Best gun vault dehumidifier? Can I store ammo in fire vault?

[alfred10]

How does an electrical gun vault dehumidifier work? I have the old fashioned plug in to recharge ones. I was wondering if you need to empty the dehumidifier everytime that it fills up or how you work it. Who makes the absolute best electrical gun safe dehumidifier? How often do you have to do stuff to them?

Can I store, Guns, Ammo, etc? Will ammo go bad? What cant I store in this thing?

[ForTehNguyen]

electric humidifiers warm up the air inside the safe and keeps it circulating at a higher temperature than the outside air to prevent condensation. Electric dehumidifiers have no maintenance. Just plug it in, put it at the bottom of the safe and let it run. Yes you can store ammo safely in there too. All the electric ones are similar, basically the same thing. They make different length dehumidifiers that will work for a certain size safe.

[scottryan]

Any one of those canister dehumidifiers which collects liquid water in the bottom will rust your guns from standing water in the canister in the safe.

The only real prevention to rust is a generous coating of oil, then air conditioning, a real electric dehumidifier, and a golden rod.

Than means do not put your gun safe in your garage if the garage is not air conditioned.

[Spiffums]

I have mine in the basement with just a golden rod and it seems to do a good job.

[AJS]

Don't store powder in a container that cannot vent a lot of pressure fast.
A few cans or less WILL blow out quite a large safe and a wall it vents onto
Ammunition is fine.

[dbrowne1]

Any one of those canister dehumidifiers which collects liquid water in the bottom will rust your guns from standing water in the canister in the safe.

Really? I've used those (the small plastic "buckets" with a tray of calcium carbonate pellets at the top) for probably 10 years and never had that problem. I check it whenever I open my safe and wipe out the bottom of the bucket, so maybe that helps. Just be careful to not get any of the pellet residue on your guns - that stuff is like road salt and will cause corrosion.

How would the water sitting at the bottom of the bucket be able to rust your guns in any case? That water used to be floating around in the air, where it would in fact rust your guns.

[scottryan]

Because those things are not sealed so tight the water can evaporate back into the gun safe plus they absorb water from the house because your safe is not sealed air tight. They pull more water in than what the water content can be inside the volume of your safe.

If you change them every week, they will be ok, but most people cant/forget/or dont want to do that.

Instead you should be controlling the water (humidity) with a golden rod inside the safe.

There is also a risk of these things tipping over. I have seen one instanced where a gun fell from its spot on the rack in the safe and knocked over the canister.

[Rebel Rifle Ordnance]

I'm resurrecting this thread as I am searching for a way to keep my humidity level low inside my walk in vault. It is heated and cooled and has a return vent. Some of my well worn guns collect a little rust from time to time. I have a plug in outlet and was thinking about getting one of those canister dehumidifies until I read this. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Suwannee Tim]

Get a mechanical dehumidifier with a compressor.

[chadbag]

Move to Arizona or some place like that ;-)

I had issues with humidity when I lived in New Hampshire. Now that I live in dry Utah, nothing rusts from sitting around or in a safe.

Keep your guns oiled.