Gun Safe Humidity

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

What level of humidity is acceptable in a gun safe?

 

LL

[Sedalia Dave]

Not sure about the level. I do know that too low is bad for the wood.
I was always told that the temperature inside the safe needed to be above the dew point and not allow the air to to stagnate. 
 The ever popular Golden Rod  doesn’t lower the humidity, all it is a low wattage heater. Keeps the temp in the safe above the dew point and if placed low in the safe circulates the air via convection. 

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

PROTECT YOUR GUN FROM HUMIDITY

Because firearms have metal components, they are prone to rust and corrosion. While your guns may not be in direct contact with water, they can be exposed to humidity. The ideal humidity for gun storage is 50%. If you live in a part of the country where humidity is over 50%, rust can form on your firearms.

Even if you store your firearms in a gun safe, humidity can seep inside. To prevent this, you need a dehumidifier that will dry and circulate the air. A desiccant can also absorb extra moisture. Having a humidity and temperature monitor can help you keep an eye on the conditions inside your gun safe.

If your gun is exposed to water during outdoor use, dry it thoroughly as soon as possible. Rust and tarnish can form quickly. Once home, clean your gun right away.

 

 

 

 

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

I keep a Damp Rid bucket in each safe. Never had a rust problem. 
 

When the desiccant gets saturated, simply dump out the material, wash and dry the container, and refill from a bulk bucket. 
 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DampRid-10-5-oz-Fresh-Scent-Refillable-Moisture-Absorber-FG01FS/203908838

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DampRid-7-5-lbs-Fragrance-Free-Moisture-Absorber-Super-Refill-FG37/302360059?ITC=AUC-59204-23-12145
 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

50% at most.

Learned this from the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY.

OLG 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

I was so concerned about this issue I moved to Arizona.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

1 minute ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

I was so concerned about this issue I moved to Arizona.

And I lived for 28yrs in the Mojave Desert 

OLG 

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

And the Atlantic Ocean is now across the street from me......

 

LL

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Well according to Greta Thunberg you will be flooded out within eight more years.  Then you can move west.

[Pat Riot]

When I lived in North Carolina I recall the gents at Bass Pro telling me that 50% or less was optimal, but not a whole lot less. 
 

I used to buy desiccant packs and put them in my safe. I also had a Humidity Meter. 
I had purchased a bunch of those desiccant packs and once nearly all of them were used up I put them into the oven at 250 degrees for a few hours to remove the moisture from them. Trouble was the sewn up sack they were in that looked like canvas was actually a plastic material. 
Boy, was my wife ticked at me. Do you know how hard it is to clean melted plastic and thousands of desiccant pellets from an oven? 

 

I switched over to a Bass Pro model of the Golden Rod and never had a problem. I used that same rod in Oregon with my safe stored in the garage for a couple of years. It worked great. 

[John Kloehr]

30 to 60 % humidity, 50% is best. But stable in a 10% range is more important than the number.

 

https://cool.culturalheritage.org/waac/wn/wn23/wn23-2/wn23-206.html

 

 

Quote

 

Conclusions

Based upon the experimental and computer simulation results of this study, the following conclusions can be made:

• All three gels would provide effective RH control using Thomson's recommendation of 20 kg/m3 if the case leakage rate is 1 ACD or less.
• On a pound for pound basis, Artengel has a higher buffering capacity than either regular density silica gel or Art-Sorb.
• On a cost basis, regular density silica gel and Artengel have about the same cost for a given amount of buffering capacity while Art-Sorb has twice the cost.
• Over the RH range of 30-60%, Artengel has a consistent performance, while Art-Sorb performs better above 50% and regular density silica gel performs better below 40%.
• For the conditions investigated, a case with a leakage rate of greater than 2 ACD would require more than 30 kg/m3 of gel in order to keep the display case RH fluctuation at 10% or below over a one year period.
• For the conditions investigated, a case with a leakage rate of 2 ACD or less would require 5-30 kg/m3 of gel to keep display case RH fluctuations to 10% or less over a one year period.

 

About 20 kg (40+ pounds) per cubic meter (cubic yard) of air space in the safe. That is a lot of gel! This is for museum levels of preservation.

[J-BAR #18287]

Southwest Missouri enjoys(?) a fairly humid climate.  I sleep well knowing my guns have a scant film of CLP on their metal surfaces.  It wipes off much easier than rust if I want to remove it.