BRP

Henry Mero said
 There are lots of anti - humidity products out there like Damp-Rid , Bamboo packs ,etc., but why on earth would Youwant to keep Your guns in the garage.
  

The safe in the basement could flood, that’s why I’ve explored the garage idea.  Flooding from within and not from outside.  Even a pinhole leak from PEX tubing left unchecked could be disastrous.  They HAVE happened before but I have caught them in time.

Blue Ridge Parson said

mrcvs said
Does anyone know for sure the implications of keeping a safe in an unheated garage and storing firearms there?
I can’t get a definitive answer, but as long as a warm firearm is not placed in a cold safe and condensation develops, is there still concerns?  Obviously, a closed safe is going to warm and cool at a slower rate than does the unheated garage and this also would not be as extreme as the outdoors.
  

Once, I went quail hunting with a friend in Virginia. As arranged, I stopped to pick him up at his house.  He went out to the garage and opened up his gun safe— and took out a (once) beautiful over and under shotgun that was a rusty mess from end to end.  By my friend’s telling, it had been in there about six months.  Apparently no one had ever told him that putting the safe out there would expose guns to temperature swings guaranteed to have the humidity condense on the guns.
 
BRP
  

Well, there’s the answer!  What I suspected, but not what was hoped for.

mrcvs said
Does anyone know for sure the implications of keeping a safe in an unheated garage and storing firearms there?
I can’t get a definitive answer, but as long as a warm firearm is not placed in a cold safe and condensation develops, is there still concerns?  Obviously, a closed safe is going to warm and cool at a slower rate than does the unheated garage and this also would not be as extreme as the outdoors.
  

Once, I went quail hunting with a friend in Virginia. As arranged, I stopped to pick him up at his house.  He went out to the garage and opened up his gun safe— and took out a (once) beautiful over and under shotgun that was a rusty mess from end to end.  By my friend’s telling, it had been in there about six months.  Apparently no one had ever told him that putting the safe out there would expose guns to temperature swings guaranteed to have the humidity condense on the guns.

BRP

Rat Rod Mac said
Go to the drug store and ask for a box of Camphor cakes. They come in a box of twelve I think. They are small cakes around 2 inch square by 1/2 inch thick wrapped in cellophane. Cut the corner of the cellophane and set it in your gun case. Don't be bashful, they're cheap, a box of 12 about $4.00. I have used them in my machinist tool box for years and along with my guns, powder and even in my book cabinet. Have yet to lose anything to rust, and they smell good too.   RRM
  

Camphor oil has a lot of neat uses...I used to put that stuff on the leather pads of a saxophone to preserve them and keep bugs away from eating them!

I just did a little test using an Entech Moisture/Humidity Meter our consultants use.

: Current temp outdoors is 73.8 degrees with relative humidity at 66.9% (its raining outside).

: Current temp inside non-climate-controlled garage is 73.2 degrees with relative humidity of 60.9%.  Moisture content reading from gypsum board wall (drywall) is 7.5% used as a control baseline.  

: Current temp inside my safe is 72.7 degrees with relative humidity of 55.6%.  Moisture content in the gypsum board partition and safe door is 3.4%.  A moisture reading at 12% or less would be considered dry, lower than 6-8% would be considered "bone-dry".  

Likely, a lot depends also on the type of safe you have, simple unlined steel safe, steel safe lined with gypsum board, or vault constructed of varying construction types (steel, concrete, etc.).  The internal climate will likely vary across all of them subject to the same conditions and depending on how the safe/vault doors are sealed. 

Just my take.  

CH

  Sweating concrete and changing temperatures are the enemy so maybe using a hard wax would help. I would look at my guns monthly. Where you live makes a big difference, Wyoming good, Florida bad. T/R

Mike

I use a temp/humidity monitor from Amazon in my indoor safe, hovers between 45-55% depending on seasons (drier in winter). You'd need that condensation control for sure (like an oversized Goldenrod or similar) and a stricter regiment of wiping them down. At the least, keep your "lesser" pieces out there or start with a single one and check them often until you gain confidence. If you do it, let us know how it worked out!!!

EDIT: Forgot to add, if you're going to bolt down to bare concrete, don't forget to put down a good paint on or other type vapor barrier to stop moisture from wicking up through the floor and bolt holes and rotting the bottom (or your guns).

I can’t get a definitive answer, but as long as a warm firearm is not placed in a cold safe and condensation develops, is there still concerns?  Obviously, a closed safe is going to warm and cool at a slower rate than does the unheated garage and this also would not be as extreme as the outdoors.

Bert H. said
Pat,
50% humidity is optimum... no need for a humidifier.
Bert
  

Thanks

50% humidity is optimum... no need for a humidifier.

Bert