When space is scarce the garage is often an interesting space in your home and you should not neglect it. It is easy to store a safe in the garage and easy to set up and hide. The main risk of storing guns in the garage is humidity. It is because some garages are not having air conditioning that keeps the temperature normal in the garage. As a result, humidity can sometimes be higher than expected and it damages the guns.
To store guns in the garage, you must choose a location where there are lower risks of humidity and fire. On the other hand, you should be aware of the risk of theft. If you have installed a safe in the garage that can be seen from the street every time you open the garage door, then you are at high risk of theft. If there is no safe location in the garage, then a concrete floor with little alterations is the best place to store and hide the guns in the garage.
Should I Store My Guns In My Garage
While storing the guns in the garage, you have to work hard against moisture, and for this purpose, you can use a dehumidifier that keeps the moisture away from your guns at all costs. Whether you live in a small or large house, you must think of the best and safe location for storing your guns in the garage.
Conventional wisdom says that you should not be storing the guns in the garage, especially in an unheated garage. Apart from the popular wisdom, you can easily store your guns in the garage if you take proper care and maintenance.
Layout Of Home
There are a variety of reasons for storing your guns in the garage. The most practical reason is the room you have for your guns. It depends on the layout of your home and the size of the safe for your guns. You may also decide to temporarily install the gun safe in the garage because of hazards or recommendations from the professionals.
How To Install Gun Safe In Your Garage?
Clear The Location Of Gun Safe
Typically, garage installations have flat entry points and do not require ladders. It is not uncommon for homeowners to have a lot of stuff in the garage. To install the gun safe safely and correctly, a professional installation team can be helpful or if you know how to install it, you can do it on your own.
Level The Safe By Creating An Airflow Pocket Underneath
Leveling the gun safe and creating an airflow pocket underneath provides you with benefits.
- Reduces the possibility of oxidation. Without adequate airflow, the moisture can build up under the safe and cause damage to both, gun safe and guns.
- Leveling the safe ensures that the door will open properly. If the gun safe is not leveled, the door might cause a problem while opening and closing it. Also, it swings the door while accessing the guns. You don’t want a 500-pound door to slam you suddenly, so leveling the gun safe is the correct way of installing it in the garage.
To level the gun safe properly, it needs to be detached from the delivery pallet and then placed on some sort of barrier. With a combination of wood and composite wedges, the gun safe is leveled properly and the door does not want to budge from where you placed it. A rubber mat or piece of plywood is not recommended because it traps moisture and does not allow adequate air circulation.
Risks In Storing Guns In Garage
Theft Risk
A gun safe is always at risk of theft. Even though the safes are designed not to be opened if they are not properly secured. If the garage is too easily accessible for a burglar, then your guns are not safe. To make sure that the burglars don’t find the gun safe too easily, make sure that you have hidden it in your garage properly.
Garages are the messiest or messy place in the house. It should be easy to put a few objects and in front of the gun safe such as a tarpaulin or unfolded boxes. Your curious neighbor won’t be able to look for a gun safe the next time you open the garage door. If you have screwed the gun safe firmly into the concrete floor and against the wall. It will make it impossible for the burglars to chain around it.
A properly bolted safe is designed to stand 6,000 pounds of force. Now you can bolt the gun safe securely and properly in your garage.
Humidity Risk
Another threat to the gun safe in the garage is moisture or humidity. Concrete does not do a good job of keeping the moisture out. The garage doors are often not insulated or sealed, through which, rain and air can pass causing cold temperature and humidity. Humidity is a greater risk than theft when you want to store the guns in your garage.
To prevent this risk, you can use different types of dehumidifiers. A rechargeable silica gel humidifier would be the best option for this purpose. On the other hand, a mini electric dehumidifier is having a coverage of about 1,200 cubic feet. It can be used for large garages where you want to store guns. It does not only protect your guns but the other objects in the garage too.
Ammunition
Humidity is even worse when it comes to ammunition. It is made of gunpowder and brass. The brass can corrode and the power supply becomes inoperative. Hence, it can cause misfires, damage the guns and even injure the person using the gun. If you live in a place where there could be an emergency at any time, then you should be worrying about the humidity risk for ammunition.
Temperature Risk
The guns should be stored in the recommended temperatures to keep them safe from humidity.
- Too Hot: A too high temperature can be because of the car you have just parked in your garage. It cannot be a problem in the garage where the gun safe is not even far from the oven. A 100°F temperature won’t be a problem for a gun or ammunition. The worrying high temperature is 400°F and above. Well, this temperature will only be happing if there is a fire.
- Too Cold: A too cold temperature is not a problem for guns and ammunition. But the worrying part is the changing temperature causing humidity. It is bad for guns, ammunition and the gun safe you are using.
Storing Guns In Garage – A Good And Bad Option
Storing guns in your garage is not recommended by most professionals because of various risk factors. If you still want to store the guns in your garage, then you should be having a gun safe. It keeps your guns protected from the risk of theft. You can hide it properly in the garage by putting other stuff in front of it. Hence, the curious neighbor won’t be able to peek inside your garage looking for a gun safe.
The humidity or moisture is the biggest threat of all. Humidity is not good for guns and ammunition and even for the gun safe. The build material of guns and ammunition can get rusty if it catches moisture. To keep the guns and ammunition safe from humidity, you can use dehumidifiers.