Electric Dehumidifier
Gun Safe Accessories; Dehumidifier Why You Need One!
Gun Safe Accessories; Dehumidifier why you need one!
Youve taken the financial plunge and have finally invested in a gun safe to give you that piece of mind you are looking for but are there options for your safe that your local safe retailer has not told you about ? Or worse yet did you purchase your safe at a box store and had no idea that you need some sort of dehumidification device.
Dehumidification; you can achieve this with an electric dehumidifying rod or a silica gel pack. But why do you need these? Whenever you have an installed box, like a safe, the air inside the box does not circulate. When the air becomes stagnate it settles and the moisture particles that were in the air settle on your paper work, firearms, jewelry, etc etc. This moisture build up causes rust, mold, mildew. How do they work? Electronic dehumidifiers , heat up to the touch and in turn this heat creates a slight circulation of air in the safe, this circulation does not let the moisture particles settle but rather keeps them suspended in the air inside the safe. On the other side of the coin you have Silica Packs, are just that silica, lots of it, think of those little packs of stuff that say do not eat that you get in beef jerky and boxes of shoes. Essentially the silica sucks the moisture up getting rid of the moisture completely.
Which one is right for you? When I purchased my first safe from a local office supply store I was unaware of moisture issues, needless to say my safe ended up rusting so bad that it was a bear to open. However, there are differences in safes fire protection causing differences in moisture released into the safe. Gun Safes, like Liberty, Champion, Fort Knox, use sheetrock as their fire insulation material and have pre-drilled holes for electric dehumidifiers. On the flip side of the coin many of the home fire safes you find at your local retailers use concrete for their insulation. Concrete creates exponentially more moisture then a dry fire lined safe. In addition, most concrete safes are not drilled for running the cord from your electric dehumidifier to an outlet; in this case a silica gel pack will be needed.
Ease of Use: Electric Dehumidifier, they stay plugged in and work 24/7 as opposed to Silica packs which need to be recharged or put in the oven to bake out the moisture when they are saturated.
Cost : Silica Packs tend to be slightly cheaper.
Effectiveness: Electric Dehumidifier, and the only I reason I say this is because most people who have silica packs do not re-charge them when they are saturated, which in turn renders them useless.
Warranty: Electric Dehumidifier, companies like goldenrod offer a lifetime guarantee, whereas silica packs like eva-dry only offer a 5 year warranty.
Overall: Electric Dehumidifier with the win, do yourself a favor and invest in one you will be happy that you did.
November 12th, 2011 at 3:42 am
Dehumidifier ideas: non-electric (natural) dehumidifier ideas?
What are some ways to dehumidify a basement without using an electric dehumidifier? I’d like to cut down on electric charges.
November 12th, 2011 at 6:36 am
Will running a dehumidifier in bathroom give me more heat than electric heater?
when using same amount of power.
November 12th, 2011 at 8:22 am
I am trying to find natural crystals to use as a dehumidifier in my basement. Any suggestions?
The electric dehumidifier that I was using was extremely expensive to run (even with an Energy Efficient Rating). Someone suggested natural crystals but an online search shows some expensive alternatives. Anyone try anything new/different to remove moisture from the air?
November 12th, 2011 at 11:41 am
What is the best household electric fan w/ an ionizer and dehumidifier?
November 12th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
How do you make a home made dehumidifier?
I am wanting to decrease the humidity in my non-electric shop/shed.
Anyone have any ideal on how to make a dehumidifier or at least decrease the humidity in the shop/shed.?
November 12th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
How to fix older dehumidifier, been in storage, won’t turn on. No sign electric getting thru. Goldstar DH30.?
Thanks for any and all answers.
November 13th, 2011 at 12:12 am
can anyone recommend a good way of preventing mildew without using an electric dehumidifier?
have a damp patch in the corner of my flat and want to prevent it growing but don’t want to use an electric system if it can be avoided
November 13th, 2011 at 1:31 am
Best Electronic Fan, in my knowledge “USHA”. But it’s depend upon you, which one you’re choosing.
November 13th, 2011 at 3:59 am
Non electric? There’s only one way I know of. They sell plastic pails of a dehumidifying powder. The powder is in a bag that you hang above the pail, and water drips from it into the pail. The powder is calcium chloride and it gradually disappears because what drips is salty water. Unless your shed is closet sized, this can get costly. But calcium chloride is also sold as ice melter because it’s less harmful to grass than sodium chloride, so it’s much cheaper to buy in large bags used for that. Read the ingredients; it isn’t rock salt. If your shed can be sealed up, that will help. If you can reach underneath it, put a sheet of plastic down as a vapor barrier.
November 13th, 2011 at 5:41 am
The problem with “natural crystals” is renovating or replacing them. Renovating them takes time and replacing them can quickly cost more than running a portable dehumidifier. What you can do is try this. Tape a piece of aluminum foil to the wall with duct tape on all four edges and leave it there for a few days. Then take it off. If there is moisture on the wall side the source of your moisture is water coming through the walls. This can be remedied by a sealer coat and you can buy the material at Home Depot or Lowes. If the moisture is on the basement side of the foil then you need to identify the source within your basement. Chances are though that it is water seeping in through the walls and a seal coat will help out tremendously. By doing this, running a dehumidifier would not be so expensive.
November 13th, 2011 at 6:26 am
If it froze up during the winter then it is ruined.
November 13th, 2011 at 8:42 am
number one guaranteed way to prevent mildew, ventilation, ventilation and ,guess what, more ventilation.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:14 am
What might cause a dehumidifier’s electric plug to overheat?
I know you can change out parts ‘n’ stuff on these things. I don’t want to throw it away if there is an easy fix for it. Thanks.
November 13th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
First off check the terminals inside the plug have all the copper conductor strands in, and are tight (unless it is a molded plug), also that the fuse carrier, if it has one, holds the fuse tightly, all these will cause heat if not correct.
If there is nothing wrong in the plug, then get the wall socket changed, because once the socket contacts have been overheated they do not make a good contact, as they become ductile and not “springy”, this could eventually cause a fire in the feed cables.
November 13th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Sorry folks, the answer is Yes. Assuming the entire machine is contained within the room, the electric power of both devices will ultimately contribute to the heat content of the room air. However, an extra contribution of heating will result from the vapor to liquid phase transition of the dehumidifier if the condense water is allowed to reach the same temperature as the room air before being discarded. This is because condensation is an exothermic process.
November 13th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Should I use an electric clothes dryer as dehumidifier?
Its been cold for too long and humidity is coming in through the walls, its actually dripping in some areas of my small apartment and I have no option, I cant turn heater off. So …
if I manage for the clothes electric dryer to work for a couple hours with the door open… would that take humidity off the air? how much? would it make a difference? The dryer is a Boesh condensation electric dryer. Thanks.
The apartment is only about 500sft and the dryer does have an air outlet.
Walls are made of concrete. Only the areas where its opposite side faces the outsite environment are getting wet of course.
Ok. Well, I assumed this was the kind of dryer that DID remove humidity from the air as opposed to a gas dryer that only heats the air.
I know i have to get a dehumidifier but just wanted a quick fix for the problem.
The temperature has been between 30 and 45F for the last 10 days, and wet, wet , wet, outside, and i live in a humid part of town by the mountain hills where the moisture hits.
November 13th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Do dehumidifiers aid in cutting an electric bill? Does an a/c run as much?
Can a Dehumidifier cut your electric bill?
November 13th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Do you think that a dehumidifier that’s 8 years old would use much more electric to run today…?
…or would it be cheaper to buy
a new one for $200.00. Would the new one justify the extra cost if the used 8 yr one is $35.00? Would I save that much in electric over the years? What do you think?
November 13th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
all you need to do is take it apart and clean out the filters. No need in buying a new one. without cleaning them it will run hotter and use more electricity. to clean the filters just wash them in soap and water and let them dry, and then put them back in. it’s very easy to do. good luck
November 13th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
What I use its this stuff I purchased from my storage facility. It is called Damp Rid. It is a white chunky powder and it rests above a cup and that will absorb moisture and then you just empty the cup every once and a while. Below is a link to their website for more information.
It worked for me, I hope it works for you.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
no. The dryer does heat the air and lower the relative humidity, and then blows the heated air outdoors where it does you no good at all. Meanwhile it is drawing in more damp air from outdoors.
And the dryer does not actually remove any moisture from the air. If you cooled it;s exhaust air, it would still be very humid.
Your best bet is a dehumidifier.
Why can’t you turn the heater off? And why would you want to? What is the outside air like, what is it’s temperature?
.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
What it does is to make warmer temperatures feel better. If, for example, you normally set your AC at 75, you may be able to set it at 80 while running the dehumidifier. This would save energy. Hope this helps.