Does anyone keep there gun cabinets or safes in their garage? is there enough humidity in NJ's air to damage your guns? The room that i keep mine in is a spare bedroom that was not being used because my boys were sharing a room but now the older one needs his own space so dad needs to buy a bigger house lol. in the meantime the guns need a new place to rest so i was thinking of moving them into the garage.

I Wouldn't suggest it. Avoid it if at all possible. While they won't rust overnight, i'd imagine the level of humidity in the air on some day's is more than enough to cause surface rust, even to your safe. If possible, maybe you can put it in your basement (if you have one) and put a good dehumidifier down there?

I would personally even avoid basements, as even those tend to be fairly humid if not properly sealed, but if yours is good you could put it down there with a dehumidifier and just stay on top of keeping it empty.
Garage would be a 100% No-go for me, though. The changing temps and the humidity would also affect the life span of your ammunition, i would think, as well. If there was a way to seal the safe and put a dehumidifier in there i'd consider it, but then your safe is still going to take the hit.
Most day's aren't bad, but some mornings, at least here in East Brunswick and Woodbridge, its disgustingly humid.

 

This of course all changes if you have a fancy climate controlled garage, but i'm assuming you, like most, don't.

If you are putting it in a garage (not recommended though) then put two dehumidifier electric rods in it. They depend on an air flow from the outside so you wouldn't want to seal it. It is definitely not optimal.

 

If you have a big enough closet try that for the safe.

 

Another idea might be to get two smaller safes that would fit somewhere in the house.

An unheated, unsecured garage in NJ is asking alot. Can be done, but it will cost on setup and then monthly for climate control.  Guns with wood stocks are best stored above freezing and at 50% relative humidity.  I would do a little creative thinking and find that corner or two withing the heated house,

Just remember that before the 1950's there were guns and I don't think there was air conditioning.

Throw a crap load of desiccant packs in there and you should be fine

 

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I have a pretty normal attached garage and it always seems to have a temp that is roughly the average of the day and night temp. I've never walked in there and saw my breath or felt hot. If that is your only solution, it's probably a good idea to add some form of dehumidifier to the safe just to be sure. People do it all the time. I would actually be more concerned how easily it could be seen and stolen from the garage.

A goldenrod or 2 in the safe and you should be fine.

 

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Thanks for all the feedback guys.

I have had my safe in the garage for at least 10 years and have had no issues at all.

On Andrew Wilkow he is always advertising "Ever Dry" or Eva Dry (sp?) in his gun safe - maybe try that if putting in a cabinet/safe in the garage?

 

My basement is dry as a bone (rare I know) and I store my ammo down there - I throw in a couple 10g dessicant packs in each Plano Ammo box, and my guns/rifles/shotun are kept in cases strategically throughout the house and they also have a couple desiccant packs in each of their cases as well.

 

Thats my storage regimen.

Desiccants must be recharged to work effectively.  Leave them out to open air and they must be recharged.  Some come self contained with plug in options for recharge.  Still a PITA cause you have to remember to recharge them when they get pink.  Heaters in safes, aka golden rods, are the best option as moisture goes to the coldest spot.  These heaters help to "keep moisture away" by maintaining a temperature just slightly higher than the surrounding air.

 

So keep you desiccant packs sealed up after cooking till you are ready to use them.  Personally for long term storage I like vacuum sealing better, water proofs also

How many people have safes in their basements?  Aren't they normally humid.  I've had mine in my garage for years, it is a heated garage and I keep dehumidifiers in the their, but the humidity never really goes up in my garage.  I have a humidity monitor and it's never high.  

 

It is secured to the garage with bolts but I have no climate issues.

The garage is fine. If you use the Eva-dry plug in rechargable units they keep the humidity controlled. If they happen to turn pick then plug them into a wall outlet for 24 hours and they are recharged. Couldnt be easier. If you are worried about too much humidity in that 24 hour period then toss in an open bottle of dessicant granules to give you peace of mind.

 

A simple way of telling if you are getting too much humidity is to put a dry clean razorblade in your safe. If it starts getting surface rust on it then its getting too humid.

I would rather have it in a garage than basement, most basements are cool which raises the relative humidity.

 

Humidity travels from wet to dry, not warm to cold. The goldenrod works by raising the air temperature in a safe thereby lowering the RELATIVE humidity.

I would rather have it in a garage than basement, most basements are cool which raises the relative humidity.

 

Humidity travels from wet to dry, not warm to cold. The goldenrod works by raising the air temperature in a safe thereby lowering the RELATIVE humidity.

Fascinating. So which is heavier, wet air or dry air?

Fascinating. So which is heavier, wet air or dry air?

Dry air

 

Water vapor molecules are lighter than oxygen and nitrogen molecules.

i don't think humidity would be much of an issue. i run a dehumidifier in mine and it rarely creeps above 53-55%. temps should be ok too. the big issue for me is the security/stability of the garage door. i envision thieves smashing a pickup into it and just making off with the whole safe. i asked a few years ago about fortified garage doors and basically the conclusion was that nothing existed

Dry air

 

Water vapor molecules are lighter than oxygen and nitrogen molecules.

I like the cut of your jib

i don't think humidity would be much of an issue. i run a dehumidifier in mine and it rarely creeps above 53-55%. temps should be ok too. the big issue for me is the security/stability of the garage door. i envision thieves smashing a pickup into it and just making off with the whole safe. i asked a few years ago about fortified garage doors and basically the conclusion was that nothing existed

If you have the know how/knowledge, you can wend up additional bracing for the door and track system. You wont be able to make it strong enough to withstand a cars impact, though. The design is just too prone to that, the tracks in any system i have seen would come right out of the wall. You can certainly make it harder, though. Just make sure you have a powerful enough motor.

I have had a safe in the basement with a dehumidifier set to 50% and a Stack On plug in dehumidifier inside. No noticeable issues. I'd recharge the dehumidifier once a week by plugging it in overnight.

If you have the know how/knowledge, you can wend up additional bracing for the door and track system. You wont be able to make it strong enough to withstand a cars impact, though. The design is just too prone to that, the tracks in any system i have seen would come right out of the wall. You can certainly make it harder, though. Just make sure you have a powerful enough motor.

I could get through the wall of the average house faster and quieter than an overhead garage door.

 

Most of the break ins in my town the last few months have been rocks through the rear glass sliding door. Much easier than going in through a garage door

I could get through the wall of the average house faster and quieter than an overhead garage door.

 

Most of the break ins in my town the last few months have been rocks through the rear glass sliding door. Much easier than going in through a garage door

Do alarm companies wire up garage windows? I'm pretty sure they don't do garage doors.

Do alarm companies wire up garage windows? I'm pretty sure they don't do garage doors.

Motion detector would cover it