Mold in my box / unhappy guns

[wolfwistle]

This last summer I walled in my safe . It's completely framed in two layers of sheet rock,instillation, and exterior on all sides. I have have this safe for three years and have never had a mold problem before . I put Dry-Z-air in it and the mold seem to get worse. The safe wasn't wired for power , now I'm regretting that. So has anyone had this problem?

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[ZA_Survivalist]

When I foamed off the doors on my safe in storage I assumed it would keep everything air tight, it trapped in moisture.. not to mention I didnt caulk the bolt holes, that too I suspect allowed moisture in. Long story short, I took off the foam seal around the door and threw in about 3 EZ rechargeable dessicants that I recharge every few months.

Havent had a problem since.

Is the dessicant you're using the little white balls that turn to liquid? If so, those draw in moisture as the safe heats up and cools.. even moderately. When I first got my safe(s) about 10+ years ago I used those and it drew moisture into my safe, I had rust where I never had it before.

My thought is, get a battery powered fan and some rechargeable desiccants.

 

[B5Ben]

I'd get something like this and then find out where the moisture is coming from.

My first thought is that it might be condensating inside as it's acting like large metal heatsink inside the house.

Liberty Safe Mini-Dehumidifier : Cabela's

 

[wolfwistle]

I'd get something like this and then find out where the moisture is coming from.

My first thought is that it might be condensating inside as it's acting like large metal heatsink inside the house.

Liberty Safe Mini-Dehumidifier : Cabela's

That is for a regular outlet and I didn't put power in the safe.

 

[wolfwistle]

When I foamed off the doors on my safe in storage I assumed it would keep everything air tight, it trapped in moisture.. not to mention I didnt caulk the bolt holes, that too I suspect allowed moisture in. Long story short, I took off the foam seal around the door and threw in about 3 EZ rechargeable dessicants that I recharge every few months.

Havent had a problem since.

Is the dessicant you're using the little white balls that turn to liquid? If so, those draw in moisture as the safe heats up and cools.. even moderately. When I first got my safe(s) about 10+ years ago I used those and it drew moisture into my safe, I had rust where I never had it before.

My thought is, get a battery powered fan and some rechargeable desiccants.

I will try that..

 

[B5Ben]

That is for a regular outlet and I didn't put power in the safe.

The power is only required for regeneration, to dry it out again. The unit works on its own until that is needed.

From the description:

Remove moisture in any enclosed space, like your gun cabinet or safe, with Liberty's Mini-Dehumidifier. Uses colorless, odorless nontoxic water glass crystals to constantly absorb moisture from the air. Every 30-60 days, the indicator window will turn pink when the unit needs regeneration. Simply plug into a standard electrical outlet for 10-12 hours, and the indicator window will turn blue when it's recharged and ready to go again. Average life span is approximately 10 years.

 

[nammac]

Actually those mini dehumidifiers are designed to absorb moisture, be removed from the safe and plugged in to dry out or be recharged, then placed back in the safe.

My recommendation is run power to the safe, somehow. Goldenrods are your friend for warming the safe interior and chasing the moisture away. Peet dehumidifiers are effective as well.

 

[SUPER X]

This last summer I walled in my safe . It's completely framed in two layers of sheet rock,instillation, and exterior on all sides. I have have this safe for three years and have never had a mold problem before . I put Dry-Z-air in it and the mold seem to get worse. The safe wasn't wired for power , now I'm regretting that. So has anyone had this problem? View attachment 426628

I did the same thing in a existing interior wall of the house .and put several dry z air and safe dehumidfiers in it. After a a couple years I noticed it was drawing moister and getting worse . I dont know way it would draw moister . Mabey a vapor lock or the steel draws moister out of the lumber ? If it left with the door opened it does not do it.. but that defeats the whole purpose .now i dont use it.if you find out how to fix it let me know .

 

[Brutus57]

Spend 10 bucks and get a hygrometer that measures temp and humidity...Accurite is name. Check those readings every day for a couple weeks. You want an environment where the Rh relative humidity is below 50%. Warmer air is your friend, as is circulation but both are hard to come by in a metal safe with a tight seal. You have several options as mentioned above and a sweet spot for keeping things mold free in rain country is temp no less than 55-65 which keeps humidity generally less than 50 which is your goal. But don't get too much heat or you have too little humidity. Also temperature over large ranges expands and contracts materials so determine what is going on in your safe that you can't see with a hygrometer. There is a reason museums that can afford them have display cases with micro environments.

Brutus Out

 

[Stomper]

This last summer I walled in my safe . It's completely framed in two layers of sheet rock,instillation, and exterior on all sides. I have have this safe for three years and have never had a mold problem before . I put Dry-Z-air in it and the mold seem to get worse. The safe wasn't wired for power , now I'm regretting that. So has anyone had this problem? View attachment 426628

Nice looking job, BTW!

 

[osprey]

Find a way to get power in that box. A goldenrod is the most effective and troublefree method to combat moisture problems. Great looking install!

 

[Joe13]

I ordered and just received these from walmart online (the black ones) in the mail - got tired of baking all of my desicant tins.

They recharge with a wire, cover 340 cuft and are two for the same price as the others that cover 100 cuft.

I don't buy them while they are on clearance.

 

[osprey]

Think of it this way. Moisture likes low pressure and pressure directly corrolates to temperature. A low wattage device like a golden rod keeps the temp in the safe very slightly above ambient which means a slightly higher pressure that keeps the cooler moist air outside the safe at bay.

 

[Mark W.]

If you have mold in your safe the first thing to do is to kill it. Put 1 cup of household bleach in a gallon of water. And wipe down every surface in the safe. If you have carpeted areas you will need to heat them up or somehow wash and dry them. The mold spores will not go away unless you kill them.

 

[Joe13]

Think of it this way. Moisture likes low pressure and pressure directly corrolates to temperature. A low wattage device like a golden rod keeps the temp in the safe very slightly above ambient which means a slightly higher pressure that keeps the cooler moist air outside the safe at bay.

Sort of. And he doesn't have a power outlet...

Humidity is relitive to temperature and not pressure. Otherwise a hot house on a freezing day would exhaust all of your inside air very quickly while replacing it with cold. It does that but slower and only because temperature wants to normalize.

Humidity is like hot water and sugar. The hotter the air the more moisture it can hold. When it cools off you get condensation (like dew on the grass).

So keeping your safes inside slightly warmer is for sure the way to go if you have power but since that is not the case you need something that will soak up the ambient humidity and keep condensation from happening.

Regchargable desiccant's are the way to go if you have no power available.

You may need more then one and it may not last as long as advertised depending on what the temp swing is.

 

[Joe13]

If you have mold in your safe the first thing to do is to kill it. Put 1 cup of household bleach in a gallon of water. And wipe down every surface in the safe. If you have carpeted areas you will need to heat them up or somehow wash and dry them. The mold spores will not go away unless you kill them.

Truth

 

[Colts4me]

Estate was selling families treasures and the musk and mould destroyed most of the leather. Orego, especiall the coast has a mildew problem so you have to keep stuff dry.

 

[01rednavigator]

Costco has two Eva dry dehumidifiers for $18.99 that is an extremely good deal!

I paid $20 at Bimart for just one unit and it works great.

Costco In-Store 2-Pack Eva-Dry Renewable Dehumidifiers, $18.99 01-27-2018

 

[wolfwistle]

Thank you so much everyone for the good information . I really believe at this point I need to add electricity to the safe . I sure wished I would of done it before . The box has a punch out for a outlet but its covered up by a wall now . Again thank you very much .

 

[01rednavigator]

Definitely get power to the safe, I am extremely ocd about my guns rusting.

In my Safe I have a Golden Rod, an off make Golden rod that came with my Safe and a Eva dry Dehumidifier.