Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    I'm looking for suggestions to control humidity in a basement gun room.

    Here's the scenario... I have a finished basement fully below grade. I have never had water in the basement but in the peak of summer and after multiple rainy days the humidity level increases noticeably. My house sits on a small hill with good elevation, basement walls are poured and I have abundant gravel in the backfill on the exterior. All of my downspouts are tied into an underground drainage system that releases the water at the bottom of the hill, over 50 foot from the house. Humidity in the common area of the basement is easily controlled with a dehumidifier, oscillating pedestal fan to circulate air, and keeping door on the first floor open for circulation. My gun room is in the corner of the basement behind 2 locked doors. It is approx. 12x15. When the humidity peaks I find an occasional plume of mildew/mold. It only grows on leather slings, canvas, unfinished wood, etc... Once spotted it's easily killed with a quick swipe of a Lysol wipe.

    I've tried a full size dehumidifier but it in increases the heat in the room to an uncomfortable level. Uncomfortable as in hot, 80+ degrees. I'm looking for alternate ideas that will not drastically increase the room temp.

    Some of the ideas I'm considering are below. I'll probably go with a combination of all but wanted to see if anyone here has additional thoughts.

    UV Light Strip - To kill mold UV requires 2 elements, exposure and dwell time. Some spores are killed instantly while others take several days of exposure to the UV light. If I leave the light on whenever I'm not in the room I'll have both of these met. I'd mount it on the ceiling for best coverage of the room.

    Golden Rod - I have one in my safe and know from experience they do make a difference. I keep most of my leather holsters in the safe to avoid any exposure to mildew. Mounting one on the ceiling opposite of the UV light will keep it out of the way.

    Desiccant - I'll get two of the pint or quart size cans so I can rotate them.

    Small Dehumidifier - I had not thought of this until I found them on Amazon while looking for desiccant. I can get a small one that's made for a walk-in closet for around $35. If these are as quiet as claimed I may get others for the rest of the basement.


    Is getting all four of the above overkill? The dehumidifier and desiccant basically do the same thing. I'm often out of town so I thought the desiccant would be a good back up once the dehumidifier fills. For all round control I figured it would be best to have several approaches; kill the spores (UV), create light ambient heat (Goldenrod), remove the water from the air (desiccant and dehumidifier).

    What do you guys think?
    Last edited by MT1; October 1st, 2018 at 01:20 PM.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    I'm running into the same issues.

    My gun room is approx. 8'x8'x8' = 512 cub. ft.

    I bought a small EVA-DRY 1100(1100 cubic feet) They make a bigger one. Mine is very quiet and it does collect water. Had to dump it today,
    *BUT I think I should have gotten the bigger model. My humidity isn't going down much according to my thingy

    *ETA: I have one of the Eva-Dry crystal pacts hanging inside my safe. I have to recharge it weekly because of the humidity.







    Last edited by ExFlyinguy; October 1st, 2018 at 01:38 PM.
    "It seems that the Constitution is more or less guidelines than actual rules"
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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    That looks exactly identical to the one I found on Amazon. It's a different brand but I'm assuming they come out of the same factory in China. I don't know that any single approach will fix the problem. That's why I want to use multiple measures.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    Amazon is where I bought it, and yes there is an identical looking but different brand there as well. I choose the Eva-dry simply I guess because it's the same brand that Liberty sent with the safe when I bought it (referring to the crystal pack)

    *In hindsight I wish I would have gotten the bigger (2200) model

    https://smile.amazon.com/Eva-Dry-Deh...=eva-dry&psc=1
    Last edited by ExFlyinguy; October 1st, 2018 at 01:47 PM.
    "It seems that the Constitution is more or less guidelines than actual rules"
    My feedback: http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=305685

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    I have not had issues in my safe but with all the rain this year our basement was getting a bit of a musty smell.

    Plumbed in a 50 pint dehumidifier and have it set at 50%
    In the safe I have a goldenrod and one of the renewable Eva-Dry like above .. have not had an issue
    Retired US Army
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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    Last week Costco had the small 333 cubic inch Eva-Dry E-333 for $15.99 for a two pack. Don't know if they are still on sale but they were only $18.99 anyway. Good deal. Amazon wants $29.81
    Sticks and stones will break my bones but hollow points expand on impact.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    I have a 6'x10' gun room (closet?) in the basement just as yours, below grade in the corner, I also have the Eva-Dry Petite, Quiet and works wonderful I've been emptying it every 3-4 days this summer. We also have a 35 pint unit for the common area that is also fully finished, it is plumbed outside and set 55-60% it barely shut off this summer, With these two I have no problems, if the Eva dry fills up and I do not go in the room it only takes a few days to start seeing some mold on leather goods

    I also hoard desiccant packs whenever I can from small ones that come with electronics to bigger one that come with equipment shipped in where I work, I write the date on them and throe them everywhere in the safes, desk drawers, storage totes, ammo cans. toss them when they have been around more than a year

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    Quote Originally Posted by ExFlyinguy View Post
    Amazon is where I bought it, and yes there is an identical looking but different brand there as well. I choose the Eva-dry simply I guess because it's the same brand that Liberty sent with the safe when I bought it (referring to the crystal pack)

    *In hindsight I wish I would have gotten the bigger (2200) model

    https://smile.amazon.com/Eva-Dry-Deh...=eva-dry&psc=1
    Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that model. It's a bit bigger than I had hoped but the larger 2 liter tank will allow it to run all week when I'm not home. As you can see space has gotten a bit limited.


    Pano.jpg

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    Confirm room is somewhat air tight, small dehumidifier that drains to a sump pump if you have it. Golden rods in safe if possible.

    Use bath and window 20 minute caulk from Lowe’s, works great to fill in gaps.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Best Defense for Gun Room Humidity?

    Quote Originally Posted by titleiiredneck View Post
    Confirm room is somewhat air tight, small dehumidifier that drains to a sump pump if you have it. Golden rods in safe if possible.

    Use bath and window 20 minute caulk from Lowe’s, works great to fill in gaps.
    From my experience in my last house I have to disagree with you on this approach. An airtight room (or something close to that) is a breeding ground for mold. It also allows a build up of allergens, dust, and other debris. There is a reason home builders don't seal seams such as baseboards to tile floors. You want circulation and allowances for seasonal expansion/shrinkage. Circulation allows fresh air to enter the room, permits the smell of cleaning chemicals to leave the space, and helps reduce humidity. Air in motion helps evaporation vs stagnant air at the same temperature.

    Anytime I enter the room I am introducing moisture. Whether it is natural perspiration, an open water bottle, or a stray drop of rain on my range box water will follow you. In a closed room the water evaporates and hangs in the air. Water + O2 = rust. Granted, the topic of the thread is about the installation of humidity removal devices but I do not want to remove the natural ability of air circulation.

    Circulation is already limited in my gun room due to the style doors I have installed. If you have any doubts on the ability of circulation I'll just share that this is the only room in the entire basement (3 living spaces, 3 closets, 1 bath, and 2 utility rooms) where humidity has an impact. The rest of the rooms are humid but impact is zero through the use of a single fan and open doors.

    There are other negative impacts to sealing the room. I have a number of leather holsters, slings, and gun cases that don't like moist stagnant air. I also have a large amount of primers and powder.

    I already mentioned having a Golden Rod in the safe in the original post.

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