I've been using Bullfrog emitter shields for my gun safes, replace them yearly, never had an issue, but I'm in AZ and not much humidity to speak of.
My son moved to TX. Very humid. Is there something better to use for him there? Really don't want to use the plug in things.

The plug in varieties don't remove moisture, they simply raise the dew point. This prevents condensation which is what causes rust.

Desiccant absorbs moisture, but you'll need to keep your eye on it as it needs to be recharged as it saturates. Silica is the most common form of this. You can buy bags and make your own or buy a prepackaged device. There are a few companies that make varieties that have a plug on the back. Instead of baking them in your oven you simply plug them in over night.

If the safe is in the house and its air conditioned, the humidity is already very low and you shouldn't need to use anything in the safe.

I use both a plug in Golden Rod Dehumidifier and a large metal SnapSafe Canister Desiccant which becomes saturated every six month and needs to be baked at 325F for 2 hours to recharge. Wonderful Florida!

10 watt light bulb for me. Not saying it's a perfect solution. But does the same thing as the Golden rod while lighting the safe up.

The plug in rods reduce rust by promoting air movement in the safe. It really has less to do with raising the dew point.

His is in the garage unfortunately.

We use DampRid in our safe. Hanger style is preferred. Just installed a dehumidifier.

I use a rod and blue dessicant that gets rehabbed in a toaster oven, I use little glass jars and just cycle them in when they turn pink. works awesome and it's a pain in the ass but in S Florida its a must.
https://www.deltaadsorbents.co...a-gel-desiccant-bulk

I have a Golden Rod in a Liberty Fat Boy and it's in the garage...you guys are making me think I need to add something else.

quote:

Originally posted by Angus the Kid:
The plug in rods reduce rust by promoting air movement in the safe. It really has less to do with raising the dew point.

So circulating humid air prevents rust? I’m not sure I buy that.

VCI.

I use all four - air conditioning, bullfrog vci sheet, plug in rod, dessicant. And also Rig grease on a blued collectible. And all this is still not a guarantee without an occasional inspection and treatment, at least for me, since I've had new rust form even with all these things in place.

I use both rechargeable and disposable dessicants. Don't be stingy on dessicants. Put a lot in there.

Whether you choose to use the Golden Rod doesn't really matter. Have one in one safe and none in the other. Results? Same.

quote:

Don't be stingy on dessicants. Put a lot in there.

Watch your humidity levels. 45% to 55% at 70 degrees is the ideal storage condition. If your humidity drops too low you'll run the risk of drying out and damaging things sensitive to the the lack of moisture: Wood stocks, watches, photography lenses, scopes, etc.

I use both Golden Rods and cans of dessicant. I also have a special digital thermometer/hygrometer with a memory feature that records high and low for both temperature and humidity. This can give added confidence that temperature and humidity stay within the proper range. For the first year or so, every time I opened the safe I would look at the highest/lowest temps and humidity, then reset the device before closing the safe.

Eventually you get to the point where you have confidence that your humidity and temperature levels stay in a safe range.

My safe is in my non air conditioned garage with similar heat and humidity to texus for the past 5 years. I oil my guns every 6 months and have a golden rod and zero rust issues on any of them.