Do i need dehumidifier in gun safe

Most gun owners buy/build a special safe only to protect their firearms with high safety… and with a good gun safe you will easily be able to protect your guns from fire and theft, and many more. However, with just a gun safe you won’t able to prevent issues like rust, corrosion, mold, or mildew from developing on the guns or inside the safe.

No matter where you live, dampness/moisture can easily destroy any belongings you have without any care, even the most valuable firearms.

So if you are really passionate about your firearms and want to prevent all such issues then having a dehumidifier is the best you can do for your gun safe.

With a gun-safe dehumidifier, you’re not only just protecting your firearms from moisture but you’re also giving your gun-safe a sweet smell without a mild odor. Keeping your gun safe and firearms well-maintained will also ensure the longevity of your firearms.

Basically, a dehumidifier is a kind of device that is used to control the moisture in the air to prevent rust and corrosion on guns. Other than this, there are a few things to consider, when it comes to placing a dehumidifier inside a gun safe such as the size of the dehumidifier, the capacity of the dehumidifier, and the other is how much space it will take up.

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HOW HUMIDITY AFFECTS FIREARMS

Well, humidity can easily affect badly on any firearms or any other valuable belongings you have in your gun vault.

Basically, every time you open your gun safe…you are letting outside moisture in, and when you close the door the moisture is trapped inside. later on, this moisture can slowly rust or corrode your firearm to the point where it can cause permanent damage if you won’t take action soon enough.

Although some of the damages can be limited to aesthetics, but overall it could also negatively impact performance. More ever if you have wooden components inside your safe then there’s a higher chance that mold or mildew could develop along with the musty smell.

So you can say that having a dehumidifier is a mandatory situation that you can avoid unless you have natural methods to remove the moisture from the safe.

How To Handle The Humidity In Your Gun Safe

Now the most valuable question is how to handle the humidity in your gun safe without any fatal damage to your firearms…

1. Using Dehumidifier:

By using a dehumidifier you can easily get rid of the moisture that is being in the gun safe. However, you must have to choose the right dehumidifier for it since the normal size of any dehumidifier is far bigger to fit properly after leaving some space for firearms.

So the best solution is to use a mini closet dehumidifier to protect your firearms. It is so small that it can fit in any small closet or gun safe you have along with the free space for your firearms.

To know some good closet dehumidifiers you can also read this article…Best Dehumidifier for closet in 2023.

2. Using specialized material/ desiccant dehumidifier

Basically, a desiccant dehumidifier is nothing more than just a plastic container or pouch filled with a specialized material such as silica to absorb any moisture in the air. More ever you can say that it is just a home dehumidifier that can be used against moisture in the home/closet/gun-safe.

You can also compare it to a sponge that wicks water off of a flat surface only. just the difference is that the homemade dehumidifier will be wicking the moisture directly from the air.

Pros	Cons
It can work without any electricity so you can say that it’s a lot cost-free.	Have to replace it from time to time.
Easy to make	It costs money to buy new desiccant containers or pouches
Can be used anywhere.	Not as good as an electric dehumidifier

3. Dehumidifier Rods

This is also one of the most controllable methods for maintaining proper humidity levels in your gun safe, and that is to use a dehumidifier rod. However, it also depends on the available space a gun safe has, so there’s nothing to worry about if you have enough space to put a dehumidifier rod.

In some cases, you may have to drill holes or do other installations before it can work so if you are ready with this then just go with it.

Pros	Cons
It can absorb and regulate better than a simple desiccant dehumidifier	Have to pay for electricity and worry about the cord getting too hot
Can set desired humidity level

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DESICCANT AND ELECTRIC DEHUMIDIFIERS

Now that you know the importance of dehumidifiers and desiccant dehumidifiers, you should also know there are two main types to choose from:

Though both methods are best for moisture removal but there’s a huge difference that you should know before choosing any one of them…

Desiccant dehumidifiers:

Desiccant dehumidifiers do not require any electrical connection or components to work so you can say that there will be no charge to use this. More ever it is created form of silica gel beads, which are designed to absorb moisture from a gun safe similar to how a sponge works.

So overall you can say that a desiccant dehumidifier is far cheaper than any other electrical device/dehumidifier, and much ideal for people on a budget. The only drawback it has, you have to replace it periodically to continue the work.

Electric Dehumidifiers:

These are the most common dehumidifier that is used for moisture removal since this is the most commonly-used dehumidifiers for gun owners as they are the most effective options for moisture control. However not all dehumidifiers are a good fit for gun safes because of their usual size.

Basically, they use a heating element to remove excess moisture throughout the gun safe that a desiccant dehumidifier sometimes misses. To make it happen all you have to do is plug in and have peace of mind knowing your vault is free of moisture and is not damaging any of the contents in the process.

Well, an electrical dehumidifier is much more expensive than any desiccant dehumidifier so if you have a budget to buy one then you should just go for it.

FAQs

You should choose a dehumidifier rod with a length of at least 24 inches if you have a large gun safe that is larger than 300 cubic feet. For safes with a capacity of up to 100 cubic feet, a 12-inch model is ideal.

Q: How much humidity is OK in a gun safe?

According to the NRA, your safe should be kept between 30%-50% humidity at 70 degrees room temperature is the perfect storage condition to help prevent rust and corrosion. If the air becomes dryer than 20%, you could see issues with your gun stocks.