Safe in a dank garage

[Koda]

My concern is that moisture may collect causing rust where bottom paint may have been abraded in moving. In most cases people would probably never note any rust even in moving, so I don't know how frequently this happens.

my guess is the safe has a pretty tough paint finish plus heavy/thick steel.... I think the paint on the bottom will be hard to scratch thru...

clean and sweep the location, install the safe in dry conditions (dehumidify the garage first). If you really want to you can caulk around the bottom and wall....?

 

[GuyBMeredith]

The safe is the Sturdy 2419 with 4 ga body and 3/8" door plate and fire liner so it weighs just short of 700 pounds.

Look under extra information in the menu for some of the information they offer on installation and use.

https://www.sturdysafe.com/products/model-2419

 

[Joe13]

My concern is that moisture may collect causing rust where bottom paint may have been abraded in moving. In most cases people would probably never note any rust even in moving, so I don't know how frequently this happens.

Use roofing tiles or moisture barrier between the floor and walls IMO. I wouldn't want steel on concrete if it's prone to being wet.

 

[Koda]

keep in mind a safe like that will be delivered by a crew that will position it in place with minimal sliding, they install the concrete anchors then roll it into position and set it down and bolt it. I doubt the bottom surface paint will get scratched much at all.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Interior fans paired with dehumidifiers. Ive seen it before.

 

[PDX1953]

I use a rechargeable dehumidifier & when the color changes to show humidity I plug it in until it dries out - 2 to 4 hrs max.

I went to Tap Plastics & had them cut me 1/4" thick by 3" wide strips of ABS the depth of my safe. You can also use polyethylene because it's slick - same stuff cutting boards are made from. Total cost = dirt cheap. The shims will keep the safe from sitting on the floor & drawing moisture but remember, garage floors slope towards the door so make sure the safe is level or the door will constantly bang into you. You may need to use 1/4" on one side & 3/8" on the other - I learned the hard way.

If you're going to install the safe yourself, drill holes in the shims larger than the lags so the concrete drill doesn't catch and spin the shim. In my case there was one bolt hole centered along the sides under the removable floor panel.

I bought a 25-gun safe last October & it's overflowing so I'm buying a second safe tomorrow. A 25 gun safe might hold 25 single-shot rifles w/o any scopes but when you have a couple of AR's, some varmint rifles & a few long guns you run out of room fast. I have 8 rifles & 29 handguns so one safe will be for long guns & ammo & the other for handguns, holsters & important documents

Cabela's has one company they recommend for install & delivery & after finding out they charge $325 I paid a couple of guys with a pickup truck $100 to deliver & unbox it. I did the rest.

 

[bolus]

55 gallon drum of cosmoline. Better than a safe since no one would want to reach into a giant vat of cosmoline goop to see if there are any firearms.
http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-1116-lubricant-rust-inhibitor/

 

[PDX1953]

55 gallon drum of cosmoline. Better than a safe since no one would want to reach into a giant vat of cosmoline goop to see if there are any firearms.
http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-1116-lubricant-rust-inhibitor/

A good safe would be less than $2700 worth of cosmoline although I like your thinking.

 

[GuyBMeredith]

I hate cleaning off cosmoline.

 

[erudne]

I would ventilate the garage, maybe install a vent fan to keep air moving, dehumidifier or low wattage light bulb, maybe ask a safe manufacturer for hints?

 

[Viperlok]

Hello, I dont normally respond to post, But in your case I had to. I had a large gun safe in my garage for 2 years, Everything I did to help protect the items inside, Well didn't help much. I found it was during the rainy season that caused me the most problems. It wasn't tell I decided to bring the items inside and make a space for them, (under a staircase) and buy a new safe that would fit. I learned a few things that I expected too and a few Unexpected things along the way.
Protect your investments dont just jam them into a corner and hope for the best. Make the space or sale your inventory off. I had to do all of this as I didn't have the space to keep all the items I wanted. Space management for some isn't an Issue. And for others It's everything. Keeping your items in a steel box in a unheated space on cold concrete isn't the way to be responsible to your investment. I dont know how many nightmares started out with that old gun safe, But i sleep better at knight knowing its no longer a problem. Last thing, I know some might not have an issue putting a safe in the garage and being able to deal with the issues that arise from it. This is just what happened to me but you might see a bit of this scenario and glean something from it, in your own problem.

 

[timac]

Hello, I dont normally respond to post, But in your case I had to. I had a large gun safe in my garage for 2 years, Everything I did to help protect the items inside, Well didn't help much. I found it was during the rainy season that caused me the most problems. It wasn't tell I decided to bring the items inside and make a space for them, (under a staircase) and buy a new safe that would fit. I learned a few things that I expected too and a few Unexpected things along the way.
Protect your investments dont just jam them into a corner and hope for the best. Make the space or sale your inventory off. I had to do all of this as I didn't have the space to keep all the items I wanted. Space management for some isn't an Issue. And for others It's everything. Keeping your items in a steel box in a unheated space on cold concrete isn't the way to be responsible to your investment. I dont know how many nightmares started out with that old gun safe, But i sleep better at knight knowing its no longer a problem. Last thing, I know some might not have an issue putting a safe in the garage and being able to deal with the issues that arise from it. This is just what happened to me but you might see a bit of this scenario and glean something from it, in your own problem.

Curious as to what problems you encountered? I know quite a few who put a safe in their garage, no problems.

 

[jbett98]

Place a piece of 30 lb. roofing paper under the safe. That will help with the bottom metal from contacting the concrete floor.

 

[Viperlok]

I live on Mt hood, id have to put more than a few pieces down on the ground up here !

 

[Siglvr]

Some of this was posted earlier. Hope it can help. I missed if this was an attached or unattached garage? Presumably there is an electrical outlet in it. If there isn't, I'd forget it right off. If there is, I'd first check the exterior grade and gutters. Make sure the water slopes off at least 5 feet at all sides, and the gutters work to move rainwater well away from the structure. Next, that's great advice to insulate with roofing paper or something similar. If it was me and it was bare concrete, I'd use the roofing paper after painting the floor with a tough, waterproof paint. I don't know if the waterproof paints are good for driving on, but check this out to get you started. There are many brands. -Link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pre...d-Masonry-Waterproofing-Paint-87505/100558274 Concrete is a porous thing, you want to slow water permeation down or stop it. Cracks (if any) get filled first with hydraulic cement- link http://www.homedepot.com/p/DRYLOK-Fast-Plug-10-lb-Hydraulic-Cement-00924/100171483
The intention here is to make the area easier to manage. Fill any wall cracks and replace the rubber sealer on the garage door etc etc etc. Do what you need to do. Everytime you open and close the safe door you want dry air trapped inside, not moist air.our EVAS (see below) will work longer too.

I had left a BB gun in the basement for @ 2 months and it got rusted fairly bad. My son pointed it out to me, and I think that's a factor of better eyesight. However, I could feel it with my fingers. I found it pretty disturbing and the BB guys probably only cost me $40. If you had a Sig P210, or 2, or some other high end gun or 4 in your gun safe, then you might consider spending a bit more effort to keep them looking prime. In the Pacific NorthWET, that's a multilayered thing.

1st) Use Eezox exactly as they detail's in their instructions (so put them away they are dry looking) and don't be just generically "oiling" your guns when you get back from the range. You might slather the bores with Hopps #9 or any other thing, but as you are putting them in the safe, think of this photo below and choose to spend a bit more time and effort to wipe or spray a light layer of Eezox on them. If you do nothing else, use this stuff as this should help a lot. This is older work, so you might google to see what current info is on products like this.






Lots of guys have done independent testing. Good stuff and cheap. Froglube may work better, but seems to be more work to put on. Hornady has a product out that might be super effective as well now. Be aware that clorinated esters and some chemicals can cause Stress Corrosion Cracking on Stainless Steel. I have not heard of a firearm falling apart, but have personally seen stainless steel turn to all but total bubblegum. On a $3 part, it's nothing, on a $2000 Sig X-5, that would be something.

2nd) Get a room dehumidifer like Etrain suggests. A good one will both tell you what the moisture % actually measures, and pull the moisture out to what ever the heck you want it to be. I was shocked how much moisture I actually had in here. Of course, the house is over a 100 years old. So in retrospect....lol...My little Delongi will pull a gallon out per day. They make 2 versions of these, one you have to dump it daily, the other can be set up to drain into a drain. Get that one, even if you don't use it at first. You don't want to be checking and dumping water daily. <broken link removed> They come in a lot of price points. Do your research.

The I'd try to seal the holes with rubber (epdm) sealing washers around the wedge anchors you are using to secure it to the concrete to keep the safe insides dry. Like others say, minimize the ability of a thief to pry or pull it out. If your concrete is good, it will be much harder, but wedge anchor can easily pull out of crap concrete if some lowlife is working a pry bar. In fact, you might keep an eye out and not put any tools nearby that could be used to open the safe. Hiding the safe even if it's just a blanket or using drapes over the windows might help keep a lowlife from breaking into your garage.

NEXT) I'm with Jbetts on this one. Stuff a goldenrod in your safe. You have a drirod, same same. I'd do a google search and confirm that no one has issues with which ever brand you have. If they do, get a better one. $20 is cheap insurance and it works as advertised. As said above, it keeps the moisture from hitting dew point and thus off your metal objects. You need a plug in for that, which means that your safe isn't moisture proof any more althogh you can work on that. You'll need to research if you can drill a hole into your Sturdy Safe.

Lastly) , as said upthread, get at least 2 E-500 Eva-Drys. If I was you I'd by a 4 pack and keep 2 active ones in the safe. I low, one high, moisture is heavy and will settle. They will both work to pull the moisture out of the safe. They have a color change which will tell you when they need recharging and they recharge and work great. Time inbetween recharging is dependent on how much moisture they are sucking up, so keep the air outside the safe dry and they will last longer. Don't get the little jobs cause you need to recharge them too frequently. Also, be aware if you are putting grandpas old heirloom in there that too dry can crack wood that's been out in the moisture. You can research this effect, but it most likely won't be an issue although it's something you need to know in advance to keep an eye out for. I just went to replace one that finally failed after 5 years (which is the life expectancy of the things) and the folks at Dicks and Fishermans had not even heard of them. So here's a link. Amazon.com: Eva-dry E-500 High Capacity Renewable Wireless Mini Dehumidifier - 4 Pack - Fight dampness in boats, safes, RVs and BIG close: Home & Kitchen




After they are charged just toss them inside the safe, and rotate the bottom one to the plug in when needed. Moisture is heavy and will settle. The Evas get hot, so keep them off drapes etc etc while recharging. They suggest plugging them in overnight....a bit of trust is needed for that However, the color changes from pink to blue when they are recharged and ready. Pretty simple. It sounds like a lot, but once you have it set up, never have to worry.

Good luck! Hope that helps you out and also adds to the discussion which has had some good advice already .

 

[cigars]

Just put a small tub of uncooked short grained rice inside. Change it out every couple of months. Uncooked rice is a fantastic dessicant. Just like if you drop your phone in the toilet, put it in a ziplock bag halfway filled with uncooked rice and wait a week. You'd be surprised at the results.
For a confined area like a gun safe it should have no problem keeping up with the humidity. Cheap enough too. (and no, I'm not talking Uncle Bens...)

 

[The Heretic]

Most garages are so full of junk, you'd be hard pressed to see a gun safe let alone get a car in it.

And, you can hide them by putting a fake wooden or metal cabinet around them, or something else to camouflage them.

I remember back in the 70s there was a guy with a Porsche 911 that he had put a Toronado 455 V8 and transaxle into. He hid the mid-mounted engine which intruded into the rear jumper seat, by cutting out and bolting together suitcases to that when you looked in the back, it looked like there was a bunch of luggage there.

Of course, you generally want to make the safe accessible to yourself also and not have so much stuff around it that it takes you half an hour to get to it, but you can be creative.

The advantage of having it inside the house in a closet is that it is even more hidden usually, and you can more easily keep an eye on it.

I have a shop instead of a garage, so lots of room in the shop, but the shop is 100 yards away from the house and much closer to the road, and much less likely to be occupied night and day like the house is. So if I were to put a safe in the shop, I would have to hide it and I would alarm the shop too. Another problem with the shop is that there are all kinds of tools in it, including pry bars. Eventually there will be a cutting torch too.

 

[GuyBMeredith]

One of the "musts" is that the garage has enough space to park the cars and move around. The safe is on the pallet until I get the touch up paint applied and something to make it difficult to put a cable around the safe and haul it off the bolts. (Most of the time one of the cars will be blocking it in.)

I find that just a simple chocolate brown sheet makes it disappear into the shadows. I had thought to build a cabinet around it, but may put that off for a while as long as the draping works. We have several commercial storage cabinets and shelving to help make side access awkward for a hit and run and could put a cabinet face on the safe.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

"Just put a small tub of uncooked short grained rice inside. Change it out every couple of months. Uncooked rice is a fantastic dessicant. Just like if you drop your phone in the toilet, put it in a ziplock bag halfway filled with uncooked rice and wait a week. You'd be surprised at the results."


Especially if you eat the rice.

 

[Lazyfaire]

55 gallon drum of cosmoline. Better than a safe since no one would want to reach into a giant vat of cosmoline goop to see if there are any firearms.
Cosmoline 1116 - Lubricant & Rust Inhibitor

Get a mannequin's arm to float just under the surface!