Electronic Safe Dehumidifiers

[STORMINORMAN]

Posted on this forum instead of The Lounge(?) mainly because I'm familier with many who post here: I also figured that active reloaders most probably had a safe (or two?)...

I have a pretty large safe in an unheated garage. Already have a plug-in rod type heater 18". Also have a couple of the Dries-the-Air rechargable ones, but I notice that the yellow globes turn green in about two to three weeks.

Looking at a digital electric dehumidifier with a tank, automatic cut off, etc. There are two sizes, a compact 600ml and a larger one 1.5l that's only 11 × 7 × 5.25. There is no real data re: cubic footage coverage but the larger one refers to a vault or a closet.

Am I looking at overkill if I get the bigger one (@ about $20 more), or just having increased tank capacity: these thing can even drain outside the safe...!

Thanks in advance for your kind consideration!

 

[John F.]

I have pretty extensive experience with electric dehumidifiers, as the room where I work was equipped with them for several years. They ran constantly; the large collection container would fill up easily within an
8-hour shift (about a gallon?).

Thus, we had holes drilled in the wall and ran drainage hoses outside so that they could drain themselves. They typically burned out in a year to year and a half, and we kept replacing them. After many years of using them (and while using a humidity monitor 24/7 to keep an eye on conditions), we finally just gave up on them. It appears the central air conditioner removes enough humidity for our purposes. (Handloading large quantities of very precise, match and experimental rifle ammo.)

Upon moving here -- to hot, humid Georgia, for the first time ever I had to set up my loading bench in my garage. I followed the cue of our shop at work, and bought one of the same type dehumidifiers in the vain hope that it would help prevent rust on my equipment. For decades, I'd never experienced any rust on my loading equipment, and never had to take any particular precautions -- all while living in very humid environments.

The dehumidifier was completely ineffective, as the garage door wasn't sealed well enough to prevent moist air from getting in. The dehumidifier removed plenty of water from the air, but never enough. I wound up moving all my dies, etc. inside the house and only bringing them out when I was going to use them. That dehumidifier died within about a year also, and I didn't bother to replace it.

I don't know if this is the same type you are considering, but I do know this: there is no way I would ever put my guns in a safe out in a non-climate-controlled garage. The potential for rust is very severe. I have seen extremely nice guns that were ruined when the owner (who was getting old and no longer using them) left them in safes in a garage for extended periods without maintenance. When he passed away, the family was horrified to see the damage that had been done to beautiful, engraved Belgian Brownings, etc. etc.

Hope this helps,
John

 

[H Richard]

I live in Illinois, where the summer humidity often is up around 90%+. I highly recommend moving that safe inside your house where air conditioning is hopefully available. I try and maintain my gun room at 50-55% humidity and about 70-75 degrees. I use a room size de-humidifier and empty it about once a month in the summer months, even with central air.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

I do appreciate the responses. Living in WA @ the Coast in a town where the average temperature (overall, since they started recording temperature, etc.) is 60° F, there's not too much fluctuation on a daily basis. Amazingly the humidity is very reasonable as well. Needless to say, very few people even have airconditioning. Probably used it in the cars less than a half dozen times last year...

Grew up in the Midwest (Go BUCKEYES!) so I am very familiar with that of which you speak. I was really more looking for someone with experience with the type of in-safe electric units I was considering. As I said: this might just be overkill in my situation...?

Thanks, again!