Gun safes in unheated areas

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I got a second gun safe over the holidays. A "Stack On" 24 long gun model. My issue is that the only space I had to put it was in an "unheated" area of the house.

I added one of those Remington dehumidfiers that have silca beads. When the beads turn pink, after 30 days or so, you plug it into an outlet to dry the beads out. After about 21 days the humidity is still the same inside the safe and out; about 60 percent at 50 degrees. And the beads look about half way to pink.

I would have thought the humidity in the safe would have been reduced when compared to the outside air.

I've been thinking that the safe door is not sealed airtight. There is a slight play when closed and locked. The safe has a flat strip around the door that is designed expand and to seal the door in the event of a fire.

Does anyone have any experience with a gun safe in an unheated area; (garage/storage room) in the northeast. Temps can range from -20 to 100 degrees. Even at 0 outside the room holds a temp in the mid 50s most of the winter. Outside humidity in the summer can be up to 95 percent; cold winter air can be pretty dry.

Besides the dehumidifier and silicon gunsacks what else should I consider. Those electric "rods" some safes have warm the air but don't remove any mosture from the safe; so good to stop condensation. Should I consider adding a seal to the door?

Looking for feedback and ideas.

Thanks

Brad
 
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brad would some type of small heater in the room help?you mentioned the room was in the mid 50's even when zero outside so sounds like a small space heater may be enough to bring it up a bit...i just took delivery on a winchester legacy safe and have it in a utility room attached to the house...i know many will put their safes in an unheated garage and use a goldenrod
 
My safe is in my home office which is heated. I deliberately put it there because of the uneven temps in the garage. The air inside the safe is going to be whatever the outside air was when you closed the door to the safe, unless you have a heater/dehumidifier. If I'm going to be in the office for a while, I always open the safe door to let air circulate at room temperature. Works fine.
 
i believe those small electric rods would help the situation, especially if you can fit more than one in there. resealing the door would also help.
 
Condensation only occurs if the temperature of the contents of the safe drop below the dew point temperature at whatever relative humidity exists in the safe at the time.

If you: 1) Increase the interior temperature or 2) reduce interior humidity or 3) both, you won't have problems. A heater inside the safe will do both during cool and cold weather.

What type of heater? Simple: A 15 to 25 watt incandescent light bulb in cold weather, and a 4 watt or 7 watt bulb in cool weather, or the 15 or 25 watt bulb on a timer, switching off from 0900 to 1500 each day in spring and fall when ambient temps are 60F or below.

Fasten the fixture low in the safe such that the bulb does not contact any interior cloth or plastic, or any of the firearms. Heat from the bulb will rise and the lower temp outside the safe will set up natural convection currents inside the safe.

My safes are in a 60F-70F basement year round and have a single 4-watt "nightlight" bulb in each of them. Interior temps stay between 80F and 90F, based on the digital thermometer probes I keep inside, with the thermometer readouts on the outside on top of each safe. I've NEVER had a problem with condensation or rust, and I've NEVER used absorbent dessicants.

Noah
 
They make those Golden Rods, Dri Rods and other brands of gun safe heaters in different sizes.
They add enough heat to the safe to keep moisture from forming.
Add one to your safe. I would be concerned with the location of the safe. As stated above, it will be the same temperature in the safe as in the room where it is, without some kind of a heater.
I would probably go with an 18 inch or a 24 inch model. It will cost much less to run than trying to heat the whole area where your safe is located.
I put the heaters toward the bottom of the safe, or on the bottom.
I do not think that I would try to seal the door. Most safes are not airtight, and some air has to move through the safe.
I have seen many firearms that were kept in a unheated area, and the results are not pretty.

I see that Noah posted about the same time that I did. He is absolutely correct. A light bulb set up like he suggests will work very well also.
 
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My old "gun safe" has 2 golden rods (& a viewing light), the wire lead in through the threaded hole in the top. My smaller "safe" safe does not have an access hole to wire it. So far, I've not had a problem but I'd really like to get a Golden Rod in there. All my guns are wiped down with Break Free. I tried & failed to get a small flat cord through the door. The basement has a dehumifier in summer & a wood stove in winter... but is not as dry as I'd like.
I think the Golden Rod type is the only way to go... or a light bulb (poor man's heater).
Russ
 
Another vote for a "Golden Rod" heater in a garage or basement safe.
I will add that a good cleaning first before storage is a must for no rust. And storage of long guns in those silicone gun socks (Cabela's Knit Gun Socks) have helped with protection (dings and scratches) of guns in my safe.

DON'T store any gun in a zippered leather case under the bed.... not that I did that and ruined a shotgun... I'm just sayin' it's not a good idea.

GF
 
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Aloha,

I live within hearing distance of the ocean and probably less than a 1/2 mile (straight line) from where the President was staying on Kailua Beach.

We have Hers n His gun safes. All the guns are kept inside silicone treated gun socks or Bore Stores. At the bottom of the safes are the largest Golden Rod I could find.

So far, we have not had any problems with moisture of any kind(knock on wood) on anything in the safe(s).
 
Morning, All,

I, too, vouch for a good Goldenrod. I have two of them, in two different sizes. Bought them both, thinking I might need both in the same safe, which is housed in our basement, which is unheated. So far, my old Cannon safe has been down there for fourteen years, with only the smaller of the two Goldenrod bars inside it. No rust, no moisture problems, at all! The second Goldenrod is being used in my new safe, which is finally being installed today!! I fully expect the other GR to perform just as admirably as my original one, which has done yeoman service for so many years. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
The only thing that helped eliminate the tiny surface rust on one of my guns was to move the metal storage safe upstairs out of the basement, and install the magic "golden rod". I checked the digital thermo/hygro meter on the interior door and the temp is 72, humidity 27%. The temp in my house now is 70 and 22% humidity. Works for me.
 
I've been using a goldenrod-type heater in my 50 cu. ft. safe in an unheated/uncooled garage in Tennessee for nearly 3 years now with no problems. Not as cold as the NE, but it's been in the teens around here recently.
 
Thank for all the feedback.

The Golden-Rod sounds like a good idea, but the instructions with the Stack-On safe says drilling a hole for an electrical dehumidifier will "void the fire rating." I wonder if the cord would fit between the door and frame, without pinching the cord. But, a fire hazard?

Bad product research on my part, assuming that the doors would provide a seal and a desiccant product would eliminate any moisture.
 
I would not run the cord through the door.
A friend bought one of those that is also water proof. He called the company and they said if he drilled a hole in the safe it would void the water and fire rating. I cannot imagine why as almost all the other safes have pre drilled holes, and they do not void the fire rating. I can see the water rating being voided with the hole drilled in it.
He drilled the smallest hole that he could get by with and installed the heater. He used a fireproof material to caulk around and help fill the hole.
 
I've had 2 Golden Rods in my safe for over 20 years. The safe is in my unheated laundry room and I've never had a fleck of rust on anything. I do also use some aluminum containers that contain silca just in case.

I would just go ahead and drill the hole. You can get rubber grommets in about any size at larger hardware or home supply stores. They're like the ones car manufacturers use to run wires through the fire wall. They will push right into the hole, (with a little coating of dish soap), and secure the cord and guard against any chafing on the cord or moisture getting in.

My old Cannon safe came pre-drilled with the hole and that's all they did after drilling the hole was use a rubber grommet.
 
My original "gun safe" is not fire rated at all. I believe that the treaded hole was for a very big eye bolt to handle then at the factory. It is square in the biddle of the top. I removed the plug & found a compression type sealing clamp that fit. I cut the end off a round cord, ran it inside & installed a duplex box. Everything else plugs into it.

My "safe" safe (from a closed store) is fire rated, has an inner & outter shell. I believe a concrete type material is inbetween the shells as I have seen another safe that was breached by burgulars... they really made a mess of it & I wonder if they were able to get anything out of it. It is my understanding that drills which will go through one material will not readily go through the other... a complication for our desired use.
I have a pretty good size document safe... The door panel comes off & the front is coated with an aspestos material.

I hope this helps.
Russ
 
I would have to say a golden rod Or golden Rod knock off. One of my safes is in an enclosed carport no heat with one Golden rod. Never a problem after several years. The door should be tight enough to not shake or rattle but not sealed completely air tight. Unless you are purging it with dry air. A golden rod is safer than a light bulb. Light bulbs get pretty hot and could damage anything that may come in contact with it. Golden Rods will not catch anything on fire if something were to fall on it. They are also guaranteed for life.

I have installed hundreds of golden rods and never heard a complaint.
 
Seriously man just get yourself a GoldenRod gun safe dehumidifier, does the job nicely. If you're wanting a different type of dehumidifier then check out https://catchthemeasy.com/best-gun-safe-dehumidifier-reviews/
 
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Hey Brad, reinforce the door somehow. When our house was robbed yrs ago that was the only safe I had. They bent the door from the top of the hinge to the top lock. It was enough to reach in and take 10 guns. They worked hard to bend it but it happened. I can tell you how, you can call me. Larry
 
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