When deliberating on where to place one’s gun safe a lot of considerations must be made. Some of the critical decisions include safety, accessibility, and spacing concerns. Keeping these considerations in mind often leads to the idea of storing a gun safe in the basement.
Is it possible to store a gun safe in a basement? The short answer is, yes you can store a gun safe in the basement because the basement allows for discrete, secure, storage while still offering easy accessibility for intended firearm handlers.
Gun safes are designed to be sturdy, which means they are well constructed, but heavy. Placing a firearm safe designed to hold high priced and prized possessions requires careful consideration. How you are going to move a large safe into your basement is of great importance.
The matter of whether or not you should move your gun safe into the basement is also of great importance. Can your basement successfully house your gun safe? While short cuts may be tempting, it is highly unadvisable to take them in this important decision making process.
Can You Store a Gun Safe in the Basement?
Should you store your gun safe in the basement, is an entirely personal decision determined by individual factors. That being said, there are several reasons to place a gun safe in the basement. Two primary reasons being space and security.
Reasons a Basement is Adequate for a Gun Safe:
- Basements offer unused space options.
- Basements offer discrete storage possibilities.
- Basements provide adequate flooring to withstand the load.
First, basements are often ideal locations for gun safe storage because many of us are not using them for anything else, allowing an abundance of placement options.
If we are using them regularly, it is often in an entertainment or bedroom capacity which still allows for spare space.
Secondly, placing a gun safe in the basement keeps firearms out of sight of prying eyes adding to the security of their containment. Not only are they protected from the sight of people outside the home, they are also less likely to be seen by unwanted individuals within the home.
Placing your safe in the basement keeps them well away from children and grandchildren. This keeps them out of sight and out of mind, adding to responsible storage of your firearms.
Thirdly, the structural design of basements makes them sturdy options for gun safe placement. With some planning and proper installation your basement is a prime location to store your gun safe in a secure but yet accessible, to you, location.
A few factors will determine the ease in which one may store their safe. Size of the safe will need to be considered.
Also, the manner in which the safe will be transported to the basement needs to be reflected upon. Basement construction also need to be inspected prior to placing a gun safe.
How to Install a Gun Safe in Your Basement
After weighing all the possibilities, the basement shines through as the best place for your gun safe. It is out of sight and there is spare room that will not interfere with the regular routine of the household.
You know which safe you want and are anxiously awaiting placing your firearms within. You are confident that the basement is going to offer the most secure location for storing your firearms and you are ready to proceed.
Now what? What should you consider when placing a gun safe in the basement?
Questions to Consider Before Installing Your Gun Safe in the Basement:
- How will you combat humidity?
- Who is available to help move the safe?
- What safety precautions should be taken when moving the safe?
First, because you are dealing with firearms underground, humidity is an immediate concern. Some basements are already finished and have proper dehumidifying capabilities.
If they are not, and you have no intentions of investing in finishing the basement, or just want added protective measures, there are a few options on the market to keep the firearms safe from exposure to humidity.
These options come in various formats to meet the needs of the broadest consumer base.
Humidity can be prevented by purchasing a gun safe that comes equipped with a sealant system already. This system may come in the form of caulking, foam, or silicon. The key thing to look for in this system is its placement within your safe.
The most effective sealant placement needs to be around the door on the interior of your safe.
This placement allows for optimal moisture blocking. If you should happen to find yourself having purchased a safe without manufactured sealant, it is possible to apply the silicone or caulking at home.
The important thing to do when applying it oneself is to keep in mind that the sealant needs to be placed correctly.
It should be placed in the same manner as preinstalled sealant. At home sealant should be placed inside the door surrounding the door jam. The sealant needs to create an airtight barrier with the safe door for best performance.
In addition to sealant technology there are other options on the market to help reduce humidity concerns. One option comes in the form of electronic gun safe dehumidifiers. Such dehumidifiers are often narrow rods that have detachable power cords.
These can be mounted within the safe, usually near the door, and plugged in outside of the safe with their cord running through a small hole in the back of the safe. Their main function is to raise the temperature inside of the safe to prevent moisture from developing.
Perhaps you are lacking a continual power source to supply your humidifier, making the electric dehumidifier less appealing. Manufactures have solutions to combat humidity in that situation as well.
One such option is a wireless dehumidifying block. Contained within this block is a collection of crystals that soak moisture from the air.
Once the crystals have neared, or reached, their maximum capacity the block can be removed from the gun safe. After the crystals are dried the block may be returned to the safe for repeated usage.
If you find yourself in even more of a pinch silicone packets, similar to the kind found in a lot of standard packaging material, can be tossed in to absorb moisture.
Those however, are likely to need replacing much more frequently on the condition of an extra humid basement.
Humidity precautions should be one of the first considerations when installing a gun safe in a basement. Sometimes even in the best of basements, humidity is still at an increased risk.
No one wants to experience a misfire of their firearm, especially when caused by preventable rust accumulating from excess humidity.
Some other considerations need to be made as well when placing the gun safe in the basement. One of which is the flooring capabilities. No matter where you place your safe the floor needs to be able to withstand the weight of such a heavy burden.
In most circumstances the concrete floor of the basement is going to be an optimal location for safe placement because the flooring material is designed to support heavy loads.
However, if the floor of your basement has been finished considerations need to be made in regards to the structural integrity of the flooring surface.
Lastly, there needs to be a safe way in which to move such a heavy item to your basement location before the decision can be made to place it there. In homes with stair access to the basement even more consideration needs to be made.
How are you going to manage the change of levels? Even assuming the safe is being placed in a walkout basement, the weight of the safe alone requires precautionary measures when moving.
Some safe sellers have delivery and set up services available for their consumers, though it can come with a hefty price tag.
This service is not always available, and alternative plans need to be made. Additional options may stem from having friends or family members assist in moving your safe.
When the situation permits, having a dolly would be ideal in order to safely move your safe. Having a dolly that is designed for stair movement would be an added bonus. The weight capabilities of said dolly need to also be carefully followed.
It is not going to be a good day for the mover down side of the safe when an inadequate dolly snaps under extreme pressure.
The safe should be wrapped in a thick moving blanket when possible to prevent damage to the safe and surrounding materials, such as walls. This also lessons the chance of the safe catching on those attempting to move it and allows for additional gripping options.
To secure the blanket to the safe ratchet straps, or other secure binding materials, should be used.
When the opportunity presents, to help reduce weight and improve grip, some safe doors may be removed. Some internal compartments of the safe, such as shelving, may also be removed to lower the weight, if even slightly.
Of course an attempt to move the safe should not be made when the safe is full of firearms or ammunition.
Why Does Gun Safe Placement Matter?
Placement of your gun safe matters for the optimal safety of weapons and individuals around your firearms. Improper placement runs the risk of damage occurring to the firearms, household members, or the risk of theft.
What is Important to Know Before Placing Your Safe:
- How accessible is the safe?
- What space is available?
- Is the placement discrete?
- What are the flood risks?
- What are the fire potentials?
The first consideration needs to be, who will have access to the safe given its location. Ideally, the gun safe needs to be placed in a location that is not immediately visible.
While many of us are proud of the firearms we possess, security needs to trump the desire to have them at the forefront.
Having the gun safe out in the open runs the risk of theft. Even though the safe may not be visible from the outside of the home, individuals who enter the premise still run the threat of burglary, especially when the gun safe is displayed in plain sight.
Unfortunately, sometimes we have limited spacing options throughout our home. We live busy lives and the amount of belongings can pile up. The house is riddled with furniture and collectables. It is not uncommon for them to overwhelm the space of our main, and even upper, floors.
Therefore, a key consideration for gun safe placement is where there is actually room for it. No one wants to run into their safe while up and about for their midnight snacks, or have its edge blocking a fraction of the television screen.
These considerations may also lead to sizing considerations when purchasing a gun safe.
As previously discussed in regards to placing the safe on the basement floor, it is vital to known how strong the floor under your safe is. The concrete floor of a basement is ideal. However, concrete may not always be an option and the safe will need to be evenly placed over joists for additional support on regular flooring.
Is your basement constantly flooding in one corner? Then placement of your gun safe in that area is probably a bad idea.
Additionally, if there are water lines exposed near the location you intend to place your safe it may be a good idea to elevate the safe above the possible water line.
This could be accomplished by building a platform or placing the safe uphill of any draining systems in place.
When dealing with common flooding humidity preventions is going to be increased, but electrical sources of such should be avoided to lessen the risk of electrocution.
Even though gun safes are usually built to withstand flame and excess heat there is no need to increase the exposure to potential fires. This means avoiding placing the safe near fireplaces, and probably outside of the kitchen. It would also be advisable to keep it away from junction boxes or flammable materials.
Above all else, gun safe placement matters for the safety of your firearms and the people around them. Exposing them to potential fire or water damage not only runs the risk of them being destroyed, but also increases the risk of dangerous misfires during use.
What is the Best Place for a Gun Safe?
The best place for a gun safe will depend on many individual circumstances. Every owner and household’s needs will vary.
Do you have plenty of spacing options for the safe? How heavy is the safe? Where is it going to be the most secure? How much help do you have for moving the safe up and down stairs if necessary? Are the individuals present that need limited to no access to the safe?
Assuming the means are there, gun safe placement in the basement is one of the best options available.
Why is the Basement One of the Best Placements?:
- Unused space is often found in the basement.
- Basements provide discrete storage.
- Flooding can be avoided.
- Basements offer high wind protection.
There is often unused space, allowing for convenient placement. This unused space can also open the possibilities of increased safe sizing. In some situations, entire rooms can be modified to be waterproof, without compromising normal household function, within the confines of the basement.
Placing the safe in the basement also keeps it out of sight of prying eyes. Passersby are less likely to see the safe from the street and be intrigued about its contents. Certain basement constructions will completely prevent this risk with their lack of windows or outside doors.
Additionally, keeping the safe in the basement keeps access even further away from children possibly in the home. Their movement up and down stairs can be limited, if not prevented entirely by baby gate and/or locked doors.
For those living in areas of damaging winds a basement offers protection from natural elements. Should any structural instability occur, the safe in the basement is not going to add to the risk of collapsing on top of lower floors, or being blown about by the most intense of winds.
Secure placement on the basement floor will prevent the possibility of your safe toppling onto important structural features of people within the home in even the most severe weather situations.
The biggest problem with placing a firearm safe in the basement is the increased risk of water damage from humidity or flooding. However, flooding threats can be prevented by investing in dehumidifying measures as well as placing your safe in a slightly elevated position away from any basement windows or water lines when possible.
Though it does take some careful planning, placing a gun safe in the basement has the potential of being an excellent option, giving that the basement can offer adequate storage.