Storage Question - Humidity

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xeronine

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Hi all,

So I finally have been approved for my PAL and just waiting for the physical card before the new family moves in. My plan is to hopefully put a deadbolt in and secure my cold cellar for storage. It will provide adequate security, more than any other location in the house.

My concern is possible humidity issues. While I haven’t actually checked, a friend has mentioned it might be too humid in the summer months. Does anyone else store them in the cold cellar? What is an acceptable amount of relative humidity?

Thanks in advance!
 
As the old saying goes; there are many ways to skin a cat, and there are just as many available to control humidity.

Depending on the size of the room, a dehumidifier may make the most sense. For safes/cabinets, smaller rechargeable dehumidifiers/desiccant packs work, or products like a Golden Rod (sold at Lee Valley and elsewhere) are an option.
 
I don’t have a cold cellar but a close relative does and there is no way I would keep my firearms family in the cold cellar. There are big swings in humidity and less so temperatures but I believe most cold cellars have some outlet out side. I would purchase a decent humidity indicator from somewhere like Lee Valley to see what the current humidity is like before you consider putting stuff in as it will only get more humid as the air warms up. If the cold cellar is a good size consider putting a gun “safe” that will decrease your volume to something that a golden rod can keep the humidity down on. If you can put a deadbolt on the cold cellar door you can go with a cheap “safe”.
I try beep the humidity between 30-40 % which is easier in the winter than summer. If the golden rod, I have a 2 foot one, is not enough, using the nice humidity indicator, I stick in a couple of the cordless but plug in to rechargeable desiccators. They were selling pair of them at Costco for less than 30$ recently.
You are right to be concerned about humidity!
 
Get a dollar store humidity meter and try a few locations around the house. Museums aim for this: “Relative humidity (RH) should not fluctuate rapidly. For mixed collections, a non-fluctuating relative humidity above 25% and below 65% is recommended. Many museums have set their relative humidity at 45% and gallery temperatures between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Remember, if it’s too cold in the cold room, the guns will ‘sweat’ when you take them out, which sucks.

For my house, the basement is good, but the cold cellar is too cold and too damp to work.
 
The cold cellar seemed like a secure option due to it being concrete on all sides except about a foot and a half of drywall and the metal door. Paying for a safe isn't the problem, it's transporting home and getting it in to position when it weights say 300lbs that's the issue.
 
The stack on “safes” are about 150 lbs or less depending on the size. They go on sale fairly often at TSC and CTC among other places. I put mine in the basement myself by sliding it through the house on a painting drop sheet then sliding down the stairs on its back. You may not want to put it directly on concrete.
 
xeronine said:
Hi all,

So I finally have been approved for my PAL and just waiting for the physical card before the new family moves in. My plan is to hopefully put a deadbolt in and secure my cold cellar for storage. It will provide adequate security, more than any other location in the house.

My concern is possible humidity issues. While I haven’t actually checked, a friend has mentioned it might be too humid in the summer months. Does anyone else store them in the cold cellar? What is an acceptable amount of relative humidity?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

If your cold cellar is anything like mine,I wouldn't dream of leaving firearms in there. It's just too clammy all the time. I store my gear in a Homac 12 gun steel cabinet that's attached to wall studs in a closet off the downstairs family room. In the summer,I run a dehumidifier to control humidity levels and keep all firearms well oiled.
 
150 lbs is more manageable, that’s for sure. Good idea with the drop sheet.

I’ll have to look in to the snap on “safes” as you say for my non-restricteds but I’d like to get a smaller proper safe for a handgun or two that can I bolt into concrete.
 
You'll need a sealed container inside your locked cold storage. Make the container as small as possible. Inside keep your guns, a hygrometer, and a good amount of desiccant. Flower drying silica at a place like Michael's is cheap. When the hygrometer starts to indicate a rise in humidity put your silica in the oven for a few hours. I'm not sure what the ideal rel.hum% is but I'd guess it is not more than 40%. Keep your metal well oiled.

Good luck
 
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