Save your gun safes.
Buying a gun safe is the first step in securing your gun safe from unauthorized access and dangers like fire and floods. After you’ve got yourself a gun safe, your firearms and other valuables stored in the gun safe face another threat, humidity.
Since a gun safe is an enclosed structure, it has the same humidity levels and temperatures as the outside. Your guns are made of steel, iron, and wood which can be damaged when exposed to humidity. Different parts of your home have different humidity levels. Have a look at the table below.
Different Humidity Levels In Your Home
| ROOM TYPE | HUMIDITY |
|---|---|
| Basement | High |
| Bathroom, 1/2 | Medium |
| Bathroom, Full | High |
| Coat Closet | Low |
| Garage | Medium |
| Interior Hallway | Low |
| Kitchen | Medium |
| Laundry Room, No Dryer | Low |
| Laundry Room, With Dryer | Medium |
| Living Room, No Fireplace | Low |
| Living Room, With Fireplace | Medium |
| Master Bedroom | Low |
| Mater Bedroom Closet | Low |
| Office | Low |
| Other Bedroom | Low |
| Other Bedroom Closet | Low |
For the longevity of your firearms, it is important you store your gun safe in a humidity controlled environment. Keep your gun safes away from chimneys, kitchen, garage, and the basement as they have high humidity levels.
If you only have space in the highly-humid areas in your home, you can still save your guns from being eaten away by excess humidity.
Why Dehumidifiers?
While you can’t stop humidity, you can save your guns from it by installing a dehumidifier inside your gun safe. The dehumidifiers cost a fraction of what the gun safes cost and are worth buying considering you can have thousands of dollars worth of valuables inside your gun safe.
Many people don’t open their gun safes very often which cuts off the air circulation inside the safe. Changing temperatures in the room where the gun safe is installed can cause the temperature inside the gun safe to fluctuate. This temperature fluctuation can cause moisture to develop which can corrode and rust your guns.
Different Types of Dehumidifiers
There are three types of dehumidifiers you can choose from for your gun safe. Each type of gun safe has its pros and cons depending on your needs. You will need one of these dehumidifiers to keep your gun safe moisture free.
Silica Gel Dehumidifier
Silica gel dehumidifiers are the basic type of dehumidifiers. The silica gel inside the gun safe is used to keep the moisture out of the gun safe. The silica gel dehumidifiers are also known as desiccant dehumidifiers.
If you buy a gun safe, it comes with a silica gel packs inside. This is the cheapest form of dehumidifiers and you can put them wherever you need them the most. You need to change these silica gel packs after a couple of months.
You can also put the silica gel packs in an oven to dry them out after reading the manufacturer’s instructions. A silica gel pack won’t stop the humidity from forming inside a gun safe but will soak the humidity already present inside the gun safe.
Electric Dehumidifier
The electric dehumidifiers are the most expensive type of dehumidifiers present on the market. The electric dehumidifiers resemble a rod and can control the moisture formation inside your gun safe by providing a constant supply of heat.
Most people find the electric dehumidifiers to be the best solution to the humidity problem which justifies the few extra dollars you pay for it. The only drawback for this type of dehumidifier is, you need to keep it plugged into an electricity source at all times.
If you get an electric dehumidifier, you will have wires running through the walls of your gun safe. If you don’t have a pre-drilled hole in your gun safe, you will have to drill one yourself. Most of the premium gun safes come with a provision for electrical connections.
GoldenRod Original Dehumidifier
GoldenRod Original Dehumidifier is oldest and the most trusted electric dehumidifiers. The GoldenRod comes in four different sizes to be used in safes of different sizes and covers up to 100 cubic feet.
GoldenRod is set to keep your gun safe at around 70 degrees to keep the humidity away. The power plug of this dehumidifier comes unattached so you can pass the cord through the hole in the gun safe. The whole set up process takes around 10 minutes.
The GoldenRod Original Dehumidifier comes with a lifetime warranty. This shows the company is standing behinds its product. This dehumidifier has a six-foot cord which you can run through your gun safe to plug into a power source.
The cord can be removed from the dehumidifier so you can pass the cable through the gun safe. This is a handy feature since different gun safes have different sized holes. The GoldenRod can heat up your gun safe up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since the GoldenRod comes in four sizes, you will want to measure the inside of your gun safe to find the best fit. Doing this can save you a few dollars.
Lockdown Dehumidifier Rod
The Lockdown Dehumidifier rod is another popular electrical dehumidifier which keeps the moisture away by increasing the temperature of your gun safe. The Lockdown rod will heat up your gun safe to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
This dehumidifier rod offers a one year warranty and is cheaper than the GoldenRod. The Lockdown rod comes in two sizes, 12 and 18 inches. Like the GoldenRod, this dehumidifier has a six-foot long cord you can pass through your gun safe.
The Lockdown Dehumidifier Rod circulates warm air throughout the gun safe which keeps the humidity and condensation away so your safe does not mildew. This dehumidifier comes with mounting brackets so it can be mounted low in the gun safe.
The plug of the Lockdown dehumidifier is not connected to the cable. This allows you to cut the length of the cable to the size required to connect the rod to the plugging point. The detached plug also helps in passing the cable through the hole in the gun safe.
Rechargeable Dehumidifier
Rechargeable dehumidifiers are wireless dehumidifiers you can set up inside your gun safe. The rechargeable dehumidifiers are best used with the silica gel packs since the fan inside the wireless dehumidifiers rotates the moist air inside the safe and the silica gel absorbs it.
There are some wireless dehumidifiers which have silica gel packs included inside them. These dehumidifiers are small and portable and you can put them anywhere in the gun safe. The rechargeable dehumidifiers have a lifespan of up to 10 years.
If you don’t have a provision for an electric dehumidifier or don’t want to shell out the extra dollars, the rechargeable dehumidifiers are the best option. The only problem with them is, you need to change the batteries every couple of week. If you forget to change them, moisture can damage your guns.
Eva-Dry E-333 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier
Eva-Dry is the top selling rechargeable gun dehumidifier on Amazon and is one of the best gun safe dehumidifiers. The Eva-Dry E-333 comes with a five-year warranty. The E-333 uses a renewable silica gel technology that works without batteries or power. The E-333 can be placed in an area up to 333 cubic feet and it will absorb moisture.
There is an indicator window on this dehumidifier which contains crystals. Once the E-333 starts absorbing humidity the orange crystals in the device will turn green. The humidity absorbing capacity of the E-333 is 4-6 oz.
Since there are no lights on the device, you will have to check the actual color of the crystals. The time taken in changing of crystals from orange to green can vary depending on the humidity conditions, but it usually takes two to four weeks.
Once the crystals turn green, you need to plug-in the device in a well-ventilated area for 8-10 hours. After 10 hours the green crystals will turn back orange and the device will be ready for reuse. The Eva-Dry E-333 has a 10-year life, so this process can be repeated for 10-years.
With the Eva-Dry, there are no spills and you don’t need to buy any refills. Even at full capacity, the E-333 will never spill a single drop of liquid. The Eva-Dry E-333 has a mess free anti-toxin solution which is child and pet safe.
Stack-On SPAD-1500
The Stack-On SPAD-1500 is a no-nonsense rechargeable dehumidifier which will absorb the excess moisture from your safe or security cabinet. The SPAD-1500 can absorb excess moisture without having to drill holes or run electrical cords through your safe.
The SPAD-1500 works in 100 cubic feet and absorbs all the excess moisture from your gun safe. Since this is a small dehumidifier, you might need to use a couple of these if you own a big gun safe. SPAD-1500 is a rechargeable device so you won’t have to tangle with the cables.
Just like the Eva-Dry E-333, this dehumidifier has a moisture indicator on the front that will bring it to your attention that it needs to be recharged. You will have to recharge this device every 4-6 weeks depending on the amount of humidity in your gun safe.
The SPAD-1500 requires being plugged in overnight to be recharged so it can be used again. You need to plug it into a standard 110 electrical outlet.
You will need to keep the device plugged in for 8-10 hours before you could reuse it. The best time to recharge the SPAD-1500 is overnight. With no batteries required and the ability to pull moisture out from 100 cubic feet, this gadget is already far above other models.
Conclusion
While there are many different types of gun safe dehumidifiers present on the market, most of them are overpriced or don’t perform well. The first decision you need to make while buying a gun safe is to decide whether you want an electric, rechargeable or a silica gel dehumidifier.
Look at the amount of humidity in the area your gun safe is placed in. Depending on the amount of humidity, you should go with the appropriate dehumidifier. If your gun safe has a high amount of humidity, you should go with an electric dehumidifier.
Gun safes with a moderate amount of humidity can make use of a rechargeable dehumidifier. Go with the silica gel dehumidifiers only if your gun safe has close to no humidity. Spending a few dollars on a dehumidifier can save your valuables from moisture, mold and mildew, and musty odors.
The gun safe dehumidifiers on this list are the only dehumidifiers worthy enough to invest your hard earned dollars in. If you have any questions or queries regarding a dehumidifier, drop them in the comments below and we will be happy to help.
