humidity control

[zebra26]

I guess this is the right forum.
I have a Homark gun safe. I was thinking of doing something regarding humidity control, just in case, cause so far it hasn't been a problem.

I was looking through a Cabelas catalog to see what is out there and I see three options.
One is silica gel in a box with a colour bar indicating when to dry out.

A remington silica gel product that you plug into an outlet to dry it out

Finally there is an item called golden rod, which looks like an electric heater of sorts. Anyone use on of these things?

I know some folks just use a light bulb but its pretty cramped in that safe as it is.

Z.

 

[looch]

I have a Golden Rod in mine because the plan is to eventually move my safe to another room which is in a colder part of the house. Right now, it is in the living room and has been for the last 10 years without any sort of humidity protection - no problems.

 

[SantaClawz]

I use the Remington one you plug into the outlet to dry.

So far it seems to be collecting a lot of moisture, I have to charge it every 6 -7 days.

The only downside is it takes a whole day to fully recharge.

 

[SandRoad]

If you are going to use a silica gel based product, you need to keep the safe sealed. Meaning you would need to seal the door and any holes.

Various heaters, goldenrod, bulb, etc.. reduce the relative humidity, but if it is very humid in a basement, steel can still rust.

Best to keep cabinet in a dry location to begin with, and/or use one of the above and a good rust preventative such as Corrosion X, Eezox, or even BreakFree.

I have one of the plug in's but only use it in a large sealed container. Smaller airtight containers get silica gel packs. My basement storage room has an air vent from the upstairs furnace to keep air circulating (humidity out), also have a baseboard heater and the most important is Eezox on all metal.

 

[adgadget]

a small cube of Camphor in the cabinet will also help to stop rust.

 

[rlg]

This is what I use.

You can pick this up at Canadian Tire. It is in Powder form.

It works very well and lasts a long time

 

[jethunter]

Humidity is a 2 way street. Too much humidity contributes to rust fromation. Too little humidity can damage wooden stocks.

If you open the safe every few days you are probably wasting your time installing any moisture controlling product. Every time you open the door you reintroduce moisture into the safe. There is no product out there that can keep up if the door gets opened every day.

If you don't oil and clean your firearms they will rust, no matter what products you have inside the safe. You can never eliminate all the moisture.

I removed the humidity controls I had in my safe. The air actually got too dry (15% relative humidity). Two 60 year old rifles developed hairline cracks in the wood just from sitting in the safe.

I'll fight rust the old fashioned way - cleaning and maintenance. I tear down my rifles every 1-2 years and apply corrosion inhibitor in the form of G96. I clean the bore and re-apply a light coat of oil to the exterior after each use.

As backup I have installed Flambeau corrosion inhibiting capsules in the safes. It is supposed to work by emitting anti-corrosive vapours, not by limiting the humidity levels. I have not used it for long enough to prove it works or not, but some friends in the US say it is very effective. It is supposed to be effective within a 2 foot radius within an enclosed space and lasts for 2-3 years. I got them from P&D in Edmonton for about $10 each.
http://fishing.flambeauoutdoors.com/otdrs_fishing/zerust_accessories/zerust_accessories.asp

Buy a $5 relative humidity gauge at Walmart for your safe. Buy the one with the magnetic back and stick it some place inside. Target humidity is 25-35%. 15-20% is low and can damage wooden stocks. Higher than 40% and corrosion intensifies remarkably. If you live in AB, SK, Manitoba, or central and northern BC, you probably don't have a problem unless you keep your safe in a garage or basement.