Safe in Garage?

B

baddarryl

New member
Hi all. I am thinking of putting a safe in my garage. I live in the humid coastal southeast. I already have one of those Field and Stream plug in dehumidifiers. Even in my air conditioned house I have to dry it out every 5 days or so.

Will I be ok, should I take extra precautions, or just forget about the garage and bring it inside?

Thank you.
 
Lived in coastal South Carolina. Brought the safe into the house. It found a home in the dining room. That was a far as we could get it. But it did become a décor item. It was a Canon, splendidly painted in a deep rich cranberry. Guests loved it. We told folks we kept the family "silver" in it. No further questions. It had the "Golden Rod" element in the bottom. Never had a rust issue. But domestic discord found the safe going to the other side and moved to an OUTDOOR location; pity.
 
I wonder if a well insulated garage equipped with a room size dehumidifier might be ok. I think you can get one for around two hundred dollars at Home Depot and it should do a good job of dehumidifying your garage. Also, some of them come equipped with pumps so you never have to empty the tank manually.
 
The main reason to not have the safe out in the garage is theft.
It's an easy target, even if disguised.
Having lived in places with very high humidity for at least half the year, this is the method that has worked for me:
Liberally wipe down the guns with an oil rag and wrap them with a breathable cloth dampened with silicone spray and place inside a good case.
Indoors or out, doing this has worked very well with rarely any rust issues.
And only then, if they were ignored for years on end.
 
The humid coastal southeast will eat a regular dehumidifier. Likely before the safe is stolen.
A well insulated garage might do. Mind you, you'll be opening it a lot and thieves will still be able to carry it off.
 
You shouldn't be having that much of a moisture problem in your home.
Something is wrong somewhere.

I'd be looking carefully for water leaks or drainage problems, and I'd want the safe inside the house
 
You shouldn't be having that much of a moisture problem in your home.
Something is wrong somewhere.
Click to expand...
The source of the problem is obvious - the poor guy lives east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason Dixon.
 
The source of the problem is obvious - the poor guy lives east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason Dixon.
Click to expand...
As do I, and I don't have those problems.

I'm only 50 miles from the ocean and less than 2 miles from one of the largest rivers on the East Coast.

Mold and Mildew inside a home isn't normal anywhere in the US, and if the OP is in the Cape Fear region of NC, he and I are in the same general area and climate
 
If you don't properly vent your crawl space or attic, you will have moisture problems inside the house.

If you don't drain your roof water away from the foundation, you can wick a lot of water into your crawl space.
 
You shouldn't be having that much of a moisture problem in your home.
Something is wrong somewhere.

I'd be looking carefully for water leaks or drainage problems, and I'd want the safe inside the house
Click to expand...

We live on lands that had to be drained to be built on. All houses are on slabs as the ground won't support a pier system. It is a matter of water wicking through the slab most likely. My mother's bamboo floor warped and cupped in less than 5 years. It is amazing the land even perks.

We are moving to a newer drier location, but you guys have convinced me, it's coming inside.

Thank you everyone.
 
Never underestimate the venality of the American home builder and local permitting agency, together they can cheat the citizen out of their paycheck in a heartbeat.
 
No way I'd ever store guns in the garage in the coastal southeast! Those chemical dehumidifiers just don't work that well, and the goldenrods won't do in that kind of humidity. I had a campus police department store my rifle in a non-airconditioned space while I lived in the dorms of a university and within 2 weeks the entire blued surface was spotted with rust. I was so friggin mad! For the remainder of the term I stored my rifle in my dorm room - yes, it was against the rules.
 
Living in FL, I keep mine inside under heat and air and I have 3 boxes of desiccant and a golden rod - so far, no rust but I do have to dry these things out about every 6 weeks.
 
Here Is my 0.02.

Go ahead and store it in the garage. Would it be better in an air-conditioned house? Definitely. Is that always an option. Not at all. I live in the Florida panhandle less than 10 miles off the coast. The humidity is bad but as long as you take precautions you’re good. First off, follow the instructions of g.willikers with the oiling and storage. I do something very similar and have not had a bit of rust show up on any blued guns. That includes the one with less than perfect finish.

Theft is the real issue you have to be aware of. Make sure you take advantage of ALL available bolting options. I have mine secured to the concrete slab and the studs in the wall. It is also a good idea to integrate the safe into the fixtures in your garage. I made a slot in my shelving units where the safe fits snugly with very little clearance around the edges. I also took the opportunity to make a faux cabinet door to disguise it so someone would have to be actively searching to see it.

I also changed my behavior. I used to keep the garage door open to the street all the time just because I could. That changed. I now only have it open when I am in there or actively working out of the garage. I also make the effort to only open the safe when the garage is closed.

So by all means, leave it in the garage but be aware that you will need to work around it and change some behaviors to make it more secure. If you have the viable option to bring it into the house proper, then please do. That will save a ton of work, worry, and change.
 
All houses are on slabs as the ground won't support a pier system
Click to expand...
There's the problem.

If they had put a few layers of plastic down before pouring the slab it might have been prevented
 
I have welding/cutting equipment, cutoff saws, big bars, all manner of tools. Certainly enough to break into most safes. So I can't feel secure with safes ion my garage.
 
If they get into your home when you're not there, why do you think your safe would be better secured inside?
 
Step 1 hook chain around safe
Step 2 open garage door
Step 3 hook chain to pick up
Step 4 drag safe away
Seems obvious leave safe in home.
 
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