Putting a gun safe in the garage???

[pacmanfan1977]

Hey all-
I was talking to someone about placing a large gun safe in their garage. The garage is not climate controlled, but is attached to the house. Would the temperature and humidity damage the guns?? Any suggestions on this?
Thanks!
Mark

[rwilson452]

Yes, the humidity can damage your guns. Install a dehumidifier in the safe and you should be OK.

If you install the safe against the wall adjoining the house it would help. I would also suggest you anchor it to the floor and wall.

Hey all-
I was talking to someone about placing a large gun safe in their garage. The garage is not climate controlled, but is attached to the house. Would the temperature and humidity damage the guns?? Any suggestions on this?
Thanks!
Mark

[electronics]

In addition to rwilson452's advice, I'd suggest keeping any tools strong enough to actually break into the safe in a basement or other location that isn't in the garage with the safe. On a safe buyer's guide I read it said that most residential safes are broken into with tools handy to the safe itself.

Excellent safe buying guide

[bogey1]

if i had a garage, i would put it "in" the floor.
concrete walls/floor, steel door. park your car over it

[Yoder]

The Golden Rod works great for preventing rust. My safe is in my basement and it's really damp, no problems since I bought a Golden Rod dehumidifier.

[kcr121]

The humidity inside the safe is an issue, but it can be controlled.

Another issue to consider when placing a safe in a garage is security - can it be seen by the neighbors and all of their buddies from the road when you're out working in the garage? If word gets around that you have a big ass safe, someone might begin to think that you have something worth stealing. Also, as another poster mentioned, gun safes are often broken into with the homeowner's own tools. Having those diamond saw blades, sledgehammers, and crowbars right next to the safe might not be such a good idea.

[YBNORMAL]

I have my safe in the garage, I used to check on the guns just about daily to see if I was going to have moisture problems. I did, so at this point I have a few of the dessicant boxes inside, and I also took all the guns out and sealed up any holes that were drilled into the safe. I also went to HD and got some self adhesive weatherstriping and sealed up the doorway. Before sealing up the safe, I had to bake (recharge) the desicant boxed about once a month. After sealing, they have been on the same charge now for about 3 months with no sign on needing charged anytime soon.

I know about the plug in rods, but for some reason I am leary about having something electrical plugged in and generating heat im my safe all the time. (I should just get over it I know). After sealing up the safe, I think the desicant is going to do the job without too much upkeep so I will just keep going that route.

[electronics]

I have my safe in the garage, I used to check on the guns just about daily to see if I was going to have moisture problems. I did, so at this point I have a few of the dessicant boxes inside, and I also took all the guns out and sealed up any holes that were drilled into the safe. I also went to HD and got some self adhesive weatherstriping and sealed up the doorway. Before sealing up the safe, I had to bake (recharge) the desicant boxed about once a month. After sealing, they have been on the same charge now for about 3 months with no sign on needing charged anytime soon.

I know about the plug in rods, but for some reason I am leary about having something electrical plugged in and generating heat im my safe all the time. (I should just get over it I know). After sealing up the safe, I think the desicant is going to do the job without too much upkeep so I will just keep going that route.

There's something to be said for passive desiccants. They aren't affected by extended power outages, accidentally plugging it into a switched outlet, and probably a few other things I am probably missing. The best solution might be a combination of the two. Desiccants and dehumidifiers are cheap, rusty guns ruin your day!

[thebearpack]

You could also consider storing the guns inside silicone-impregnated socks while in the safe. Just as an added precaution in addition to the dehumidifiers and desiccant. Humidity can be controlled.

Like others have said though, I'd be more concerned about security in the garage. You've seen that video where guys break into a garage in 6 seconds using a wire hook? Maybe consider an added lock on the garage door itself.

Or try camouflage. A cardboard box from a refrigerator with the back side cut off could slide right in front of a safe and be easy to pull off and on for access. Instead of everyone looking into the garage, seeing a safe and wondering what's inside, a casual observer would see a fridge box among the other garage clutter. I'm a big fan of stealth safe placement.