How does a gun safe dehumidifier work?
3 Key Takeaways:
🚀 Gun safe dehumidifiers are essential for removing excess moisture and humidity from the air inside the safe, which can cause rust, corrosion, and decay of the contents.
🚀 Electric dehumidifiers use a heating element to evaporate moisture, while desiccant dehumidifiers use moisture-absorbing materials like silica gel.
🚀 Electric dehumidifiers are generally preferred for larger safes, while desiccant dehumidifiers may be more suitable for smaller safes.
Almost any gun owner will tell you how difficult and important it is to keep their gun safe. Luckily, thanks to technology now gun owners no longer have to worry about their gun safes being loaded with excess moisture. All the moisture in gun safes can be skillfully removed with the best gun safe dehumidifiers.
In this article, we will discuss further the importance of gun safe dehumidifiers, how gun safe dehumidifiers work to eliminate moisture to keep the firearms safe, and the two main types of dehumidifiers used inside the safe to protect ammo from rust corrosion. Let us get started!
When it comes to gun safes, why is it necessary to have a dehumidifier?
The air inside the safe is prone to excess humidity and excess moisture build-up. Removing moisture from all kinds of safes is essential. Safe owners will be able to testify more about the lack of air circulation, high relative humidity, fluctuating temperature, and the evidence of rust corrosion.
Whether there are wooden components or electrical components, both of these are at the risk of corrosion, decay, and rust. It is essential to keep even the areas that are deep inside the safe free from moisture and humidity. Even if your safe houses other valuables, you must pay heed to how the small cubic feet area is maintained.
The only efficient way to protect guns, wooden components, electrical components, and other valuables from the action of moist air is to invest in the best dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers, especially a gun safe dehumidifier is designed to absorb moisture and regulate pervasive humidity. Mold, mildew, dust mites, allergens, microbes, and other agents that slowly destroy the contents of a gun safe or any safe can be dealt with only by dehumidifiers.
The kind of dehumidifier that you want to invest in to protect your firearms can depend entirely on the requirement of the safe. There are electric dehumidifiers and desiccant dehumidifiers. Both, the best gun safe dehumidifier and the best desiccant dehumidifier come to gun owners with their own share of positives.
While the electric dehumidifier rod is the widely preferred choice to reduce high humidity inside the safe, remove moisture, and kill mold growth; sometimes a good supply of silica gel beads in desiccant dehumidifiers is also trusted to regulate the humidity, moisture, temperature, prevent rust and mold growth from destroying the quality of ammo and firearms.
This is the role of dehumidifiers inside the safe. The size of your safe, the existing conditions of moisture, humidity, and temperature, the number of firearms and ammo, and the cubic feet area they occupy in the gun safe will determine the kind of gun safe dehumidifier that is required inside the safe. If desiccant dehumidifiers are not ideal for the size of your safe, it is highly recommended that you invest in electric dehumidifiers. Most electric dehumidifiers are high performing when it comes to removing moisture from the surrounding, especially the air. Reducing the pervasive humidity that exists in tight spaces can be managed with ease by an efficient electric dehumidifier.
Dehumidifier rods in gun safes: what are they for?
To work on the desired relative humidity conditions even in areas deep inside the safe, an electric dehumidifier or a gun safe dehumidifier rod follows a special working mechanism. The gun safe dehumidifiers are equipped with a heating element. This heating element in a gun safe dehumidifier is a crucial component. The heat generated from a gun safe dehumidifier via the heating element will increase the temperature in the air present inside the safe.
From the heating element of the gun safe dehumidifier, hot air rises. As the hot air rises, the slowly begins to heat the air around. The warm air is balanced in such a way to impact the temperature rise positively. The warm air and heat from the gun safe dehumidifiers become the perfect environment required to curb mold growth and prevent rust formation from all the moisture that begins to accumulate due to lack of air circulation.
The gun safe dehumidifiers not just remove moisture and reduce excess humidity levels, but they also actively curb the ill effects of moisture. These side effects affect the quality of the firearms and ammo. The longevity and performance of the firearms might be affected by this and hence the dire need for gun safe dehumidifiers arise to eliminate moisture and to protect gun safes and the contents within them.
Can a desiccant dehumidifier be used in a gun safe instead of a dehumidifier rod?
The two main types of dehumidifiers that are recommended for gun safes are desiccant dehumidifiers and dehumidifier rods. While they both target to keep your gun safe, the manner in which these gun safe dehumidifiers work is different.
1. Desiccant dehumidifiers
A desiccant dehumidifier consists of a rechargeable desiccant material. These are usually silica gel beads. The silica gel packet inside a desiccant dehumidifier can be recharged (as directed) or refilled. Silica gel is efficient to absorb moisture and keep the gun safe and free from moist air. Silica gel desiccant dehumidifiers can work without any power consumption. However, silica gel does not have an impact on air circulation or is as efficient as an electric dehumidifier. Even the best desiccant dehumidifier might not be equivalent in performance and efficiency to the best dehumidifier rod.
2. Rod Electric dehumidifiers
The best gun safe dehumidifier that is trusted and recommended by gun owners themselves is an electric dehumidifier. An electric dehumidifier will require power to function therefore you must have the facility to obtain supply within the gun safe. You just have to simply plug in the electric dehumidifier to get them started. They work with minimal power consumption to extract moisture from a gun safe that is high in humidity where there is no air circulation.
Eva Dry is one of the best dehumidifiers for guns that can protect your firearms from high humidity that can slowly destroy them. As a gun owner, it is important to invest in the best gun safe dehumidifier. Eva Dry is one such rod electric dehumidifier that is trusted by gun safe owners to keep their guns and firearms safe.
What is the proper location for the dehumidifier rod in a gun safe?
Every gun owner must know where to place gun safe dehumidifiers for efficient moisture extraction. A gun safe might come with pre-drilled holes at the bottom of the safe to allow easy access to the power supply. If your gun safe does not have pre-drilled holes you can drill holes at the bottom of the safe.
Simply plug in the electric dehumidifier to the power supply and bring the wires into the gun safe via the pre-drilled holes. Inside the gun safe, place the rod gun safe electric dehumidifier at the bottom of the side, after consulting with an expert. The proper placement of gun safe dehumidifiers is important for seamless humidity control.
FAQ Section
1. What is the ideal humidity level inside a gun safe?
The ideal humidity level that must be maintained to store firearms and guns is between 30%-50% humidity at 70 degrees room temperature. This is the range that is strictly advised by the NRA (National Rifle Association) to gun owners.
The commencement of damage to the guns and firearms was noticed when the air became dryer than 20%.
2. How long do gun safe dehumidifiers last?
The durability of gun safe dehumidifiers will also depend on external factors like proper maintenance. If there are any given guidelines to maintain the rod electric dehumidifier, gun owners are advised to take note of them and follow them. When taken care of rod electric dehumidifiers can last up to 10 years.
3. Can a dehumidifier rod cause a fire?
With advanced in technology, the new designs of rod electric dehumidifiers being made are not inflammable. They are built in such a way, wherein they can be mounted securely within the safe without leading to a fall or breakage causing a fire.
4. Will guns rust in a gun safe?
Yes! Ironically, according to research guns and firearms within the safe are at a higher risk of corrosion than when they are out of it. The reason for this damage is, that the gun safe is a compact space without room for air to circulate. It is also dark and damp without a healthy humidity level.
Rust is the oxidation of iron or iron alloys when they come in contact with moisture or water, in the surrounding or air. This puts the guns and firearms within the safe at high risk and therefore the need for investing in the best rod electric dehumidifiers exists.
5. What can you put in a gun safe to keep moisture out?
Both desiccant dehumidifiers and electric dehumidifiers are effective when it comes to keeping moisture out of the gun safe. Silica gel packs, dry ice, etc., are a few examples of a good desiccant dehumidifier. However, the highly effective option is a rod electric dehumidifier.
Wrapping Up
That’s a wrap on the article. We trust the article made clear the requirements of finding the best gun-safe dehumidifier and how these devices work. Share with us, your experiences with gun-safe dehumidifiers and how effective they are.
About The Author
Olivia — a self-confessed air quality addict — is a home climate enthusiast, fresh air advocate, and someone with deep personal experience and knowledge about mold extermination. Her work was mentioned in countless notable humidity publications. Previously she was an editor at Mold Remediation.