Humidity management in safe

[Clay Pigeon]

A Golden Rod and similar devices are not a "dehumidifier".... they are simply a heat source that causes a tiny temperature rise in your safe. By raising the temperature the ability of the air to hold moisture increases and the temperature rise causes pressure in your safe to rise (ever so slightly) as well. The pressure rise expels a bit of air and with it a tiny bit of moisture... until the pressure equalizes. Once the pressure equalizes, the heating rod is no longer providing any benefit.

You need a desiccant to remove humidity


No you dont need a desiccant. A goldenrod certainly is a dehumidifier.
Generally heat is used as a dehumidifier..
the constant warm air rising and a safe is not a closed environment you will always have less moisture in a safe with a goldenrod than a tub full of soaked chemicals. Forget ahout that tub of chemicals for a year or so and see how good of a dehumidifier it really is. And how snuggily and rust free they would be after a year with just a goldenrod.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

What a bunch of crap to go through when for 17 to 20 bucks on sale ( Midway right now ) you can put maintenance free system. I guess whatever floats your boat.

Well I have 7 gun cabinets (not safes), and only a couple are close enough to an outlet to make a Goldenrod an option, so for my situation, the desiccant works just fine. The silicon dioxide doesn't get "wet" like some types (Damp Rid for example), so it's not really much of a hassle. And at 9 bucks for a 4 lb. bag, it will last me for several years. I've also used it in my ammo cans. But yeah, whatever floats your boat.

 

[oldpink]

A Golden Rod and similar devices are not a "dehumidifier".... they are simply a heat source that causes a tiny temperature rise in your safe. By raising the temperature the ability of the air to hold moisture increases and the temperature rise causes pressure in your safe to rise (ever so slightly) as well. The pressure rise expels a bit of air and with it a tiny bit of moisture... until the pressure equalizes. Once the pressure equalizes, the heating rod is no longer providing any benefit.

You need a desiccant to remove humidity


No you dont need a desiccant. A goldenrod certainly is a dehumidifier.
Generally heat is used as a dehumidifier..
the constant warm air rising and a safe is not a closed environment you will always have less moisture in a safe with a goldenrod than a tub full of soaked chemicals. Forget ahout that tub of chemicals for a year or so and see how good of a dehumidifier it really is. And how snuggily and rust free they would be after a year with just a goldenrod.

You have a point, but only if:
1) You have an outlet close enough to your gun safe for the Goldenrod
2) If you use silica without drying it periodically.
3) If you never lose power to your outlet without knowing it, which can happen easily, especially if it's a GFCI outlet.

 

[BobDaniels]

What a bunch of crap to go through when for 17 to 20 bucks on sale ( Midway right now ) you can put maintenance free system. I guess whatever floats your boat.

Do you offer consulting services for proper safe setup? I'd hate for my load of crap to ruin my firearms.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Well I have 7 gun cabinets (not safes), and only a couple are close enough to an outlet to make a Goldenrod an option, so for my situation, the desiccant works just fine. The silicon dioxide doesn't get "wet" like some types (Damp Rid for example), so it's not really much of a hassle. And at 9 bucks for a 4 lb. bag, it will last me for several years. I've also used it in my ammo cans. But yeah, whatever floats your boat.

I fully understand . Some folks dont know that all moisture removers are not the same.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

You have a point, but only if:
1) You have an outlet close enough to your gun safe for the Goldenrod
2) If you use silica without drying it periodically.
3) If you never lose power to your outlet without knowing it, which can happen easily, especially if it's a GFCI outlet.

I would run a extension cord.
I will never understand using something that will pull more moisture into a spfe rather than push moisture out. But sometimes you cant.
Lets be realistic here. Thats not a huge problem, a perceived problem at best.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Do you offer consulting services for proper safe setup? I'd hate for my load of crap to ruin my firearms.[/quotquote

No i dont, but i stayed in a Quality Inn once.
I would suggest reading the manual that comes with a safe there Bob.
Removing the moisture is far better than storing the moisture in the safe.

 

[85Cosmo]

Golden Rod in my safe for 8 years, perfect! Nothing wet, nothing dried out, very happy.

 

[POB]

They both work, one no better than the other, and both have drawbacks. Poster just needs to get the one he prefers.

 

[87iroc]

What a bunch of crap to go through when for 17 to 20 bucks on sale ( Midway right now ) you can put maintenance free system. I guess whatever floats your boat.

Welcome to forum. I guess

 

[edporch]

I've used Goldenrods in my safes for 20+ years.
They do the job by keeping the relative humidity too low to allow condensation.
A good plug it in and forget it solution.

 

[Viper1973]

Thanks guys.... based on the feedback an update is in order....

Ended up up going to Cabela's today and got the 18" version. I just got it unpackaged and installed.
Im actually surprised how warm that little sucker gets...

Will be be interesting to see what the temperature and humidity is in the morning.

 

[Leo]

A golden rod dehumidifier is certainly a viable option. It is a low wattage resistance heating element. So is a light bulb. A 7-1/2 watt night light bulb makes the same heat as a 7-1/2 heating rod. I think the big one is 15 watt. Been using a 15 watt bulb for years, no rust found on anything. A lot cheaper, and the added benefit is that I have a light in the safe.

I have not experimented, but I do not think a lot bigger bulb would be good. The heat from say a 100 watt bulb may be too much. Drying out a nice wooden stock would be a possibility. I have had a guitar neck warp when stored in the trunk of a car at the airport for three days.

 

[autogun]

I have also used a goldenrod by itself for about 25 years. No rust, no dried out stocks, no problems at all.

 

[schmart]

One additional benefit of a goldenrod is that by keeping the safe and contents slightly warmer than ambient, moisture doesn't condense on the guns when they are removed from the safe. This happens too often for me with the safe located in unconditioned space. It is way too much trouble to install a goldenrod now, but when I move, I'll have them in both of my safes! Until then, I'll continue to deal with the silica gel packets and trying to remember to recharge them.

--Rick