dehumidifier for a gun safe?

[Guest Baddawg865]

Do any of you put a dehumidifier in your gun safes? I was looking into getting one, and everywhere i looked, they were trying to sell a dehumidifier with the safes. I never had one, so thought i would ask you guys. Thanks!

[Rightwinger]

I just use a bunch of dessicant bags in a corner. You can "recharge" them by putting them in the oven on low heat for a few hours. Most folks don't realize how many they throw away in a year. I started just hanging onto a few of them and ended up with about 20. I then had a buddy at work ask if I wanted some. A supplier he stops at throws away big bags of them each week as some part they receive in comes with many of them in each box. I now have a bag of about 400 of the little bags so I'm pretty much set for years. No muss, no fuss, no cord holes in the safe.

[Guest Plainsman]

I've got one of the remingtons that you can recharge by plugging it in a wall outlet. Its color changes when its "wet". Works pretty good, but doesn't seem to stay dry for a long period of time. Those dry rods I believe stay plugged in the entire time, which may work better. I"d probably go the cheap route if I had to do it again and just use the small bags that come in packaging and use the oven.

[Magiccarpetrides]

I also use the remington rechargeables and yes they work great.

[Steve_cru]

I second the Golden Rod. My safe has an electrial plug in it just makes sense to use it. I ordered mine from Cabelas.

[Guest cjr]

3RD with the Golden Rod.I have a dehumidifier in my basement but, also have Golden Rods in my safes.

[hipower]

I second the Golden Rod. My safe has an electrial plug in it just makes sense to use it. I ordered mine from Cabelas.

My orginal safe came wired with outlets so I've used golden rod units with it. My second, larger safe, wasn't wired. So I used one of the mounting holes in the base and ran a line thru it and sealed with caulking. I am not really thrilled with my new safe, it doesn't seem to have as good a door seal on it. So being the paranoid that I am, I also have one of the Remington units I found on sale in it.

It seems to work well, but as Magic said, they seem to need recharging pretty frequently. And lately I have been giving some thought to a room dehumidifier. My safes are in an area with a concrete floor and we have a humidity issue because of a running spring under the house. I have a haz-mat cabinet I found at a great price for ammo storage, so I really think the room dehumidifier is in my future. The local Essex store just got in some LG and Sears units selling for about 30 bucks, so that's my plan. If anyone is interested, I'll post my thougts on the results later.

[Jasongar8]

I have a Golden Rod in mine too.

[Rightwinger]

I would be interested in your findings on low cost de-humidifiers. I need one in the hunting cabin.

My orginal safe came wired with outlets so I've used golden rod units with it. My second, larger safe, wasn't wired. So I used one of the mounting holes in the base and ran a line thru it and sealed with caulking. I am not really thrilled with my new safe, it doesn't seem to have as good a door seal on it. So being the paranoid that I am, I also have one of the Remington units I found on sale in it.

It seems to work well, but as Magic said, they seem to need recharging pretty frequently. And lately I have been giving some thought to a room dehumidifier. My safes are in an area with a concrete floor and we have a humidity issue because of a running spring under the house. I have a haz-mat cabinet I found at a great price for ammo storage, so I really think the room dehumidifier is in my future. The local Essex store just got in some LG and Sears units selling for about 30 bucks, so that's my plan. If anyone is interested, I'll post my thougts on the results later.

[Guest jackdm3]

A member here puts red rope lights in it full time. Not sure if it works. You open the door and it's like PARRRRRRR TAY!

[gregintenn]

A golden rod dehumidifier is essential in a gun safe unless you like red guns.

[Guest Baddawg865]

Well, couldn't have asked for any better answers. Thanks guys.

[Mike.357]

I have a can of dessicant. Got it at Bass Pro a few years ago. It has some colored beads that are blue when dry and pink when damp. The instructions said that colored beads turn pink in a matter of days but it is still good for up to six months. They start out dark blue when fresh from the oven. Cost about 20 bucks IIRC.

I toss it in the oven every once in a while. Have not noticed any rust on anything since I started using it. But come to think of i it I never have had a rust problem anyway.

I am not so sure rope lights will do much. Do they put off any heat at all? I have heard of a light bulb being used. Not sure how big it was, I am guesssing a small one.

[PackinMama]

I just ordered two Eva Dry 300 rechargable dehumidifiers from Amazon.com for only $13.99 each with free shipping. They're the exact same as the Remington ones. One will be for my new gun safe and the other is for a small safe that I keep at another location for media backup discs, pictures and papers.

I'm currently using a couple of the small aluminum cased dessicant packs that have to be recharged in an oven inside my small ( 2 cu. ft.) safe. It's in a finished heated and cooled basement, sitting up on blocks to keep it off the floor. I've had to recharge them every month or my safe gets mold in it. Recharging them takes 3-4 hours in a 300 degree oven. I believe the money I'll save on my electric bill over the course of a year or two will easily pay for the Eva Dry.

[1gewehr]

I just use a 60w light bulb. It does the same thing as a Golden Rod but also serves to illuminate the dark corners!

Electric dehumidifiers work by warming the air slightly above the ambient temperature. The 60w bulb keeps the inside of my safe at least ten degrees above ambient. For a smaller safe, a 40w bulb would probably be plenty. My safe is 6'Hx4'Wx3'D.

[bvarnell]

I use a Golden Rod. No complaints in 3 yrs.