Goldenrod Dehumidifier Question

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  • Notropis

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    My fishing buddy uses one, in his dry(ish) basement. Pulled out some rusty guns to show me. I've been hesitant ever since.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    My fishing buddy uses one, in his dry(ish) basement. Pulled out some rusty guns to show me. I've been hesitant ever since.


    I think the "ish" is what got him. Those just give you a little extra margin. They arent a panacea for all conditions.
     

    mark40sw

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    GoldenRod Dehumidifier. The Best Dehumidifier Reviews Here


    How Does a GoldenRod Dehumidifier Work?


    The GoldenRod is quite different from most other humidity control products. All dehumidifiers reduce relative humidity but the vast majority do so by removing water from the air. A GoldenRod Dehumidifier lowers relative humidity by warming the air.

    Warming the air lowers relative humidity and, more importantly, increases the difference between the ambient temperature and the dew point. This reduces the probability that water vapor will condense inside the space, damaging the items inside.
     

    gregkl

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    Not sure what is meant by unsealed but I have one in my gun safe. Keeps the RH at about 48%. That's in my basement but I do have a dehumidifier down there which keeps the RH under 50%.
     

    billybob44

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    Sep 22, 2010
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    In the Man Cave
    How well do these work in a normal unsealed gun cabinet? Thanks

    ^^^unsealed gun cabinet
    ^^^=Not very well.
    These are to be used in closed areas. I have one in the bottom of my " Big Johnson", wired into a dial that adjusts for the moisture content.

    My Johnson is in the basement, and my guns have NO rust..Bill.
     

    Butch627

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    since they only heat and move air how do they reduce humidity? If they are in a sealed space where does the moisture in the air go ? Has anyone measured the air temperature inside and outside their safe when using a goldenrod? I am not implying that they don't keep guns from rusting but I don't understand how they can reduce humidity particularly if they are in a sealed container.
     

    jimb1069

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    Thanks for all the input. The cabinet is just one of the cheaper metal cabinets. I was just curious if they were more designed for an actual gun safe that sealed up tighter.
    Seems like this gets about a 50/50 review. What else is better for my situation? I see they have desiccant type dehumidifiers. Are these more effective or about the same?
     

    russc2542

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    since they only heat and move air how do they reduce humidity? If they are in a sealed space where does the moisture in the air go ? Has anyone measured the air temperature inside and outside their safe when using a goldenrod? I am not implying that they don't keep guns from rusting but I don't understand how they can reduce humidity particularly if they are in a sealed container.

    They don't reduce the amount of water in the air, they reduce the relative humidity. Air has a certain amount of water it can hold based on the temperature, higher temperature = more water (by mass). Relative humidity is how much water there is compared to the air's capacity. (made up numbers way out of whack for easy explanation) So if the air in the safe can hold 5g of water at 70 degrees, 2.5g would be 50% Relative humidity (rh). if you raise the temp to 80, it can hold 7g in the same volume so 3.5g would be 50% rh but you only have 2.5g so the rh is only 40%(ish).

    Similarly, the dewpoint is where the rh becomes 100% for a given water mass. Once you have the max amount of water content suspended, adding more water causes it to fall out of suspension (dew/frost/precipitation depending on temp and altitude of formation). Similarly, the closer you are to saturation (100% capacity/rh) the easier it is to get the water to precipitate.

    That temperature difference can be local. One example would be a cold beverage on a hot day and the glass "sweats". The air is hot and humid (high capacity for water (high temp) and using a lot of that capacity) but the glass is cold: the air in contact with the glass becomes colder and eventually drops below the dew point. once the air is below the dew point, it can't hold the moisture and it precipitates on the side of the glass (there's more about why and how that I'll leave out.)

    The guns in the safe (or tools in a box) are the same way but to a far lesser degree so it takes longer. precipitation happens by degrees even if we only notice it at extremes: it may only be a few molecules at a time but if they land on exposed metal they can form rust a molecule at a time without big drops. That's why it's commonly refered to as cancer for cars: it can be slow and hidden as well as obvious. The goldenrod raises the temp in the safe so the air can hold more moisture thereby making the minute precipitation that happens inside happen slower. less precipitation = less rust.

    You can do the same thing with an incandescent light bulb in the safe which is just as efficient because even though 5% of the energy in is going to create light, that light is absorbed by the walls of the safe and converted back to heat. The downside is the potential for broken glass and, depending on wattage, high surface temp vs the goldenrod which, while uncomfortable to hold, isn't a burn risk unless you hold it.


    Thanks for all the input. The cabinet is just one of the cheaper metal cabinets. I was just curious if they were more designed for an actual gun safe that sealed up tighter.
    Seems like this gets about a 50/50 review. What else is better for my situation? I see they have desiccant type dehumidifiers. Are these more effective or about the same?

    It still depends. A desiccant chemically traps water so in a sealed environment, it'll absorb all it can and stabilize whereas the goldenrod leaves the moisture there but changes how easily it precipitates (and needs power which makes the environment harder to seal). In an unsealed environment, as you pull moisture out of the air in the container, more moisture will enter so you'll have to keep changing the dessicant and it's effectiveness will depend on it's position relative to the protected goods and the leaks (IE: if the moist air has to flow over the goods to reach the desiccant, it won't help much. In that case, the goldenrod will be less effective than a sealed and insulated safe but will continuously renew by always heating 24/7. Another consideration is the goldenrod needs to be placed low in the safe because cold air is denser: if it's near the top, it just heats the top and the heat stays there. At the bottom, it heats the low air which then rises and cold air falls to be heated. That also means that a safe with lots of full width shelves and packed full of stuff is going to make the goldenrod a lot less effective by blocking the convection currents (air movement)
     
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