and figure out how to stop your crap from rusting inside, be my guest. While at it, insure everything in your home and buy the extra insurance on your PC, wife’s diamond ring, full coverage on your used car, did you know you can insure your house from flooding in Plano Texas?…….. JUST IN CASE!

The added net benefit is not there with a safe.

 

[WiscTJK]

I use a cheap gun security cabinet, but to be fair, I don't have any very valuable guns, and I just wanted to keep the kids and others fingers off, and limit liability to myself.

I don't think there is anything wrong with getting a safe for those reasons, and the value of the safe should correspond somewhat to the value of the collection IMO.

 

[Colt]

Personally, I'm more concerned with fire than theft.

Putting my guns in a crate of kindling in the middle of my bedroom doesn't strike me as an effective solution.

 

[Red6]

To #28

"I personally know people that have had their guns stolen. The fact that it happens is not BS. I also personally know someone whose house was broken into."

It's a mathematical function. Probability and severity of impact/ability to recover, are the driving variables. This is no different than buying insurance. In this case he bought a $2,200 insurance that may not pay out, and there is a far less than .6% (per year) probability of occurrence in the first place.

A well sealed up house with two territorial dogs (Catahoula’s) roaming a fenced in property has a real and practical impact on burglary for the entire home. Your example with burglary is entertaining, like the evening news.

If I travel or leave for an extended time, I wouldn't leave my guns or valuables in a safe either. The net benefit isn't there with a safe and I think this is the case with many who buy these big, ugly, heavy, and expensive monstrosities for the same reason people buy extended warranties/insurance on everything.

 

[Nimble1]

Humidity

Greywolf,
When I had my safe installed in my house, I asked the installer about humidity issues and he said that if the A/C was working properly, I should not have a problem and I have not. That was 3 years ago and I live on a saltwater canal about 2 hours south of you.
With the precautions you have taken, you should be fine.

And I am not sure what Red6's problem is with safes...LOL

 

[Greywolf]

Red6 - I honestly don't understand the vehemence of your arguments. What is so difficult to understand regarding my decision?

I live in a prety safe area, HOWEVER as I stated I have over $12,000 worth of firearms, optics, another $3500 in NV optics soon to arrive, and invaluable files, pictures, etc. that cannot be insured.

4 of my items are NFA (that's Class 3 to some of you) weapons that the ATF does NOT want to get stolen, and neither do I.

If I want to spend $200, $2000, or $10,000 to protect my investments, my irreplaceables, and to prevent my firearms from being used to commit crimes, then that is my decision. Sort of like my decision to buy a Suburban instead of a Yugo to drive my family to and from the store or on vacation. Hey, the chances of getting in an accident are "x"%, so why spend all that extra money on a big hunk of steel with airbags when for so much less money I could get a cheap Yugo?

Honestly, all I wanted was some advice on how to handle humidity, not some diatribe about how stupid I am for buying a safe.

And you are wrong - MY safe is a BURGLAR and FIRE rated safe. It has 1/2" steel plate on the front door, and the LAST thing I have to worry about in my neighborhood, on a corner lot, near a busy street, is some professiona safe-cracker and a plasma torch or drill-rig spending an hour inside my house. I think the burglar alarm, dogs, neighbors, video surveillance, and other security products in my house (not to mention professional burglars and safecrackers don't break in to $100,000 houses) will deter them. Smash-and-grab burglars are my concern, and a 900 pound safe (1200 pounds when full of my stuff), lagbolted to the concrete, is going to keep them from my collection.

Let's see your cabinet do that.

 

[Red6]

#33

I don't have a problem with them!

I don't have any problems with people that buy a Prius; cell phone, credit card identity theft, or rental car add on insurance. All these people have their reasons for buying what they do, and it all makes perfect sense to them.

Many people keep their safe in a garage or have a house where temperatures fluctuate largely throughout the day (Programmed thermostats). When warm moist air seeps into a large metal box that cooled off over night or from the A/C in a home, you get condensation on the inside; this also includes the metal surfaces of your gun. For every 10C that you raise the temperature, you over the thumb, double the oxidation rate. In my garage, in a safe, my guns would be more susceptible to oxidation. Does that make better sense to you now?

 

[JohnBT]

You put a GoldenRod in the safe and it solves the condensation problem. A very simple, time-proven solution. Your other problems will require different solutions.

And futhermore, a good safe will keep visiting kids from messing with the guns and keep your friends and neighors and other invited guests from getting fingerprints all over them. It's not all about smash-and-grabbers.

John

 

[Red6]

To #34

“MY safe is a BURGLAR and FIRE rated safe”

“It has 1/2" steel plate on the front door”

Wow-

I see. You’re probably right.

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

'clump' discussion

Greywolf, THERE‘S ALWAYS ONE! :banghead: How about having a “beautiful, handcrafted, cherry wood cabinet “ built that will fit inside your “your big metal clump” to keep all your “Tupperware guns” in. That would solve the problem. Besides do you know how much dog food you could buy with $2,200 to feed “two big territorial dogs (Catahoula’s)”. Red6 should probably take his ball and go home. I think I heard his mommy calling.

Seriously, congrats on your new safe. This is America you can buy whatever you feel will keep your guns safe, just as I did! I was just wondering about this myself as I bought a Champion clump this weekend. I live in south central PA which is also quite humid this time of year. My safe is on the first floor (not in basement) and I checked the humidity inside it the other night and it was 73* and 56% humidity. I would like it to be about 50% - which is what I try to keep my basement (where my reloading gear is). My clump came with a 12” Dri Rod (got the safe used for only $500 came accross a couple who needed cash) that was never installed. I want to install it but there are no instructions in the package on how and where to drill a hole in my clump for the wire. I emailed Champion but have not heard back yet. Keep us posted about the humidity level of your clump and what you find works best. Here's a picture of my clump. I don't have my 'tupperwear' moved over from my finely crafted pine box with glass windows yet but my son put his daisy red rider in.

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[don]

I use calcium chloride in a cooler to protect my cameras from moisture. It is cheap and very efficient. Fill a coffee can about 1/2 full, when it turns to liquid or has much liquid in it dispose in the commode. Calcium chloride is called by many names. I get mine at an auto parts store it is called Driveway Heat. Incidentally, cameras are far more delicate than guns.

 

[Tom488]

I want to install it but there are no instructions in the package on how and where to drill a hole in my clump for the wire. I emailed Champion but have not heard back yet.

Quick,

Your safe should already have a hole in it (I also have a Champion - looks to be the same size as yours), and mine has a hole in the bottom-right corner (if looking from the front). You can't see it from the front, because the fabric covers it. Look at the back of the safe, down in the corner.

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

Quick,

Your safe should already have a hole in it (I also have a Champion - looks to be the same size as yours), and mine has a hole in the bottom-right corner (if looking from the front). You can't see it from the front, because the fabric covers it. Look at the back of the safe, down in the corner.

Thanks Tom I'll have to get it slid out and take a look. Should have noticed when we brought it in! That would be the perfect place cause there is an outlet right there!

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

Yes there is a hole right were you said. Thanks maybe I can put the dri rod in tonight.

Hey Tom, do you know if there is wood behind the fabric on the door. I'm thinking of putting wooden spools on there to hold my handguns? I tap it but can't tell if its gypsum board or wood.

Thanks again

Kevin

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

Installed Dri Rod

Hey guys I installed the Dri Rod in my clump about 10 minutes ago. The conditions in my clump were 73* and 54%. I will check it later and report back!

 

[Greywolf]

I put some charcoal in a pair of my wife's old pantyhose, and some rice in anoter pair - got another 2% reduction in the humidity in there. Going to put a some silica gel in there as well - I'd like to get it below 50% and then I'd be pretty happy.

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

Never thought of rice. Mine is at 53% after running dri rod all nigh (that bought me 3%). I'll have to try something else see if I can get it down a little more.

 

[JohnBT]

The humidity level really doesn't matter, as long as the inside of the safe stays 2 or 3 degrees warmer than the room it's in. That's why a GoldrenRod works so well - it prevents condensation by keeping the contents a couple of degrees warmer than the room air. (Yes, you need to wipe the fingerprints off and put a little oil on the metal, but you were going to do that anyway, right?)

Think about it. What happens if you take your gun out to the range on a warm day with 80% humidity? Nothing, it doesn't rust. Same thing if you prop your gun in a sunny corner on a high humidity day. Nothing, it won't rust before your eyes if it's warm and the air can circulate. That's how we managed to store our guns over the mantle or behind the kitchen door for decades and keep them rust free.

John

 

[0007]

GW -
I'm across the bay myself. For as long as I've had them the only thing I've used in my safes were Golden Rod heaters and when one broke a 25 watt light bulb. And that's in an un-air conditioned space. The secret is to maintain a reasonably stable temperature inside the safe. The humidity won't cause a problem if there aren't any temp swings to cause condensation to form. 'Course I do wipe the contents down every now and then.