HVAC in gun/reloading room?

[mkaye]

i am building a gun/reloading room in the basement (5' x 10').
i have the choice of leaving the HVAC vent in the ceiling or sealing it off.
If it was just a gun room i would probably seal it off and use silica gel to keep the humidity low, but i am worried about static when reloading.

maybe i still need some sort of case for the guns where i can keep the humidity really low

mark

 

[martinbns]

If you will be cleaning your rifles in there I would vent it in some way. Personally I would go with the AC, and get a dehumidifier.

 

[Steve David]

I have a vent in mine never had any problems.

 

[Garand]

I have central air in my place, the dryer the air the higher the risk of static. Do not carpet the floor. If you are reloading smokeless propellant you shouldn't have much of a problem. If you are reloading black powder that is more of a concern.

 

[SandRoad]

I have recently added a vent into a small basement storage room to deal with humidity. Silica gel will not be able to handle the humidity because of moisture that seeps in through the concrete floors and walls. (yes, concrete is porous)

No venting might work if you used special moisture proof coatings on all the walls and floor.

 

[sunray]

"...worried about static when reloading..." Static electricity does nothing to smokeless powder. Not having a carpet is a good idea though. You'll be able to find errant springs more easily. Tile on top of a slightly raised wooden floor with a vapour barrier over concrete will do nicely.
Silica gel isn't going to keep a whole room dry. Keep the vent.

 

[DARKARCHER]

i would leave it in let the air move around ..you may not want a return air in there as some of the gun cleaning smells will get moved around the house ...i turn the vent off when reloading to stop it messin with the scale....my .02$

 

[sunray]

"... gun cleaning smells will get..." And?

 

[hedgehog]

mine is vented.
Dont worry about humidity. get yourself a safe and add a dehumidifier rod for it. You dont want to freeze do you?

 

[RR]

Did you fellas know an A/C system is one of the biggest dehummidifiers there are.

Rich

 

[DARKARCHER]

Did you fellas know an A/C system is one of the biggest dehummidifiers there are.

Rich

yes ive instaled thousands

 

[DARKARCHER]

"... gun cleaning smells will get..." And?

if you have a return air (cold air return) it could move the smells around the house ...only a big deal if the smell bothers you i guess

 

[hedgehog]

depends if you have a humidifier installed on it or not. I do as my nose/sinuses dry out in the winter

 

[Slavex]

install a room specific outlet vent, so you can vent the noxious fumes outside into your neighbors place (that's what I plan on)

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

Did you fellas know an A/C system is one of the biggest dehummidifiers there are.

Rich

My toy storage safes are in the same room as my gas furnace with its central A/C
I still have significant humidity problems unless I run a dehumidifier in summer months.
But running a dehumidifier for a few months is a lot better than rust problems.