How effective is a bag of rice as a safe dehumidifier? How often would it need changed out? Thanks in advance for your input.
Depends on the size of the safe. The desiccant bags are pretty cheap though and have a general set of guidelines. Also you can buy a set and then just toss them in the oven with packaging removed and dry it back out to reuse. Just get an old peanut butter jar and cut most of the lid top out and then cover the top with screen and screw the lid ring on. A mason jar would work better but most people don't have a huge need for the little mason jars. https://www.freshpreserving.com/ker...ids-and-bands-12-count-1033987VM.html#start=5 Using some of those in either case would work pretty well with some screen and the lid removed.
Personally if I was trying to dry out something small I would put it in a plastic bag full of rice but for the safe I just stick with the desiccant bags.
Personally if I was trying to dry out something small I would put it in a plastic bag full of rice but for the safe I just stick with the desiccant bags.
I’ve been using desiccant bags and a can of it, but the indicator rings are changing to pink almost weekly, and I’m having to put them in the oven almost every week. I was just hoping that rice would last longer with no maintenance. I haven’t had any rust problem yet but I’m scared I will.
Ya might try putting a cloth bag of rice in a bowl (to avoid leaving dust), along with a fresh indicator ring to see how long it lasts.
FWIW, you can also dry out rice in the oven.
i use Canon desiccant cans i bought from tractor supply, good large Remington plastic boxes with added storm door insulation strip and they stay blue for months, depending how often i get into a container. put them in the oven for 3 hours at 225 and they are good to go. 20 bucks a pop but they do their job better than a dedicated plug into the wall unit. there is a company in colorado that sells the desiccant by the pound, can't remember the name...but they build and sell humidor sized containers or sell by the pound build your own
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I use a Golden Rod in my Gun safe but for other needs to keep items at low humidity I use bagged desiccant.
You can buy desiccant from Hobby Lobby (used for drying flowers) for cheap. It comes with blue indicating crystals to let you know when to regenerate - the blue crystals turn white when time to regenerate.
I fill muslin bags with this desiccant and use it for my ammo storage in ammo cans. Every 6 months or so the desiccant needs to be regenerated by baking in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour or two - the indicating crystals turn back to blue.
You can buy desiccant from Hobby Lobby (used for drying flowers) for cheap. It comes with blue indicating crystals to let you know when to regenerate - the blue crystals turn white when time to regenerate.
I fill muslin bags with this desiccant and use it for my ammo storage in ammo cans. Every 6 months or so the desiccant needs to be regenerated by baking in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour or two - the indicating crystals turn back to blue.
you could get a gauge and test humidity
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/14278-zilla-analog-temperature-and-humidity-gauge.
I have one on the desk the humidity in the house now is 58%
I suppose I could check up stairs in a gun cabinet.. I do not have any humidity remover in my safe.
I have never had rust issues either. But it is in a closet in a home with central heat and air.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/14278-zilla-analog-temperature-and-humidity-gauge.
I have one on the desk the humidity in the house now is 58%
I suppose I could check up stairs in a gun cabinet.. I do not have any humidity remover in my safe.
I have never had rust issues either. But it is in a closet in a home with central heat and air.
Might need to look at where the safe is located, conditions, internal safe materials, etc. You may need a room or whole house humidifier. I second the golden rod as a not very expensive option to help pull out humidity. Keep in mind, keeping the windows closed and running the air conditioner will help pull humidity out as well.
My safe is in my bedroom, but it’s an old house with window units and space heaters.
Space heaters will dry the air so you are good there and window units do pull a lot of humidity out also.
Our winter times are pretty dry and walking on carpet creates static that you can use to shock yourself with.
I feel if you have good oil on the guns they should not rust.
Some people have acidic skin and meds will make it worse.
Wipe down the firearms after use.
Do you think your gun oil is up to the task or not.
Easy enough to find out.
Take a piece of flat steel and sand it shiny and apply your favorite gun oil and set it outside so it can get rained on and see if it gets rusty fast.
Try different oils on other pieces and see what happens.
Our winter times are pretty dry and walking on carpet creates static that you can use to shock yourself with.
I feel if you have good oil on the guns they should not rust.
Some people have acidic skin and meds will make it worse.
Wipe down the firearms after use.
Do you think your gun oil is up to the task or not.
Easy enough to find out.
Take a piece of flat steel and sand it shiny and apply your favorite gun oil and set it outside so it can get rained on and see if it gets rusty fast.
Try different oils on other pieces and see what happens.
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