Gun safe In the garage questions.

L

Lurch37

New member
Due to moving, I am unable to get my large safe down into the basement. It is now out in the garage, secure, and out of sight. I believe I can become comfortable with guns out there in the garage if there was a way to keep the enviroment inside the safe like it would be in the home.

I understand the need for say a dessicant, or one of those goldenrods. My question is: is the goldenrod a heat source of any kind? If I could keep the inside of the safe say at 50-70 degrees during the winter months I wouldn't worry about temperature extremes in the garage during winter months.

Does any have any ideas or methods of this type of storage? At the very least I can always sell the big safe and get another smaller one that will fit down the steps, but I would rather use this one if I can.
 
T

Te Anau

New member
is the goldenrod a heat source of any kind?
Click to expand...
Yes it is.You would be fine with one inside your safe.Just check the circuit once in a while or leave an LED night light plugged in so you can tell at a glance that the circuit hasnt been tripped by a GFCI.;)
 
P

Pahoo

New member
As Te stated, the golden rod should be fine. Be careful using any other heat souce as you can shrink some stocks. As long as you have the golden rod working inside, you should be fine. In our area, I would have to be concerned about forming rust on the outside. Might also suggest that you raise the safe just off the floor. Mine is raised about 1-1/2". Also, with time, the golden rod will have a reduced heat output. I find that as long as you can touch and feel heat, it is protecting the inside enviroment. I have a humidity indicator inside mine. Might add that a friend of mine has had his safe in his garage, for seven years with no ill effect ..
 
M

mikejonestkd

New member
Another vote for a golden rod, however in a high humidity enviornment like a coastal ( particularly saltwater coastal ) or lakefront home you may want to reconsider placing it in the garage. get a humidity indicator and check it on a regular basis.

A final suggestion...hide it in the garage, behind an old refrigerator box, or something similar. Thieves won't spend alot of time trying to steal something that they don't readily know is there...
 
L

Lurch37

New member
Thanks to those who have replied. The safe is really not visible as I have older cabinets all around it and such. Does getting it off the floor aid in keeping cold and dampness from seeping in? Would say an old pallet work, or perhaps a layer of brick? One final question is would one be better drilling through the side or back of the safe? Thanks again.
 
H

Harry Callahan

New member
The question I would have with drilling a hole in the safe is that protection from fire would be compromised. Wouldn't fire seek the weakest part of the safe and find a way in? I will be getting a safe on Friday and I think I'm going to use the dessicant bags. Anyone know what the best way is?
 
B

bobn

New member
there is ussually a hole in the bottom for the cord....the bags work too. the worse time is spring thaw. something about the dew point and the temp. bobn
 
A

Alleykat

Moderator
I've kept a Browning safe in an outbuilding, on a concrete floor (but with a vapor barrier under the safe) for about 12 years now, with no rust and no ill effects. I live in a really high-humidity area. I use a Goldenrod, with no desiccant.
 
M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
agree with getting it off the floor... even a layer of 1/2" -3/4" treated plywood will help (block / brick will not provide a good separation between the floor & safe, but a pallet will )

of course heating the garage is one of your best options ( though not always the most practical ) keeping the temps as close to stabil is your goal, avoiding big temperature swings... if it gets below zero in your garage, thats not too good, as frost could build up...
 
T

Te Anau

New member
agree with getting it off the floor... even a layer of 1/2" -3/4" treated plywood will help
Click to expand...
Yep,mine sits on a piece of old rubber conveyer belt out of a rock quarry.I might add that everyone should gently tip over their safe at about a 60 degree angle and paint its bottom.Mine started to show rust after a move and luckily I caught it in time.
 
P

Pahoo

New member
Yes, getting it off the floor will provide protection from humidity and temp. fluctuations. Lets air circulate better, all around. I like the idea of some sort of vapor barrier as mentioned and will add one to mine so thanks for that tip. My safe has a false bottom and when you pull it up, I have drilled holes in the steel, that will allow me to anchor it with concrete anchors. Look and see if you don't have some as well.
 
B

brickeyee

New member
Rust occurs in safes from the thermal mass of the guns themselves.
They get cooled off to ambient, and when the temerature and humidity then rise the moisture in the air condenses on the cooler surface of the gun.

The goldenrod (or any other simple heater) uses a few watts of heat to try and hold the inside of the safe at a slightly warmer temperature to prevent condensation.

Safes are not air tight, so the interior humidity follows the exterior with a time lag since the openings are not large and limit the rate of air and water vapor movement.
 
L

Lurch37

New member
Again my thanks to the replies you have given. The temperature swings in the winter are what are bothering me the most say from maybe 30-40 degrees to 0 from opening the garage door. I would assume the garage as a whole would cool off rapidly, then warm back up slowly from being part of the house.

Can one expect a single Golden Rod to keep a 72 gun safe at say 60-70 degrees through these temperature swings? Heating the garage is a wonderful idea but cost prohibitive.
 
J

Justme

Moderator
Humidity is your enemy, luckily the humidity in your garage is probably more stable than it is inside your centrally heated house.

With temperature and humidity it is the swings that do the most damage, garage temps and humidity swing slowly. One of the reasons a lot of really old antique furniture still looks good is because it spent it's first 200 or so years of existance without central heating.
 
C

CO@heart

New member
Gun Safe Garage

Hello I'm a new member on this site, and I have a couple of questions in regards to Gun Safe in the Garage. I was reading this post and I'm pretty much the same situtation, I just relocated from CO to IL, and there is a difference in the humidity, where as in CO, I had my safe in the house, but now I rent a townhome in Chicagoland and have my safe in the garage, till I buy a place, it will stay there. I have my safe off the ground, and installed a goldenrod today. My question is, with this goldenrod installed, can I ditch the gun socks, and also I mounted this rod about an inch from the bottom of the safe. I have a Browning safe and this is an 18" rod, I don't have any of my stocks touching the rod, but they are close, will this be okay as well, and also I store some of my ammo in the safe ( I don't have any kids or little ones around) due to my lack of faith that everyone is honest and not trying to rip me off. But will the ammo be okay in this environment, I don't think it would be a problem, but you never know. Any comments would be appreciated
 
S

skeeter1

New member
From the sound of it, your firearms should be just fine. Goldenrods work well, and as long as your gunsocks aren't actually in contact with it, they'll be fine.

As far as your ammo goes, you've got nothing to worry about. I had some ammo stored in a cabinet in a non-air-conditioned house in Ohio for 30+ years, and every round still went "bang" when I pulled the trigger. Keep it away from oil contaminants, and ammo seems to last forever.
 
H

Harry Callahan

New member
Welcome CO@heart. I probably drive past your house every time I go to my sister-in-law's. She's in Lake in the Hills. I just got my safe today, too. I am going to the new Cabella's in Hoffman Estates to look for a Golden Rod. The concensus at this site seems to be it's the way to go. I got an AMSEC BF6030put in my garage today. With the temperature extremes(REAL hot in summer and REAL cold in the winter)in the Chicagoland area I want to get a handle on the temp/humidity situation in this safe. I'll go with Golden Rod. Maybe a can of dessicant also, just to be sure.
 
C

CO@heart

New member
Thankyou for your thoughts gentlemen, I do appreciate it, also Mr Callahan, do you know of a good place in the NW suburbs to go and play with rifles, I understand this a shotgun state only for deer, but I'm headed back to CO for 3rd season elk, and would like to shoot for a few days, plus I have a new toy I'd like to sight in and also to play with some of my reloads
 
T

tegemu

New member
There is usually a small hole, covered with a knock out plug, near the bottom of the safes for a Golden Rod and/or a light.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top