Goldenrod questions

[killertom]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to ask for some help from members who use the goldenrod in their gun safes.

- I'm looking at getting a 12" one, rated to effectively operate up to 100 cubic feet. My safe is very small, around 6 cubic feet. I'm worried this might be overkill?

- The usual temperature in the house is around 75 degrees, the goldenrod states it heats itself up to around 150. I'm wondering if this is a little too much? Is it not possible to actually have condensation when putting the guns back in the safe, which is considerably warmer on the inside then the general temperature of the area?

- In general, how effective are these things? Should I bite the bullet and go for one?

Many thanks in advance!

Tom

 

[oneounceload]

I can handle my goldenrod, so I do not think it gets to 150 degrees - an incandescent light bulb gets MUCH hotter than the rod.

6 cubic feet sounds like a small handgun safe; if so, a large dessicant box might be just as easy and less expensive

 

[killertom]

Thank you for you answer!

It's actually a rifle safe, quite high but narrow and not too deep. It's not airtight so I wouldn't use a desiccant pack.

My only concern is if the goldenrod is going to be overkill for such a small safe?

 

[sansone]

I noticed a desiccant in winter struggles to remove moisture from the air without heat.. goldenrod + desiccant is best

 

[mugsie]

6 cu feet is rather small, so I would think the goldenrod is probably a little overkill. A large container of decissant should be fine, just make sure there are indicator crystals in it which turn color.

I have a larger safe and use the Goldenrod and I can tell you it works wonders. The inside stays warm and I've never had a moisture problem. I also went to the local Impact (thrift) store and for 25 cents, picked up one of those aluminum drink mixer containers. I removed the little spout cover since I didn't need it and filled the entire container with decissant I took from throw away bags. Now I have a drink mixer filled with the crystals as well as the Goldenrod. It's a desert in there!

The decissant bags are usually packed with electronic hardware etc, and most stores just throw them away. Help yourself and have a ball. They should work perfectly in a 6 cubc foot enclosure.

Good luck and best wishes for the Holiday Season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.....

 

[killertom]

Thank you! It's a standard 8 gun safe, but whichever way I calculate it, it always comes out as 6 cubic feet .

I'm leery of using desiccant as the safe is not airtight, so I'm worried all it would do is actually draw moisture into the safe...

I wish you a very happy Christmas as well!

 

[JohnBT]

You really can't have too much GoldenRod for a container, as long as outside air can circulate through it. That's what GR says - the longest one that will fit on the floor.

I have a 18" and a 24" GR in a 35 cu.ft. gun safe because it's in a very damp, dark, dirty, unheated 97-year-old basement. I have one on the floor across the bottom of the door and the short one running back under the shelves - I pulled the shelves out a little for circulation. 15 years and counting.

Here it is:

"What size GoldenRod® do I need?

Since you can't overprotect your valuables, we strongly recommend using the longest GoldenRod® which will fit in an area and use multiple units where necessary. "

www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/faqs.htm

 

[dagger dog]

Goldenrod makes the Gunsaver line it's a few bucks cheaper, I've had mine going on 6 + years and not a speck of rust on any guns, it's installed in a StackOn cabinet which is located in an unheated 2nd floor.

 

[killertom]

You really can't have too much GoldenRod for a container, as long as outside air can circulate through it. That's what GR says - the longest one that will fit on the floor.

I have a 18" and a 24" GR in a 35 cu.ft. gun safe because it's in a very damp, dark, dirty, unheated 97-year-old basement. I have one on the floor across the bottom of the door and the short one running back under the shelves - I pulled the shelves out a little for circulation. 15 years and counting.

Here it is:

"What size GoldenRod® do I need?

Since you can't overprotect your valuables, we strongly recommend using the longest GoldenRod® which will fit in an area and use multiple units where necessary. "

www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/faqs.htm

Thanks, may I ask what is your experience with wooden stocked rifles near a goldenrod? Since my safe is fairly small, if I put the heater at the bottom-back of the safe as recommended, it would be only an inch or two away from the buttstocks of my rifles. I'm wondering if that would have a negative effect on the stocks?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

It won't hurt your stocks unless you lay them directly on it.

 

[340PD]

Why fill a smallish safe with desiccant? That makes no sense in my world. A small goldenrod should work just fine. I have had the same goldenrod running in my safe for over thirty years. You will find a goldenrod is just barely warm to the touch and I have never had any issues with wood, canvas, paper, or metal coming in contact with it.

You always have the option to plug the goldenrod into a timer and regulate the time it is on and off. Low cost, valuable space saving solution.

 

[herrwalther]

I use a Liberty rod, which is just a knockoff of Goldenrod with a different color and name. Same operating principle. Yes it does get warm to the touch. Hot enough to burn skin? Probably not. Feels more like how warm Christmas lights get. Ruin firearm finish? With prolonged exposure probably. My Liberty rod came with two little plastic stands (and I am sure so does Goldenrod) to keep it stable and rolling towards your firearms. As long as you don't set anything directly on it or touching it, should be fine. I use the 12" model, 1x 900gram bag of desiccant, and 2x 600 gram bags of desiccant to keep my 22.5 cubic foot RSC dry. A little overkill sure, but I have yet to have a rust issue in there.