A few days ago, I bought a safe for my gun. I have been using the safe for a few days, but I have some problems with the gun. When I open the safe and take the gen, I always find my gun getting humid. If that happens to you, not to worry. This is a common issue with safes and gun safes and we’ll describe why gun safes get humid, what humidity is all about and what you can do about it.  In a nutshell, high humidity is not good for a safe and its contents but there are easy fixes.

Here’s why gun safes get humid:

• The ambient relative humidity is high in the location where your safe is located.  This could be a basement, garage, or workshop.

• Constant opening and shutting of the gun safe which has a tight seal change the air in the interior of the safe and this change in humid air and temperature can cause condensation within the safe when it is finally shut.

Let me explain this further in greater detail.  Humidity is moisture that’s present in the air and gun safes are designed with an airtight seal that traps humidity inside. This means that any time you open your gun safe, you will release some of the trapped humidity into your home or office. You may also notice condensation on the interior walls of your gun safe when it has been closed for a long period of time due to high relative humidity levels outside.  

Your gun safe is made of steel and is essentially stored in a tightly sealed and closed metal container.  Even though you live in a tropical and hot area, your gun safe can still get humid. Since your gun safe is made from steel and it is tightly closed, no air can get inside the safe until it becomes moist. The temperature inside the safe will get low so the air inside the safe will condense.   

Why should you care? One word, RUST! Most gun-safe owners are concerned about moisture in their guns. A gun is made from steel and the gun can rust if it gets humid continuously. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the gun-safe humidity range?

However, you must make the air inside your safe hot. However, you can control the temperature and determine the best level of gun-safe moisture. The best gun safe humidity range is around 36 degrees Celsius up to 40 degrees Celsius. This is the normal outdoor temperature for the tropics. If the temperature in your safe room is below 30 degrees Celsius, then it will make the air inside your safe moist so that it will make your gun get humid too.

What happens if you let the safe and your gun get humid? 

This is very bad for your gun as your weapon will become damp, especially if you want to keep your gun in the safe for a long time. As a result, mold will grow at dusk. Even worse, your weapon will rust.

So, what is the best solution to control the humidity in your gun safe? There is no option, but you have to buy a dehumidifier product to remove moisture. Fortunately, there are so many dehumidifier products available for sale. For instance, you can buy Eva Dry as the recommended dehumidifier for a gun safe.

What is a good humidity level in a gun safe?

Humidity is a big deal in gun safes. Too much and your guns will rust, too little and the oil may dry out. What's the right gun-safe humidity level? That all depends on where you live: if it's humid in your area, then you'll want to have low humidity (50% or below) inside of your safe; if it's not humid outside, then humidity (65%+) is best for protecting your guns from both rusting and drying out.

Do safes need dehumidifiers?

Dehumidifiers can help provide relief from too much humidity, but they're not always necessary. It's important to have an idea about how much moisture your safe will be exposed to before deciding if you need a dehumidifier, heating rod, silica gel crystals or not. To ensure the longest lifespan for your safety and to adequately protect your valuables inside from rust and absorbs moisture, consider whether you are a candidate for an electric dehumidifier. 

What is a Hygrometer and Why It is Useful for a Gun Safe

A hygrometer in a gun safe can be used to measure the humidity. A hygrometer consists of a wet-bulb thermometer and a dry-bulb thermometer. The two thermometers are mounted on a common base. The wet-bulb measures humidity based on dew point and is sensitive to variations in temperature. The dew point is the temperature at which dew forms. Dew does not form when the dew point is less than 32 degrees F.  The hygrometer readout gives you the dew point which is the humidity expressed as a percentage of the dew point. The dew point tends to fluctuate in small increments while the humidity changes in large increments.

Is Relative Humidity Different From Humidity?

Yes. Relative humidity is the percentage of water in the air compared to how much water can be held by a given volume of air at a particular temperature.  Humidity is the dew point added to the percentage of humidity present at that dew point.  If the dew point and percentage of humidity are at 50 degrees F dew point and 95% dew point, the relative humidity is 100%. If the dew point rises to 60 degrees F dew point and dew point then the relative humidity rises to 70%.  Dew point usually stays constant at a dew point of 60 degrees F dew point.

What is relative humidity?  

Relative humidity is the term used to describe how much moisture is in the air compared with the maximum possible amount of moisture. When it says relative humidity, this means that it does not mean the dew point or the current amount of moisture in the air alone. The dew point is the value that measures how much moisture is in the air, as well as the dew point alone.

To understand dehumidifiers and how they can protect safes, dehumidifiers must first be understood. To dehumidify an object, a dehumidifier removes moisture from the air. Electric dehumidifiers raise the temperature of the air which causes dew points to rise and dehumidify the air. 

Desiccants can also dehumidify the air but they work differently from electric dehumidifiers.  Desiccants dehumidify by absorbing moisture into the dehumidifier. They can dehumidify a confined space or even any other object.

What is a Dehumidifier?

A dehumidifier is a machine that is used to dehumidify the air and remove excess moisture from it. Some safes are dehumidifiers naturally because they are sealed and airtight, which in turn reduces the humid environment. This also prevents any water vapors from entering and affecting the inside of the safe.

See our review of the Best Gun Safe Dehumidifiers and the many types and sizes for every budget.

Conclusion

Why does a gun safe get humid? Certainly, it will get humid because a gun safe is made of steel and is tightly closed. Besides, if you live in a humid area, your safe will get humid easily. All in all, you have to find out the best humidity control for a gun safe or understand the gun safe humidity range. The solution is to buy a dehumidifier product so you can keep your gun protected from rust and mold.