Getting a secure safe to protect your weapons can be a step in the right direction for any rifleman, marksman, or personal defense owner. Your firearms and ammunition are stored away in an enclosed space where only you know how to access them. But you were left a bit surprised to find out things were not the way you expected them to be. Your assault rifles and shells had started developing rusts and mold. This is in no way the fault of the gunmaker or the material – humidity is the culprit. You need to get it out of the way and keep things regulated right away!
Fortunately, there are dehumidifiers for every purpose. Small, rechargeable, or renewable, a gun safe dehumidifier can come in handy even in the tightest of spaces. And no, they don’t need electricity to work like their traditional garage, attic, or room dehumidifiers. In this review of the best gun safe dehumidifier, we will take a look at what the best models on the market are and put you through the purchase, usage process, and the value of making such an investment. Keep reading!
Contents
Best Gun Safe Dehumidifier
1. Eva-dry E-500 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier – Best Leak/Spill-Free Gun Safe Dehumidifier
Small and renewable, this is a compact dehumidifier designed to dehumidify up to 500 cubic feet of capacity. Designed to make no spills or messes around, the dehumidifier is made of already crystalized non-toxic silica gel. The dehumidifier can remove around 6 to 8 ounce of humidity from its surroundings.
The product is versatile and is designed for long-term use, thanks to its renewability. Asides from being useful in gun safes, the Eva-dry E-500 can also be used in closets, under the sinks, pantries, boat cabins, bathrooms, and cars.
It gets rid of humidity without batteries or a cord. You only need to plug the device into a power strip on the wall and you wouldn’t have humidity problems for the next four weeks. The device needs recharging every four weeks.
It uses a special type of silica absorbing beads that alert you when it’s filled up. When it’s full, the beads will turn green from their normal orange. You only need to hang it in your safe and let it go the rest of the job. We like how maintenance free it is. It doesn’t spill or leak moisture and you only need it recharged once every four weeks. This procedure can be repeated for the next 10 years without the level of efficiency dropping.
The product is environmentally safe and has up to 10 years of life span! What we also like about the dehumidifier is that it is completely silent while operating. Click here to see the best price.
Key Features:
- 500 cubic foot capacity
- 100% cordless
- Crystallized silica gel technology
- Absorbs up to 8oz moisture
- 10-year lifespan
- Doesn’t require batteries
- Easy to recharge and use
- Lightweight and small
- Can last up to 10 years
- Silent and environmentally-friendly
- Requires recharging once a month
2. Hornady Rechargeable Gun Safe Dehumidifier – Best Non-Toxic Dehumidifier
Specifically engineered for gun safes, this Rechargeable Dehumidifier from Hornady Security helps prevent rust, mildew, and humidity in enclosed areas. The dehumidifier also uses crystals that control moisture, alerting with a color change when it needs recharging. The product can be plugged into any 110 voltage electrical outlet for seamless recharging.
Small, lightweight, and compactly built, the dehumidifier measures 1.5″ x 4″ x 6″ in dimensions and can be easily tucked in your gun safe or backpack, or gun storage space.
This one can eliminate humidity in more than 330 cubic feet of space. You can use it to safeguard your firearms from mildew and mold in the outdoors. This model also doesn’t require electricity or using batteries.
Non-toxic, the dehumidifier doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. So it is safe for use in the home, especially around pets and children.
You only need to plug it on to dry out the crystals and renew its effectiveness by recharging it. Its quick-connect bracket ensures mounting in your pantries, closets, and gun safes are easy.
This solution is made by Hornady Security, an industry-leading innovator, and manufacturer of ammunition, bullets, and accessories. A couple of users on Amazon complain of its charging complications, but there are also a higher number of users who are satisfied with it. Some even express how they’ve been using it for more than a year. But, overall, we think it could be a bit less expensive than the Eva-dry E-500 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier. Click here to see the best price.
Key Features:
- Color shifting signals
- Up to 333 cubic foot capacity
- Cordless and doesn’t require batteries
- No chemicals
- Quick-connect bracket
- Protects from humidity, mildew, and mold
- Non-toxic
- Doesn’t use batteries or electricity
- Signals when recharging is necessary
- Safe around kids and pets
- Takes a long time to recharge
3. PEET Dryer and Dehumidifier – Best Dryer/Dehumidifier
The PEET dryer is made for drying out weapons and accessories while out in the field, for military use, or while home. It comes in three sections and they all simply plug into each other.
The device has a 110 to 120-volt plug that you put into the wall and it starts to dry almost immediately. You can simply insert your pack and it will do the rest of the job. The instructions said they would take anywhere from two two-and-a-half to three hours for humidity removal. However, users started seeing results in less than one and a half hours, which is very good.
It’s a lot faster and you don’t have to worry about mold, mildew, and anything like that. When it is turned on, you will know it’s working but you’re not going to hear it work. It’s very quiet, but a little blue LED light will be on, showing it is on and active. You can see the hydration pack mounts right over the top of the area where it all dries up your weapons, easy and simple.
Drying out your weapon pack works very well in this tool. It can take as little as one and a half hours but it might take a little bit longer for yours depending on the size and how wet it was.
In making this PEET device, the manufacturer makes use of the same technology used in drying gear and footwear. Gun damages due to little issues like humidity should now become history by choosing to buy this product. Click here to see the best price.
Key Features
- Comes with installation instructions
- 5 years warranty
- 300 cubic feet of space capacity
- 13 watts power consumption
- Dries out weapons in less than two hours
- For rust prevention, moisture removal
- Easy to use
- For up to 300 cubic feet of space
- Not as portable as other models
- A/C plug could be better designed
4. Lockdown Silica Gel Gun Safe Dehumidifier – Best Model with a Hygrometer
The Lockdown dehumidifier is a mesh can that is filled with silica beads that come with them in a packet. They’re orange. You just have to stick the pack in your safe and when the beads turn green, it absorbs the surrounding humidity and is full of moisture.
The silica gel is 100% rechargeable. We like this product just for the reusability. Unlike with other models, you wouldn’t have to constantly keep buying the little moisture-absorbing packets to keep in your safe. Just because you know we have a lot of money invested in our firearms and we don’t want to lose them because of something like moisture doesn’t have to mean spending regularly on dehumidification. This dehumidifier saves you money and time.
However, the problem is you see all the water absorbed and needs to be tossed out or you’ll have nasty or messy water around. Not much is said about how many uses you can get out of it but we’ve read from many users how it lasts for a long time. Nonetheless, for its price, it comes valuable and handy.
This model doesn’t in any way use batteries or electricity. However, it is very much renewable. You only need to keep it dry back after moisture absorption. To recharge it, you only need to put it in the oven.
It comes in three different purchase options. You can buy the 40-gram pack, which is perfect for small handgun vaults. There’s the 450-gram pack that can work for a space of 33 cubic feet. The 750 gram can dehumidify a space of around 57 cubic feet. You can also choose to add a hygrometer in your purchase, to keep better track of humidity level in your gun case or safe. Click here to see the best price.
Key Features:
- Option of hygrometer
- Three silica gel pack sizes
- Rechargeable in oven
- Reliable and convenient to use
- Doesn’t use electricity
- Easy to recharge
- Helps with humidity reading
- Not poisonous/safe around food
- Bead recharging takes time
5. LOCKDOWN GoldenRod Dehumidifier Rod – Best Long Rod Dehumidifier
The LOCKDOWN GoldenRod Dehumidifier Rod is familiar to many already as it’s been around for decades. They are designed to reduce the humidity inside an enclosed container by raising the temperature of the air. Inside is a heating element. You plug it in place, let it go and that’s all you need to do. But what you will find surprising is how fast it works. For example, you can lock a moist camera or firearm inside, making it face the hygrometer. Monitoring the humidity in your safe is easy with the included hygrometer.
Short excursions into your safe might not even register on the hygrometer. One thing we noticed is that the relative humidity bounced around a bit probably as a result of the macro currents created by the Golden Rod, sorting themselves out in less than 12 hours total. Your safe should drop a full nine percent where it levels off and eventually stop at 50% humidity.
You can choose the 18-inch version, which you can get down to 12 inches and all the way up to 36 inches. But many users comment on how the 12-inch version keeps the humidity down and as safe as others.
There’s however not that much of a price difference between them. We’re only talking about the difference in wattage. It’s about a watt per inch. So, with the 18-inch model, about 18 watts of power is being drawn at all times. The 24 and 36-inch versions fit well in the safe. There really isn’t an installation process. You just plug it in. Click here to see the best price.
Key Features:
- Available in four sizes
- Protects up to 100 cubic feet
- Mounting brackets
- Lifetime warranty
- Reliable and versatile
- Easy to use
- Effectively prevents dust buildup
- Includes mounting brackets
- Expensive
Buyer’s Guide
A gun safe dehumidifier is a device whose purpose is to reduce the humidity on or around your weapons in their case or safe. These dehumidifiers are not only meant for the protection of firearms. They are also used to treat excess humidity in the sinks, bathrooms, and other moist places. They help prevent water damage and the growth of dangerous molds. However, they come in different sizes as well as different capacities and finding the device that best meets individual needs can take some time. Before purchasing a gun safe dehumidifier, you should assess the size as well as the humidity of the room. The ideal humidity level should be between 45 and 60%, this is, therefore, desirable but it should not exceed a certain threshold.
What Damage Can Too Much Humidity Do?
Knowing how much they cost to get, too much humidity lingering around your firearms can quickly cause rust buildup.
Like the garage and the cellar, a gun safe is a place subject to humidity. This is often due to poor ventilation. It is therefore important to check it regularly with a dehumidifier to avoid damage caused by humidity to all the equipment and all the things you store there.
As soon as you notice mold or any other sign of dampness, the first thing to do is look for the causes. This can be poor ventilation of the storage system, capillary rise, leaks from manifolds, etc. Then make the necessary repairs based on the source of the problem and install a suitable dehumidifier.
Also make sure you have good ventilation in your enclosure, including creating drafts naturally and installing mechanical ventilation, commonly used to combat humidity.
Advantages of a Gun Safe Dehumidifier
Gun safe dehumidifiers are multifunctional and very useful. Some of the biggest benefits of using a gun safe dehumidifier are as follows:
- They help remove hydration: Safes are prone to hydration and a dehumidifier can help curb this, to prevent hydration and oxidization.
- They help get mold and mildew away: Take for example you’re out in the field or camp, you’re forever under the mercy of the elements. Mold and moist settle on your firearms and a dehumidifier can help ward them off, keeping the weapons in dry condition.
- Other versatile uses: They are also useful at home, in closets, under the sinks, pantries, boat cabins, bathrooms, and cars. So, you can put these devices out to the test in other fields of use, a bit different from their purpose.
- They are inexpensive: The most expensive gun safe dehumidifiers generally cost less than $50. You can find a model for an under $20 price range. Compare that to the cost of purchasing a gun $300 to $5,000, it’s a worthwhile investment.
- Easy to maintain: Most gun safe dehumidifiers don’t require rigorous tending to or maintenance. Some only need recharging or renewal once a month. Some are spill-free and leave no mess.
Types of Gun Vault Dehumidifiers
There are different types of gun vault dehumidifiers. To help you make the choice that suits your needs and will solve your problem, we are going to take a look at the different devices.
Chemical dehumidifiers
If you favor the cheapest and smaller dehumidifiers, then you will turn to chemical dehumidifiers. However, they are often the poorest performers. To better understand how they work, chemical dehumidifiers work with tablets or mineral salts, which collect moisture and condense it into liquid. This type of device is ideal for a closed and relatively small space, such as a closet or a small space that is difficult to ventilate. However, if you want to dehumidify a large room, the chemical dehumidifier will not really be a solution.
The undoubted advantage of this type of dehumidifier is its price. They are very quiet and do not consume electricity. However, their effectiveness remains to be proven.
Advantages:
- Good price
- Silent
- No power consumption
- Easy to install
- Maybe rechargeable
Disadvantages:
- Very limited power
- Cartridges must be changed
- Irritating product, keep out of reach of children and animals
Electric dehumidifiers
These are surely the most suitable dehumidifiers to solve humidity problems in gun safes. These are often the most expensive. Their effectiveness is proven to dry the air and repair surfaces damaged by humidity. It is possible to find all sizes and different wattages, depending on the space to be dehumidified or the extent of your humidity problems. This type of device will allow you to have a cleaner and moist-free space. They are also rather quiet. If some models are unattractive and quite bulky, it is possible to find portable ones that look like the size of a smartphone.
The great strength of this type of dehumidifier is its power and efficiency. It can extract several ounces of water per day, making them ideal for surfaces around 300 to 700 cubic feet, solving the big problems of humidity and mold.
Advantages:
- Powerful and effective
- The result comes in quick
Disadvantages:
- Consumes electricity
- May lead to high sound volume depending on models
- Prices can be expensive
FAQs
Do gun safe dehumidifiers work?
Although this answer is relative to the type of model you buy, gun safe dehumidifiers are really effective for their purpose of design. You have to take the space and the engineering design into account for them to work for you. For example, by using a model such as the LOCKDOWN GoldenRod Dehumidifier Rod, which has 100 cubic feet capacity, in a 500 cubic feet space, which the Eva Dry 500 can handle, you may not find efficiency.
First, the dehumidifier absorbs moisture from the space where it is located. The retained humid air is filtered by the dehumidifier, which helps to purify it and remove impurities.
Do gun safes need dehumidifiers?
Gun safes need dehumidifiers because of several reasons. First, high humidity levels can bring mold onto the surface of your firearms. This can bring the right condition for corrosion and rust. So, a small dehumidifier is enough to avoid the onset of mold, humidity, and rust.
How long do gun safe dehumidifiers last?
It depends on the type you choose. A desiccant dehumidifier can keep working for 1 to 9 months before they need to be renewed. Most of these dehumidifiers only need occasional renewals or recharging and the process can be repeated for up to 10 years.
Is it safe to leave the dehumidifier on all the time?
Yes, it is. Gun safe dehumidifiers, unlike the garage and living room dehumidifiers, are small devices and wouldn’t tell a huge difference in material safety or your light bill, even if they consume electricity. Mini dehumidifiers can be left in the safe permanently without increasing the humidity above the necessary levels. They are designed for constant mold removal and are not powerful enough to go overboard in the situation of long-term use.
What is the ideal humidity for gun storage?
According to many experts, the goal is to keep your guns between 45 and 55 percent relative humidity. Having anything higher than that increases your weapon’s chance of rusting. Lower than that, it can dry out wooden stocks and grip panels. After leaving the safe open for a whole day, the starting humidity is 60%; comfortable for a person but too high for your guns. What may surprise you is that it only takes about three and a half hours to scrub 5% off that figure and achieve your goal range with the Golden Rod. That means that even if you open your safe a few times a day, a Golden Rod, for example, can keep up as long as the starting humidity doesn’t climb above 60%.
Conclusion
A gun safe dehumidifier is a real and cost-effective solution to humidity problems in your gun safes. There are different types to choose from (electric or desiccant) and sizes to choose from (100 to 700 cubic feet). By choosing from one of the best gun safe dehumidifiers, your firearms can be free from mold, mildew, humidity, and rust problems while out in the field or kept at home.