So I got a Liberty safe a few months ago and I decided to buy a bigger safe that I could grow into. That being said, the safe I got was too big to put in our house (I knew this before I bought it), and I figured that my garage would be an alright place for it. I knew I would have to worry about moisture and such, but I want to make sure there isn't something else I could be doing to help my situation.I know a few guys that have never had rust issues with gun that are store in their garages, so I wasn't too worried about going this route

So, right now I have the following installed in my safe:
-2 small 2”x3” metal desiccant cans. These are the kind that can be recharged by baking them in the oven


-1 larger desiccant pack. It is made by Remington and it is the kind that you plug into a wall after it absorbs a bunch of moisture.

-1 heating rod. This came with the safe. I’d say it is 12-14” long


-1 of these PEET air circulator deals


My question is….should all of this be enough to protect my guns? I find that I need to recharge my desiccant cans probably every other week during this time of year. Living in the Fort Worth area, this really wasn’t a surprise to me.
Also, I keep all my guns wiped down with BreakFree and well oiled.

I bought a $10 electronic thermometer from Walmart that measures temps and humidity and it says my current temp in the safe is 90* and 42% humidity. Does this sound ok? Or should I be worried? According to google:: “70 degrees at 50% humidity is museum quality according to the NRA.”

What's your goal? Do you want to dry the air (remove moisture) or prevent condensation?

A heating rod does nothing to reduce moisture load (i.e. drying), it simply reduces the likelihood of condensation. A drop in RH doesn't signal a reduction in moisture load, but rather an increase in the moisture holding capacity of air.

Dessicants do reduce the moisture load, albeit at a declining rate as they move towards saturation.

I use both, depending on the time of year and weather conditions.

Based on your info, your moisture load is 89 grains of water per pound of dry air at 90 F / 42% RH. The NRA conditions yield a moisture load of 54.5 grains of water per pound of dry air. Unless the interior surfaces of the safe get down to 63 F there won't be any condensation (at your conditions).

[This message has been edited by AgEng98 (edited 7/5/2013 12:43p).]

Thanks!
My goal is to keep my guns from rusting. I just wanted to see if there was any other methods out there that I could try

Oh and I put in some weather stripping around my safe. Along the bottom and up 3/4 on both side. Not sure if that help, but I figured I'd try it out.

Monday crowd?

Oil guns with Mobil 1...I'm serious

I use that Remington plug in machine shown above. Basically you plug it in and it heats up a bit. By doing this, it cooks off the moisture from the moisture absorbing beads.

Then, pull it out the plug and throw it back in the safe...

When it is new, it lasts about a month between "recharges". As it gets used, it tends to last about a week between recharges after around a year of use.

It comes with a 5 year warranty. I tend to have to buy a new one every 12-18 months. The last one I bought, I kept the package and receipt on the side in my garage. After about 18 months - I contacted Remington. They had me send it in and they replaced it. It did take over 2 months to get replaced.

That one is 18 months old now - I need a new one (I write the date on it with a marker). I will continue to buy them - they do work. Just don't expect it to last forever. It's a yearly investment as I see it.

I've gone thru 5 or 6 of them now.

Visit: Texas Gun Forum!!!! http://texasgunforum.com/index.php

[This message has been edited by MisterShipWreck (edited 7/8/2013 10:05a).]

Motor oil??? Seriously? Never heard of that before, but can't see what it could hurt!

ShipWreck-is your safe indoors or in the garage? Ever have rust problems (if it's in the garage) with just the Remington deal?

My safe is inside. Never had any rust issues. I use Breakfree CLP on everything. On a normal cleaning, I cover the entire outer surface with it (on a patch), and then wipe it all off with a rag. Breakfree is one of the top rust protectors in many tests done.

Even on guns I don't use, I do this 1-2x a year. That De-humidiefier seems to work.

I would never leave a safe in the garage with humidity outside. Just my 2 cents

[This message has been edited by MisterShipWreck (edited 7/8/2013 11:15a).]

MSW
that is the same method I use in cleaning/wiping off mine.

When it came to buying a safe, I could have bought a smaller 12-16 gun safe to put in a closet, but I needed more space. I really didn't want to outgrow it anytime soon. So I went with a Liberty Fatboy and figured I could battle any humidity issues in my garage now and then hopefully have room for to bring it inside on a future home

I have a 64 gun liberty fatnboy. I love it. That said IMO keeping guns in the garage is a bad idea. That safe should fit through a door easily. And then all you need is a few feet of wall space. I'd say clear some wall space and make it happen.

Yes, I think it is a bad idea to keep it in the safe. You will have to be extra vigilant in wiping them down INSIDE and out, with more regularity.

Bring it inside, and have it anchored to the floor

CorrisionX is the best rust preventative I've found. All my guns get a light costing when new, and you never have to worry about rust.

Tx4-- I've never heard of it before. Is it only applied 1 time? Or monthly or yearly? I'll have to google it

Thanks for the info!

Applied once. I've had guns in a pouring rain with it, and never got rust. Broke them down, towel dried them, reassembled, an into the safe with a Golden Rod.

Tx4- have you ever compared it to Rusteprufe?

No.

Nm I have my answer