When do I get concerned about rust/moisture in the basement?

[Barms 98]

Never really thought about it..   and i wouldnt say i have an above average mildew situation in the basement..  none of my tools have ever seemed to collect rust in my basement..   So when should i be concerned about my firearms down there?

 

No, I do not keep them stored in a safe.. they are securely locked though.   (please no thread drift to Vault storage issues.. please)

 

Is firearms metals any more susceptible to rusting than a pair of pliers?   (duh, obviously with my life on the line i'd want a better barometer than the pliers.. ha ha..)

 

So please give me your insight on looking out for moisture concerns.   Its a finished basement, I don't run a de-humidifier, its definitely not needed..  I guess I would like insight specifically to firearms storage and humiditiy issues.    Do those basilica bags (spelling?) things really work if i put them in the cabinet?

 

[Tack Tickle 0]

You do not want any moisture around your firearms, period!!! I would get them out of there personally, or get one of the water tight storage tubes with the HUGE desiccant packs in there. That's only IF you have to keep them in there. I might even put more then one pack in the storage tube.

 

For now, get them outta the basement!!!

[Jcddefreese 0]

You May want to wipe them down with a silicone cloth then store in a silicone impregnated gun sock. Then just check on them every few weeks. Not the best answer, but a practical one.

[ogfarmer 138]

silica packs have to be replaced

 

desiccant packs need to be recharged periodically depending on the humidity in the area.

 

plug in safe humidifiers are good, 

 

a room humidifier is good too

[GRIZ 3,369]

What does the humidty run in your basement? Tools may be plated. To protect them against rust. If the humidity is no more than anywhere else in your house I wouldn't worry.

[Jcddefreese 0]

If you have custom guns worth thousands each, then get the safe with a dehumidifier - don't be penny wise and pound foolish. If you have hunting firearms (that are designed to be outside in all types of weather) or non-custom that are designed to be used, I don't think you need to baby them. You do need to take care of them. Keep up with maintenance (cleaning, oiling and inspecting) and you will catch problems before they get out of hand. If you see rust starting to form, you should rethink that approach. Just my 2 cents.

[Maksim 1,504]

You May want to wipe them down with a silicone cloth then store in a silicone impregnated gun sock. Then just check on them every few weeks. Not the best answer, but a practical one.

 

 

This is what I would recommend.  Clean and oil them regularly, store in gun socks. 

 

My brother kept a Springfield XD in its original case (with the Styrofoam insert) and after a few months, gun started to rust inside and out.  Fortunately, I was able to send it to Springfield and they refinished it under warranty. 

 

So for older guns, I would take all the precautions you can.

 

Dehumidifier in basement, guns oiled cleaned, in silica protected gun socks, inspect regularly.

[Cixelsid 1]

   Its a finished basement, I don't run a de-humidifier, its definitely not needed..  I guess I would like insight specifically to firearms storage and humiditiy issues.    Do those basilica bags (spelling?) things really work if i put them in the cabinet?

 

 

The only way to know if it's humid or not is to have a hygrometer.  Basements are generally more humid than your other living quarters due to being near/under ground.  If it's temperature controlled with air conditioning then I would say you're good.  If not, I would get a de-humidifier or at least a cheap 10$ hygrometer to see what the moisture levels are at.  Those silica bags do work fine, just stick them in the same cabinet/case as your firearms.

[Barms 98]

What does the humidty run in your basement? Tools may be plated. To protect them against rust. If the humidity is no more than anywhere else in your house I wouldn't worry.

 

Right now its 75 degrees in the house.   Humidity in the basement is 91%.    Humidity on first floor is 95%.   I do not have the AC running..  its raining.

 

So in summary..  basement not any more wet than rest of the house..

[djg0770 481]

plug in safe humidifiers are good, 

 

a room humidifier is good too

 

If you want your stuff to rust away that is.

 

Safe DEhumidifiers are nothing but small heaters that raise the temperature in your storage area which increases the moisture carrying capacity of the air in the storage area thereby reducing the relative humidity.  They're only effective in small closed spaces with no ventilation.  I would venture to guess that your storage method is not "nearly air tight" like a safe.

 

A room DEhumidifier will extract the water from the air in the basement, but the water has to be emptied frequently.  I love the arrangement where someone takes a hose from the collection basin of their dehumidifier and then they run it to their french drain   You just spent all that energy removing the moisture from your air and you're dumping it into the french drain which is basically putting most of the moisture right back into the basement.

[Barms 98]

Wait.. now the hygrometer is telling me 59%..     maybe i should replace the battery.  but in summary.   basement not any worse than rest of whole house..

[Brownie^HP 6]

That's sounds better, with your first set of numbers your would have been close to saturation point of the air. You mentioned that the basement is finished. Do you have heating and cooling in that area? If so do you have a return grill in that area?

[gimmemym1 34]

I've had all my firearms hanging on a wall in a room I built in my basement for 3 years now with a dehumidifier running and not once have I noticed even a speck of rust. Everyone's opinions and experiences vary but so far so good for me. It is a brand new house so not too sure if that makes a difference as far as insulation goes. They do get wiped down occasionally with a silicon cloth.

[SJ ED 0]

With or without a safe you need a dehumidifier in NJ.  I set mine at 60% year round and use silicone cloths rather than oil.  I also keep a 3 in one no rust shield in each safe. 

[Hare Trigger 0]

If your guns are in a cabinet, I would at the very least get a golden rod (dehumidifying rod) and install it in your cabinet and keep your guns well lubricated, including the inside if the barrels. A dehumidifier in the basement wouldn't hurt either. When I first bought my house I stored my guns in the basement, I didn't look at them for a few months. Two of my shotguns started rusting pretty badly. One was ruined (which recently was turned in at a gun buy back for $100) and the other needed to be refinished. It would be better to have the humidity level around 35%. Cigars like 70%, guns don't!

[Maksim 1,504]

As evident by the various opinions here..... It varies with your house.

 

Like I said, my brother had his guns rust..... In two different houses. Get a dehumidifier that collects the water from the air.... Well save your guns many times over.

 

It is interested to know about those in safe dehumidifier gadgets that they onl heat up the air.... Go figure.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Warmer air holds onto moisture better. The idea behind those golden rods is to circulate the air, they are heaters and in no way alter the humidity. When the air is moving it is less likely to "fall out" of the air and bond with metal. Rust is inevitable if you store things where the air gets stale, even if you have low humidity, it just takes longer. You want to aim for low humidity and air circulation. Keep ur stuff lubed. I was using active dessicants in a sealed safe and still had surface rust issues on mags that I wasn't lubing.

[Cixelsid 1]

Wait.. now the hygrometer is telling me 59%..     maybe i should replace the battery.  but in summary.   basement not any worse than rest of whole house..

 

 

59% is safe, but borderline.  You want to stay below 60% preferably closer to 50%.  when the summer months come around it will get more humid trust me.  Get yourself a $150 dehumidifier for the basement.

[djg0770 481]

Warmer air holds onto moisture better. The idea behind those golden rods is to circulate the air, they are heaters and in no way alter the humidity. When the air is moving it is less likely to "fall out" of the air and bond with metal. Rust is inevitable if you store things where the air gets stale, even if you have low humidity, it just takes longer. You want to aim for low humidity and air circulation. Keep ur stuff lubed. I was using active dessicants in a sealed safe and still had surface rust issues on mags that I wasn't lubing.

 

Actually heaters alter the space relative humidity.  You can see from the graph below that as you increase the air temperature (dry bulb or DB) you move to the right on the graph.  Doing so maintains the "grains per pound of dry air" or actual moisture content within the air stream.  As you move to the right, your Relative Humidity drops as evidenced by the curved line labelled RH.  This is how heaters keep your stuff from rusting, they lower the RELATIVE HUMIDITY.  Typically you want to keep RH below 50% to prevent rust.

 

Conversely a room dehumidifier works completely differently, it actually removes moisture from the air by proceeding left along the "coil line" (not shown below) which approximates the following, a line starting a point P and proceeding left to the 100% RH line, then following that curve down and to the left (saturation) until you reach approximately 55 degrees or thereabouts.  When the air reaches 100% RH it begins to "rain" in your dehumidifier and the waste pan fills up with water. This process actually decreases the grains per pound of dry air. The refrigerant process (used in this device), in addition to cooling the air, also has a condensing side which heats the air.  Because no machine is 100% efficient, it creates more heat than it "removes".

 

And now you know more than you needed to.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

Get yourself a good dehumidifier if you plan on keeping them in the basement. Just b/c your basement is about the same humidity as the rest of the house doesn’t mean much... My dehumidifier has been running constantly the last week and i have to empty it at least every day (i think its a 5 gallon). SO essentially it’s pulling 5 gallons of water out of the air in 24 hours... That’s a ton of water and my basement is always dry, i have never actually had any water down there even after the hurricane...