Firearms can be an expensive investment. They require attention and maintenance. If they are not maintained properly, there can be dire consequences. Owning a gun safe for storage is one way to ensure the investments stay protected.
Do gun safes cause corrosion? In short, yes. Based on what type of materials the interior of your gun safe is made from it is very likely that your gun safe is causing corrosion. However, there are ways to both identify and prevent corrosion in your gun safe. If this interests you continue reading.
Although they are considered to be protective, some elements need to be considered when using a gun safe, to make sure that your firearms remain protected. Keep reading to find out if gun safes can cause corrosion.
Pro-Tip: A dehumidifier is the best way to prevent corrosion. I recommend either Golden Rod brand (needs to be plugged into a outlet) or a rechargeable dehumidifier.
Check out the best gun safe dehumidifiers on Amazon now.
Do Gun Safes Cause Corrosion
When looking into whether or not your gun safe, or potential gun safe, is causing corrosion to both the interior of the safe and the firearms themselves, you don’t need to look any further than the materials that are used in modern day gun safes, more specifically the drywall.
The covered drywall interior of gun safes if made up of a variety of chemicals and byproducts that react caustically to each other and the gun in an enclosed space. These chemicals are Formaldehyde, Sulphur, Pyrite, and ferrooxidans.
Formaldehyde is used in the process of making the drywall that forms the interior of your safe. Along with the drywall in your safe, formaldehyde is also used as the glue for the carpeting over the drywall.
As time passes the chemical becomes vapor and will react with any steel within the safe, eating away at the metal at the rate of over one millimeter per year.
The drywall in your safe may or may not contain Sulfur. If your manufacturer states that the drywall was made in China, it will have Sulfur in it. If you safe has any humidity, the Sulfur will react with the water in the air, forming hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid. Both chemical reactions will eat away at your guns, causing corrosion.
Like with Sulfur, you are more likely to have Pyrite in your drywall if it comes from China. Pyrite reacts to both the water and oxygen in the air creating rust and sulfuric acid. As mentioned before sulfuric acid will eat away at your firearm, but rust will also critically affect its integrity.
From Pyrite come ferrooxidans. These bacteria live and feed off the Pyrite, causing the chemical reactions mentioned above. ferrooxidans also react to other metals, eating away at them.
Of the materials listed above, the most dangerous is the formaldehyde, simply because of how common it is. However, be sure to check with your manufacturer about where the drywall for your safe was made. China is a common manufacturer, and it is likely that if you safe has one of these materials, it has all of them.
No matter what type of material it is if you are anxious about the corrosive qualities your gun safe could possess contact the safe’s manufacturer. With such a substantial investment in both the guns and the gun safe, it is negligent not to check and make sure that your gun safe is actually safe for your gun.
Another way to check for corrosion, that won’t require you to hunt down where all the materials used in your gun safe came from is to use your sense of smell. Enter your safe and see if you can smell anything metallic.
If you do smell something, close the safe door and wait a few hours. When you return open the door again and see if the smell has gotten stronger.
If the metallic scent in your gun safe has gotten stronger, you are at risk of corrosion. Now you need to consider what you need to do to maintain the integrity of both your safe and your guns.
Elements that Cause Gun Corrosion in Gun Safes:
- Formaldehyde
- Sulfur
- Pyrite
- ferrooxidans
How to Prevent Rusting in A Gun Safe
If you find that your gun safe is made of corrosive materials, the most effective way to prevent rust would be to replace the interior of your safe. Replacement is a very lengthy and expensive option, however, and should only be undertaken if you have the time and funds for it.
There are some easier and more cost-effective options available for those who are either unable to or otherwise don’t want to go through the trouble of replacing the interior of their safe.
These options are: tracking the temperature and moisture levels of the safe interior, coating the firearms in wax, placing the safe against an interior wall, or purchasing a humidifier.
When tracking the temperature and moisture of your safe interior, it is crucial to make sure you diligently check every day for a year.
When reviewing these levels, the goal is to make sure the environment stays consistent. If you find that the interior of your safe is changed, you can then take the appropriate steps to fix it, whether it has become too humid or too hot.
Before covering your guns in a fine layer of wax, make sure you have disassembled and cleaned them. Once you are done, carefully coat the gun in wax. The wax coating will prevent the corrosive agents from reaching the guns steel parts, protecting your firearm.
When considering where you want to place a safe, avoiding the walls that are a part of the exterior of the building is essential.
These exterior walls are affected by temperature changes outside, which in turn affect the safe that is against it. Interior walls are more likely to maintain a constant temperature, meaning the at h safe will maintain a constant temperature.
The final option you could pursue to maintain your gun safe’s structural integrity is a dehumidifier. As the name implies, a dehumidifier is used to prevent humidity from occurring in the safe, keeping the internal environment consistent.
Out of the four options, this is the easiest and most effective, as long as you buy a quality dehumidifier.
No matter what option you pick what is essential is to make sure you stay aware of when your gun safe is a risk of developing rust.
If you don’t, then the only option left for you it to take your guns out of the safe and give them all a deep cleaning. Even then there is the risk of the newly cleaned gun not having the same accuracy because of the corrosion.
Rust Preventative Measures:
- Tracking Temperature and Moisture
- Covering Your Guns in a Fine Layer of Wax
- Proper Wall Placement
- Dehumidifier
- Deep Cleaning
Do Gun Safes Need a Dehumidifier
When it comes to the question of if you need a dehumidifier, you’re your safe it varies. The most important thing to consider when wondering if you should purchase a dehumidifier is what the humidity levels of your safe are. Humidity is determined through three factors: your local climate, how often you use the gun safe, and where the gun safe is located.
If you live in a dry climate, such as the desert or somewhere equally as arid, you might not need a dehumidifier.
However, if you live in a humid environment, meaning you have either a lot of rain or constantly shifting humidity levels, then you should purchase a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier would keep the moisture levels of the air in the safe constant when the outside might not be.
If you are using your gun safe often, often here meaning once a week or so, you may not need a dehumidifier.
If you don’t use, you gun safe frequently you are not creating a constant airflow to circulate in the safe. The air, when it is still, will cause the humidity levels to rise, meaning you will most likely need a dehumidifier to keep the air flow constant.
As mentioned in the previous section, where you place your gun safe is vital. Not only should it be in a temperature-controlled room where you know it will stay dry, but you also want to make sure you are placing it along an interior wall.
If you put the safe against an exterior wall, the outdoor conditions will affect the interior of the safe, making fluctuations in humidity.
If your gun safe is not at risk of humidity based on these factors, you probably don’t need a dehumidifier. If your gun safe is at risk though it is in your best interest to purchase a dehumidifier, corrosion in the gun safe and the gun can affect the quality and accuracy of the weapon, no matter how well cleaned.
Humidity Identifiers:
- Local Climate
- Frequency of Use of Safe
- Safe Placement
Whether you choose to purchase a dehumidifier or follow one of the other suggestions to maintain the guns, it is crucial you do so.
As a gun owner, you are responsible for maintaining the firearms you own, and when guns aren’t correctly maintained, dangerous things can and sometimes do happen.