Looking for a heater for my safe, or an alternative - Not a Goldenrod

gearchecker

gearchecker

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HELP ! ! !
I have a Browning Pro-Steel 30 gun safe. It's roughly 36" wide, 30" deep and 70" tall.

I can't get it warm enough inside to warm the guns up to the point where I don't get condensation when I pull my guns from the safe.
I currently have 2 - 18" Goldenrods in the safe on the floor.
Does anybody make a small heater that puts out enough heat to keep it warmer inside, so condensation won't be an issue. As long as the guns remain in the safe there isn't any problem because the temps remain pretty constant. I've pretty much decide to keep the safe closed up during the winter to avoid the temp shifts.

Here's the big problem.
The safe is currently out in my garage. Temps out there can reach near sub-zero, and the goldenrods just can't produce enough heat against with those temps.

I want to move the safe to my family/computer room, but my wife wants to leave it out in the garage of at all possible.
I'm getting a dehumidifier for it on top of the goldenrods, but I still don't think that will be enough.
Does anybody know of a method or a heater available to get the safe warmed up without destroying my guns. I've got $20-$25K in guns, and probably $10K in ammo I want to protect.
You're help will be greatly appreciated.
~gearchecker~
 
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Incandescent light-bulbs give off a lot of heat, but I'm not too sure about using them in close proximity to gunpowder.
Maybe the flexible heater strips used to wrap around pipes to keep them from freezing.

If it is relatively air tight, it shouldn't take too many watts to keep it warm inside.
 
A gun collection that valuable needs to come indoors.....really. The Goldenrods aren't the problem. It's the amount of moisture in your garage that is causing problems. The heater is designed to raise the temp of the contents of the safe to just a little more than ambient. This will cause moisture to escape the safe and not adhere to the guns. Heating the safe to higher levels may cause the wood stocks to dry out too much causing shrinkage and cracking. Put the safe indoors or build a small room in the corner of the garage and heat it with a small electric baseboard heater. The ones you find at Lowe's will be 220v, but I have bought some online that are 110v (perfect for this type of application). Install this in the small room and keep the goldenrods in the safe. Don't turn your safe into a slow cooker.

Cap
 
I agree with bigmoose, you either have to bring the guns inside or heat the garage.
 
i agree...sounds like the safe needs to come indoors the guns being brought from the warm confines of the safe to extreme cold being the issue....
 
check these out
PEET Air-Circulating Dehumidifer $49
Browning Flexible Everdry Electric Dehumidifier with LED Indicator
 
Bring the guns in the house, put the wife in the garage...

One thing I told my wife BEFORE we got married, is that my guns, reloading gear, bullet casting gear, and other outdoor equipment would ALWAYS be in the house, NEVER in the garage...

Yesterday was our 29th year Aniversary.

My "stuff" is in the HOUSE.
 
You might try some self limiting heating cable or tape. Google and you will find many suppliers.
 
"I can't get it warm enough inside to warm the guns up to the point where I don't get condensation when I pull my guns from the safe."

"I'm getting a dehumidifier for it on top of the goldenrods, but I still don't think that will be enough."

The humidifier is not the answer, isn't going to help. Because the guns are in a cold garage, the inside-the-house humidity is condensing on the cold gun metal when you bring them in (moisture condenses on cool items, like a glass of iced tea). The guns are probably fine in the safe, heated or not.

While dehumidifying the safe certainly isn't going to hurt anything (no condensation "inside" the safe, right?), The only solution to your issue is to maintain the inside of the safe at the same or higher temp than the house.

The answer is to: 1. increase the heating in the garage; 2. increase the heat in the safe; or 3. tell the wife the valuable guns are coming inside where they belong.

Now, which solution is going to cost you the most?
 
Your next option would be to build a small (insulated) closet around the safe. A small heater or a few light bulbs should warm the small space up.
 
I agree with SMSgt on this one - get the safe inside and stick it inside a closet so your wife will not have to look at it. Sub zero temps are just too much for a little heater!
 
We've decided the safe is coming indoors. I'll place it in my computer room and bolt it to the wall. I'm also paying closer attention to how much the light coat of oil I have on the guns has dreid. I'm going to try harder to keep them lightly oiled better. It's been about a month or so since I wiped the gun down last. I guess I'll need to wipe them down a bit more often.
 
As one who has raised peeps (little baby chickens, to you city boys) in a brooder, an incandescent light bulb works wonders. Start with a 25 watt, about a third of the way up from the bottom. If that does not get the results you want, go to a 40, and by the time you get to a 60 watt bulb, you'll have enough heat there to parboil your Kimber.

Flash
 
The safe is too wide to fit in any closet in the house. I'm going to move it to my "Man Cave"/computer room. It's the best alternative I can come up with. I also have an outdoor thermometer with a humidistat in it. I'll put it in the safe and see what happens to the temps and the humidity.
 
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I have had gunsafes in the house for over 35 years. I have used the Golden Rod and the more recently the little Eva Dry "things" that you plug in from time to time to recharge them.

I have never had any rust on a gun in the safe.

Some of them have been in the safe and untouched for several years...

Some are in and out daily, weekly, or at random durring the month/year.

I have found that if I wipe the gun down with RIG, BreakFree, Ballistol, or Prolix, I get no rust...
 
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I totally understand. Some of these guns have been in this safe for over 30 years and never had a spot of rust on them either. The crux of the problem is I've been in & out of the safe quite a bit in the past few months. I've been acquiring a new group of guns and ammo, and I've been in the safe at least a couple times a week keeping everything in order. I didn't give enough thought to the temp and humidity shifts caused from opening the safe so much.
As the youngun's would say these days.... My BAD!

Regards.
Gregory
 
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