Safe in garage?

[NC FNS]

I didn't search, as I don't recall ever seeing this come up, so forgive me if there is an existing thread…

There are some in my empty-nest family of 2 that would prefer to have the safe in the garage. My fear is condensation from temperature changes.
I have (somewhere) a safe dehumidifier that looks like a long rod. I think it heats up to accomplish the dehumidifying. Would that also keep the safe warm enough to prevent other issues? Are there other alternatives out there for safes subject to wide temperature ranges?
Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[jimbo1096]

A safe dehumidifier like yours does work by heating up and a differential in temperature helps keep condensation from forming on metal parts in your safe. You sould have the dehumidifier rod specific to the capacity of your safe. If you live in a very cold climate, I would not want to have a safe in my garage if it is in a non-environmentally controlled space. The second consideration is safety. A safe in the garage is more easily accessed by unwanted persons and if someone wanted to throw a strap around it and drag it out into the street it would be much easier to do. I prefer to have my safe in the house with me in an area that's not obvious to visitors. Maybe I'm a little paranoid but I don't like to advertise what I have.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

There are all kinds of things to put in your safe to stop humidity.
We kept a 40 watt light bulb burning in an old refrigerator that was used to store welding rod for years. It worked fine.
Personally I think the best rust prevention is to clean and oil your guns once in awhile.

 

[RSIno1]

A friend had a safe in his garage. He bolted it to the floor then built a wall around it and decorated it to look like a pile of boxes. Disguise is your friend when that big garage door is open.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

As we all know, in a marriage, you have to choose your battles. BUT, this one is definitely worth fighting for. Keep your gun safe inside your house!

 

[Hvymax]

Way easier to steal that way.

 

[Bullthrower338]

^^^^what he said^^^
My Ex-wife had the same idea, I agreed that I could do that, I insulated all three garage doors and had a 5 ton AC installed then wouldn't let her park in the garage. She really couldn't anyway because the small bay was where my UTV was parked, the second bay had my bar set up and the third bay had a rug , wrap around sofa and big screen TV.
I often wonder why I'm not married anymore.

 

[hittman]

Where's your garage?
Out back?
Beside the house?
Attached or detached?
In walk out basement?
Climate controlled?

 

[Cholo]

↑ On the third floor? LOL

 

[Kevin]

Is it possible for you to have a few small safes hidden around the inside of the house?

I agree with Hvymax on this one. A safe in the garage is more attractive to thieves. And easier for them to access.

 

[kentucky yeti]

They are called Golden Rods. I have two of them that are over 12 years old and still working perfectly. Another idea is to buy a couple boxes of desiccant packs. They are reusable indefinitely and are great for a power outage. As for safes- if a thief can get in it that easily, or drag it down your road without being noticed- you have bigger problems.

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Amazon product ASIN B09BF6XJY1

 

[contender]

Knowing our climate around here,, I'd say to keep it inside the house. For the best method of keeping the contents in good condition. And as noted above,, garages aren't the most secure places to keep a safe.

 

[NC FNS]

Where's your garage?
Out back?
Beside the house?
Attached or detached?
In walk out basement?
Climate controlled?

Ranch style house, attached garage, not climate controlled.

 

[Big John]

I didn't search, as I don't recall ever seeing this come up, so forgive me if there is an existing thread…

There are some in my empty-nest family of 2 that would prefer to have the safe in the garage. My fear is condensation from temperature changes.
I have (somewhere) a safe dehumidifier that looks like a long rod. I think it heats up to accomplish the dehumidifying. Would that also keep the safe warm enough to prevent other issues? Are there other alternatives out there for safes subject to wide temperature ranges?
Thanks in advance for any input.

If your nest is emptying then there should be more room.

When our nest was filling I explained to my spouse that a large secure fire-resistant storage vault would not only prevent our developing children from accessing firearms, it would be a good place to secure things like our new 8mm Sony Videocam ($1,500 today's equivalent price), passports, wills, insurance policies, genealogy, other critical papers, Grandmother's silver set, and precious collections (Beanie Babies, stamps, coins ).

I our neck 'o the woods law enforcement takes breaking into your home more serious than breaking into a garage, detached or not.

Preventing firearms from falling into the hands of criminals is now a topic being discussed as a form of "gun control" and may become an issue in the future. Encourage your spouse to use y'all's safe. And if that means having to get a bigger safe to include her into your world, well, I don't see a down side.

 

[TINCANBANDIT is back]

I did a lot of research on safes and theft before buying mine and figuring out where to put them. Most safes, even the good ones are vulnerable to attack on the top, back and sides, only the front door is secure (on some that isn't even true).
The safe in the picture below is substandard, not even a safe in my opinion (a residential storage container), but the owner did something smart, he built shelves around it and then concealed its location. It is always best if they cannot find it, but if they do, the safe should be bolted to the concrete and have something protecting the top, back and sides.
The longer it takes to get to the safe and get it open, the less likely they will bother with it.

Also keep any tools that can be used to get to or to open the safe locked up. Most burglars only carry a screwdriver or small prybar.

 

[Sam Summey]

I didn't search, as I don't recall ever seeing this come up, so forgive me if there is an existing thread…

There are some in my empty-nest family of 2 that would prefer to have the safe in the garage. My fear is condensation from temperature changes.
I have (somewhere) a safe dehumidifier that looks like a long rod. I think it heats up to accomplish the dehumidifying. Would that also keep the safe warm enough to prevent other issues? Are there other alternatives out there for safes subject to wide temperature ranges?
Thanks in advance for any input.

In the last two years, I have refinished and individual's firearms because his wife didn't want the unsightly safe in the house. The solution was to put it in the garage (not temperature and humidity controlled). A couple of months later all the firearms were covered in rust. Well after doing an expert job cleaning them up and refinishing, I get the word that the owner had put a dehumidifier in the safe but his wife needed an extension cord and "borrowed" the one connecting the dehumidifier and failed to return it. You guessed it, covered in rust again!

 

[Cholo]

...because his wife didn't want the unsightly safe in the house.

I think it's past time to replace the wife. There's no way she didn't show these selfish tendencies during the dating phase

 

[black1970]

BULL's-EYE IS RIGHT ON. Keep your safe in the house and get rid of the empty nesters. A garage is no place for a gun safe with who knows how many thousands of dollars are in same.

 

[Kevin]

I know you guys are just joking about keeping the guns over the wife. (I think?)

The real solution is buy a big enough house in the first place. If that isn't possible just reconfigure the current living space.

I don't know the OP's situation, and obviously it isn't practical to move to a bigger house just because of some guns.

To be honest, I only bought a safe once my daughter was old enough that her friends started coming to our house.

Before that they were in locked cases spread around. I used one of those Pelican rifle cases under the bed with just a cheap child proof lock.

Is it theft proof? No. But we have a house alarm, two dogs and an 8 foot fence.

Now of course my daughter understands at least the basics of gun safety and the guns are in a locked safe.

Inside the house.

 

[Johnnu2]

If the spouse is frugal (really cheap), stress the value of the contents of the safe and the value lost if damaged or stolen.
If the spouse is "family friendly", stress the value of protecting the neighborhood kids who might be hanging around.
If the spouse is intelligent, stress the legalities and or liabilities that may be present due to local laws or, even common sense.
Note that some states have very specific "firearms storage" laws that require safes, location of safes, methods of securing safes, residence inspections by police (based on number of registered firearms), the addition of (or in place of) burglar alarms etc....(other states will be following these draconian laws soon).
If none if the above works.............you're screwed!!!

IMHO,
J.