moisture protection in gun safe ?

J

JeffB1961

Active Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2024
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32
Location
Tazewell Va USA
so i'm getting a used sentential gun safe and i'll be putting it in the basement . i'm concerned about moisture control since i'm in the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia . it stays fairly cool there in the summer and the lines/exchanger/hot water plate for our wood boiler are near where it will be and knocks the bite of cold off under the house in the dead of winter . so no huge temperature swings since it' stays mostly between 45ish to 70ish there . i keep my guns in gun socks and cases . sooooo .... should i go electric ? discant beads ? or both ? if electric is there anything better than the golden rod ? it seems to be popular on youtube FWIW ....... . i have a laminate and a few wood stocked guns so FWIU i don't want to get too dry for fear of cracking them ????
what are y'alls thoughts and opinions ?
 
JeffB1961 said:
so i'm getting a used sentential gun safe and i'll be putting it in the basement . i'm concerned about moisture control since i'm in the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia . it stays fairly cool there in the summer and the lines/exchanger/hot water plate for our wood boiler are near where it will be and knocks the bite of cold off under the house in the dead of winter . so no huge temperature swings since it' stays mostly between 45ish to 70ish there . i keep my guns in gun socks and cases . sooooo .... should i go electric ? discant beads ? or both ? if electric is there anything better than the golden rod ? it seems to be popular on youtube FWIW ....... . i have a laminate and a few wood stocked guns so FWIU i don't want to get too dry for fear of cracking them ????
what are y'alls thoughts and opinions ?
Click to expand...
Electronic I use a golden rod, but I also have a desiccant dehumidifier which uses electricity to keep the beads dry.
 
Put longest Golden Rod that will fit in safe and you will be good.

Do NOT use the less expensive black rods. They are not as good. Get the genuine product.

Gun Safe Golden Rod Dehumidifier Rod

The Golden Rod Dehumidifier from Lockdown eliminates humidity, mildew and condensation from gun safes, boats, campers or other small areas that harbor moisture
www.lockdown.com www.lockdown.com

Vermiculite filled, made in USA, Lifetime warranty.
 
Each of our three gun safes has a Golden Rod installed. The one in our US made Sentry safe has been running for more than 15 years with zero issues. Our safes are in a concrete floored laundry attached to the house but it has no heating.
We live in a very humid environment, for the next seven days we will hit 100% humidity for at least 25% of the day.
All our rifles are blued steel with wood stocks and once or twice a year I pull them out of the safe, remove the gun socks and oil the steel with Eezox and give the stock a polish with Howard's Feed and Wax.
 
Golden Rod in my safes in the basement. But I also run a dehumidifier in the basement. Never had a problem with mold or rust in 25 years in this house.

The goldenrod also really affects relative humidity and not actual humidity.

And that's why I run the basement dehumidifier to actually remove water vapor.

Desiccant packs do absorb moisture, but once they become saturated they stop. And in worst case scenarios, they can "burst" and release that water back in to the safe. They also can get moldy if left unattended in humid places.
 
Last edited:
LuvDog said:
Golden Rod in my safes in the basement. But I also run a dehumidifier in the basement. Never had a problem with mold or rust in 25 years in this house.

The goldenrod also really affects relative humidity and not actual humidity.

And that's why I run the basement dehumidifier to actually remove water vapor.

Desiccant packs do absorb moisture, but once they become saturated they stop. And in worst case scenarios, they can "burst" and release that water back in to the safe. They also can get moldy if left unattended in humid places.
Click to expand...
Good stuff here!
 
i got my locker and a 12 inch golden rod . my locker has the grey foam on the bottom and side . should i put 2 bricks under the golden rod to keep it away from the foam ? or is my fear of the golden rod getting too hot next to the foam and causing ignition not realistic ???
 
JeffB1961 said:
i got my locker and a 12 inch golden rod . my locker has the grey foam on the bottom and side . should i put 2 bricks under the golden rod to keep it away from the foam ? or is my fear of the golden rod getting too hot next to the foam and causing ignition not realistic ???
Click to expand...
After reading your post I pulled out my Fluke meter with the temperature probe and found that one of my Golden Rods (12") is 101° F and the other one (18") is 107° F. That is not a lot above body temperature and I can hold them with absolutely no discomfort.
 

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