Gun Safe Dehumidifiers
There are a few ways to control the moisture that often becomes trapped in a closed safe. You can invest in an electric dehumidifier, renewable dehumidifier, or silica packets which often come in a box that you can place in your safe.
Electric Dehumidifiers
An electric dehumidifier works 24/7 to help circulate the air inside of your safe so that moisture does not settle and damage the items inside of your safe. Electric dehumidifiers come in variety of different sizes and are often sold in the form of an electric rod.
The different sizes of electric dehumidifiers correlate with the different sizes of safes they can accommodate. For instance, a 12" electric dehumidifier may work for safes up to 100 cubic feet and it may not be effective at removing moisture for safes any bigger than that size.
In addition, some electric humidifiers need to be located in a certain position to work correctly, oftentimes they need to be laid horizontally at the bottom of a safe, so you should do your own research as to which electric dehumidifier would work with the size and organization of your safe.
When deciding on which type of dehumidifier to buy, you should take care to investigate what type of safe you own or are planning on buying. Larger safes may have pre-drilled holes that allow you to pass the cord of an electric dehumidifier through. some safes do not come with pre-drilled holes, and to drill your own would require the proper equipment and expertise. In that case it would be wise to purchase a rechargeable dehumidifier or silica packets instead.
No Damp Dehumidifier
No Damp dehumidifiers are often used for larger spaces, such as an RV, cabin or interior of a boat. These types of dehumidifiers consist of high absorbent pellets in a specialized container. They are relatively cheap and work well in gun safes because they are designed for much larger spaces.
Renewable Dehumidifiers
Renewable dehumidifiers do not require an electric cord and an outlet because they do not run on electricity. They work to absorb the moisture in the interior of your safe and over time they need to be renewed or recharged. Often a renewable dehumidifier will have a color coded indicator to let you know when you need to recharge it. Similar to electric dehumidifiers, you should figure out how much cubic feet the dehumidifier can accommodate.
Silica Packets
Silica packets work by absorbing moisture in the air. Over time silica packets become oversaturated because they are constantly absorbing moisture, so they will need to be recharged so that they can continue working. Silica packets are a lot cheaper than getting an electric humidifier, but they do require upkeep and recharging every now and then versus an electric dehumidifier that you can plug in and forget. You may also consider putting a silica packet in each handgun drawer, ammunition can, and any other smaller sealed off section of your gun safe that may be prone to rust or corrosion because of moisture in the air.
If you are concerned about moisture build up in your smaller safes, even with silica packets, especially if they become over saturated and not recharged in time, then you should consider placing the items that may become damaged because of excess moisture into airtight containers prior to being placed in the safe.
If you live in a very humid environment or if your safe is located in a very humid space in your house, then you might consider getting a couple of different dehumidifiers to combat humidity inside of your safe. If you invest in a dehumidifier, then you might also consider getting silica packets as a type of back up. Some safe owners have placed an electric dehumidifier and a rechargeable dehumidifier inside their larger safes for extra protection.