If you own firearms, you know that keeping them safe and secure is a top priority. One of the best ways to do so is to buy a gun safe to store your firearms when they are not in use. A gun safe will protect them from fire and misuse as well as theft. However, there is one problem of keeping your guns in safe – they can succumb to humidity.
A humid environment in gun safes can attract fungi and microbes that can damage your guns. It can also cause rust which can lead to some parts of the guns sticking together which can cause a potential misfire. So it’s vital to keep gun safe dry and control moisture to avoid damaging your guns.
The following are some of the most common methods you can use to keep gun safe dry.
How to keep moisture out of your gun safe
1. Use of Silica Desiccant Packs:
One method of keeping your gun safe moisture-free is to place silica desiccant packets inside the safe. Silica is a type of material that can absorb moisture and keep the inside environment humidity-free. The problem of using these packs is that you need to regenerate them every few weeks. This is because they absorb a lot of moisture and they reach a point where they can’t do it anymore.
Regenerating silica desiccant packs is simple. All you need to do is to heat them in an oven to 120 degrees Celsius or 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-2 hours. This will dry the packs and make them reusable.
2. Use of Gun Safe Dehumidifiers:
Use of dehumidifiers is a very effective method to keep gun safe dry. The most commonly used are the electric ones such as the GoldenRod. This is a small golden rod-shaped dehumidifier that fits well in small spaces like a gun safe.
Dehumidifiers work by heating the temperature to about 140 degrees Celsius and keep the gun safe at a constant temperature. This will lower the moisture inside your safe and prevent rust. You’ll need to plug them into a nearby power outlet so that they can work consistently. Then you can drill a small hole at the back your gun safe to pass through the wire. To find out more on this subject, you might want to read my other post is a dehumidifier required for gun safe.
3. Use of a Light Bulb:
This is a cheaper alternative to a dehumidifier if you are tight on budget. You simply place a light bulb inside your safe, and the heat produced by the bulb will keep the air dry. Some safes come with a pre-drilled hole at the back, so you don’t have to drill it yourself to run the wire through.
The size of your gun safe will determine the size of the bulb you’ll use. This means a bigger safe will require a larger bulb since there’s more space to heat.
4. The Type of Safe:
You can keep moisture from your gun safe by purchasing a gun case that has a sealant system built in. The most common sealants include silicone, foam, and caulking. The sealant is applied around the door jamb on the inside to prevent moist air from entering.
If you’ve purchased a gun safe without a built-in sealant system, you can actually modify your existing gun safe with caulking or silicone to prevent excess moisture from seeping into the safe.
5. Humidifier or not?
Some gun safe owners think that buying a dehumidifier isn’t necessary if your safe is in an air-conditioned or heated area. They say that all you need to do is to open up your gun safe periodically to let in fresh air.
Although this sounds like a simple and cheap method, the surrounding environment needs to be considered. If your gun safe is located in a dry area, then you may not need a dehumidifier. But if you stay in a humid climate, then you should consider one of the above-mentioned methods.
In Conclusion
Keeping your gun safe dry and moisture free is critical to preventing your guns from damage and rust. You can periodically check the humidity of your safe’s location by buying a device known as a hygrometer. The humidity will be displayed as a percentage, and 50% and below is considered to be safe. Also, you need to periodically check your guns for signs of corrosion or rust which suggest excess moisture. Don’t let your expensive firearms get damaged by moisture, use the above methods to keep gun safe dry.
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