Moving to new area. Mositure question.

[VolvoWrench]

Hello all.
I put an offer in on a condo that is extremely close to the beach that gets airborne salt air. The condo does not seem to have any moisture / mold / mildew / smell issues but, I want to protect my stuff that is inside the house and the safe (that will be in the garage on the bottom level).

Question is, in high humidity areas, does the moisture rise or, fall? Will there be more or less moisture on the third floor vs. the garage? Should I run a De-humidifyer just for insurance? If so, on what floor? I'm already planning on putting golden rods in the safe that will be in the garage.

Any other helpful info. for living very close to the beach is appreciated.

[russ69]

A cool dry place. That is something the beach is not. I have never lived at the beach but from what I understand, you will have a hard time keeping your guns blemish free anywhere near the beach. A garage that is not heated or cooled is worse, stable temperature is the best. Salt air is a mother.

[musick]

FWIW, temps and humidity levels should be less subject to extreme swings inside a house than in a garage.

If the safe is in a garage, run multiple golden rods and initially inspect the stuff weekly, then bi-weekly. Keep it well oiled and/or consider something with a greater viscosity to offer additional protection.

The details you provided are pretty vague so only general guidelines can be provided.

[CoopsDad]

I lived on the Outer Banks of NC for a while and the salt air makes anything metal turn to rust. My older 10/22 still has chancres of corrosion from those 2 years, and the gun was kept well oiled and stored in a moisture resistant gun bag.

[Garv]

I am about a mile from the beach and it gets foggy and humid at times, but not salty fortunately.

I have a goldenrod at the bottom of the safe and a 1 pound box of desiccant at the top of the safe.

I have to bake out the desiccant about twice a year, not a problem.

No rust or corrosion in two years here.

I would use the goldenrod and get indicating silica gel from Amazon.
Keep the container visible so you know when to re-heat it.

[jkody]

^this in addition to moving safe inside the house as inside has better insulation and moisture barrier.

[L84CABO]

Goldenrod + Desiccant + Humidity Gauge (they make ones with a probe that you can put into the safe and the monitor sits on the outside so you can monitor humidity on the inside). Start there and get a feel for things. Keep your guns clean and wiped down with a silicone treated cloth. Check status daily until things seam reasonably stable. Then check every three days until you build up to weekly (with silicone wipe down weekly). In a costal environment, I would check guns weekly always and forever.

[VolvoWrench]

Thanks for the replies.
I'm currently running 3 of these in my safe

http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Dry-E-333-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452885344&sr=8-4&keywords=gun+safe+dessicant

and a digital humidity gauge.
I read on here a while ago that my desiccants are crap.

Please chime in on really good re-chargeable desiccants.

[EspoMan]

Thanks for the replies.
I'm currently running 3 of these in my safe

http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Dry-E-333-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452885344&sr=8-4&keywords=gun+safe+dessicant

and a digital humidity gauge.
I read on here a while ago that my desiccants are crap.

Please chime in on really good re-chargeable desiccants.

I use two of those as well and I've never had a problem in over 3 years of using them. I'm assuming they work because every week or so they turn pink and I have to recharge them.

[fal_762x51]

I live two to three miles from the ocean. While not warmer weather, the humidity here is usually 90% (except in February).

I have my collection in my safe that has all the holes sealed, but the door does not have a gasket. All the guns are in gun socks and I have a big dehumidifier rod on the bottom. I never had any issues. When my old rod died (not known for a month), I had a stock form mold on it.

[L84CABO]

Thanks for the replies.
I'm currently running 3 of these in my safe

http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Dry-E-333-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452885344&sr=8-4&keywords=gun+safe+dessicant

and a digital humidity gauge.
I read on here a while ago that my desiccants are crap.

Please chime in on really good re-chargeable desiccants.

For the most part I believe desiccant is desiccant although some will change color when saturated. I use one like this...

http://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Silica-Gel-750-Grams/dp/B004QUIWAA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452897179&sr=8-3&keywords=gun+safe+dessicant

It's relatively cheap so if you think you've got crappy stuff, it's pretty cheap to replace.

[Californio]

Bull Frog Rust Blocker Shield

One in the bottom and One in the top of your safe, change once a year.

http://www.bull-frog.com/products/pds/emitters.jpg

[Flyliner]

I live about 50yrds for the beach/water. Its routinely over 70% humidity, especially last summer. I've had no rust on my firearms (knock on wood), here's how I store them (safe is inside the house):

1. Golden Rod (most important item on the list, error on one that is for more cu.ft. than you need.)[/URL]

2. Large desiccant cannisters. (I use 3, you may need more or less depending on your safe size, again error on the side of having too many. Recharge them as needed, I have to do it about once a month.)

3. Silicone impregnated Gun Socks (I use them more for bump/scratch protection not for humidity, but I'm sure they help).

4. 2 Humidity Monitors, one inside the safe and one outside. This is how you will know your humidity control measures are working.

.

[VolvoWrench]

Thank you all.
The reason I mentioned that the Eva dry dehumidifiers is crap is because someone on here said that the actual amount of desiccant is ridiculously small.

[OlderThanDirt]

I live about 50yrds for the beach/water. Its routinely over 70% humidity, especially last summer. I've had no rust on my firearms (knock on wood), here's how I store them (safe is inside the house):

1. Golden Rod (most important item on the list, error on one that is for more cu.ft. than you need.)[/URL]

2. Large desiccant cannisters. (I use 3, you may need more or less depending on your safe size, again error on the side of having too many. Recharge them as needed, I have to do it about once a month.)

3. Silicone impregnated Gun Socks (I use them more for bump/scratch protection not for humidity, but I'm sure they help).

4. 2 Humidity Monitors, one inside the safe and one outside. This is how you will know your humidity control measures are working.

.

I'm about the same distance and do about the same things with no problems. My house and garage are really well insulated, so it is pretty dry inside. I try to not open up the house when the surf is really big and there is a salt water haze over the house.