Humidity

[gixer1]

I am looking to put a cabinet in a small room, around 5m2, it’s a room within a building that has a large door to outside. I put out hydrometers (albeit the cheapest ones from Amazon -5-Pack LCD Digital Hygrometer Thermometer, Indoor Outdoor Humidity Meter Temperature Gauge for Humidifiers Dehumidifiers Greenhouse Basement Babyroom, Black Round https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HK22...abc_2FHB5ZAXJAW47M09DVE0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

The humidity reading is around 85% so I guess I need a dehumidifier and was looking at a mini dehumidifier which is apparently good for rooms up to 30m2.

my question is does anyone use one and how effective are they? From what I see it uses 0.72kw of electricity for 24 hours running so will be around £110/year and in high humidity environments will fill up in around 3 days and need emptying.

would I be better installing seals around the room door and would this be an option in the cabinet?

I did think about sealing the cabinet door and putting one of those scavenger type canisters in as it would be a lower cost option but not sure how effective it would be?

Any input appreciated.

regards,
Gixer

 

[Woodsmoke]

I would just put a couple of desiccant bags in the cabinet, along with a VP 90 sachet. That should do you just fine, and at minimal cost. Just swap the sachets out every year or so

 

[BryanDC]

You would be better off installing a small ventilator with a hygrostat to stop and start it at 50%. I did that in an outside shed and it made a huge difference. Heating the room could actually encourage more humidity as warm air can carry much more water than cold air. 85% is very high, is there a source of damp in the room? As woodsmoke says a couple of good dessicant bags in the cabinet makes more sense and change them on a regular basis.

 

[Yorric]

Dehumidifiers work but are expensive to run. -- They are Ok in a fully sealed space. Not good anywhere with air change. Bryan's solution is better as it only runs when humidity is high and doesn't have the refrigeration inefficiency to overcome.
I run a low wattage aquarium heater controlled by a thermostat fitted in a cabinet (which is also insulated) that's located in an unheated part of the house & never had a problem, (even with black powder rifles which are more difficult to stop rusting than nitro powered arms)
Ian

 

[Cottis]

I use a dehumidifer in my spare room as I do not have a space outside to dry clothes, so they are hung on a drier.

They are really good in my view and suck excess moisture from elsewhere. You can set them to turn on and off at a certain humidity and you will be amazed at how much water they strip from the air. I would say mine easily takes 3 litres of water in a 24hr period. Good for feeding house plants as it is free from chems etc.

Price wise, it does not seem to hike my bills but then I have it set to only come on when humidity reaches 45%. If you have it on permanently, you can really sense a dry throat as the air is too dry. There is a happy medium which prevents mould and excess mositure in the air whilst not reducing the back of your throat to something that resembles the bottom of a birds cage.

Mine is now somewhere in the region of 8hrs old. Never cleaned or serviced. Continues to do its thing. I have been impressed with it. It is the one below if that helps. You can just allow the reservoir to fill up and remove (the machine shuts off when it is full) and empty or you can use a tube in to a larger container if you don't want to empty it each day. You could put a hose in to a 40 litre tub but that would need emptying once every 7-10days I reckon.

Ecoair DD122 Simple 7 Litre Desiccant Dehumidifier with Rotary Humidistat DD122FW-SIMPLE | Appliances Direct

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[gixer1]

You would be better off installing a small ventilator with a hygrostat to stop and start it at 50%. I did that in an outside shed and it made a huge difference. Heating the room could actually encourage more humidity as warm air can carry much more water than cold air. 85% is very high, is there a source of damp in the room? As woodsmoke says a couple of good dessicant bags in the cabinet makes more sense and change them on a regular basis.

The humidity level here is 91% this morning! So that’s just atmosphere. I wasn’t looking to heat the room as it’s by no means cold.

the concern with the desiccant bags is how long they would remain effective in 80-90% humidity as there is no real deal on a gun cabinet.

regards,
Gixer

 

[BryanDC]

The humidity level here is 91% this morning! So that’s just atmosphere. I wasn’t looking to heat the room as it’s by no means cold.

the concern with the desiccant bags is how long they would remain effective in 80-90% humidity as there is no real deal on a gun cabinet.

regards,
Gixer

As Yorric says driers only really work in closed in areas. They work well at times where you need to dry something as Cottis does when drying clothes or if you need to dry a room that you have plastered or painted and there isn't much ventilation. Then you simply close the door and it removes the moisture. Although the cabinet is not sealed, there is not much air movement and it is a tiny space to remove the moisture from compared to a room. I use a couple of 500 gram dry-bags Products - Desiccant in the gun cabinet and swap them every few months. They just go in the oven when its cooling down one day or in the airing cupboard for a few days to dry them out again. Not sure if you can get them in the UK now but there are similar products out there.

The RH seems to be very high. If the room is generally colder than it is outside on warm days, this could be because the warm moist air from outside increases substantially in RH when it is cooled down. That is where a small amount of ventilation can help as it tends to keep the temperature and RH at a level around the same as outside.

 

[gixer1]

The dehumidifier seems to have done the trick!

 

[Lloyd90]

My question is where are you and why is the humidity so high to begin with?

 

[gixer1]

My question is where are you and why is the humidity so high to begin with?

Scotland, and that’s pretty standard…89% is the average high in Aberdeenshire.

regards,
Gixer

 

[gixer1]

See below…

 

[Yorric]

To reduce the likely hood of corrosion, metal needs to be kept dry. As long as the metal is warmer than the surrounding environment, water won't condense on it and it will stay dry and won't corrode. Assuming the atmosphere is clean.
Hence my cabinet heater system, with insulation. Keeps the rifles just above ambient and protected,
I'm in Scotland only half a mile from the sea and I don't have concerns. I also don't need to oil the rifles in storage.
Clearly the temperature should not be ridiculously high and air inside the cabinet too dry to avoid wooden stocks warping. That is why I avoid dehydrating the area or cabinets.
Ian

 

[BryanDC]

To reduce the likely hood of corrosion, metal needs to be kept dry. As long as the metal is warmer than the surrounding environment, water won't condense on it and it will stay dry and won't corrode. Assuming the atmosphere is clean.
Hence my cabinet heater system, with insulation. Keeps the rifles just above ambient and protected,
I'm in Scotland only half a mile from the sea and I don't have concerns. I also don't need to oil the rifles in storage.
Ian

I am thinking of doing the same with my cabinet. I will probably use a plant heat mat or a reptile heat mat on the back wall. As you say you only have to give them a little warmth above ambient to keep them free of condensation.

 

[Fabnosh]

Some good counsel above. It's easy to maintain humidity in a small volume so go for the in-cabinet options. You can get wardrobe heaters (which are similar to those used in a reptile vivarium) which I used when in an old house they never get hot and just get slightly warm but keep the temp sufficient raised to keep the humidity within comfortable levels. Desiccant bags are a cheaper route but do need drying or replacing regularly.

FN

 

[Yorric]

I use a. Vivarium heat mat, these come with a thermostat in line to avoid overheating. To be belt and braces, I have added a decent quality second stat set a few degrees higher as a second line of defence.,,,, I don't want to cook my guns.
Ian

 

[gixer1]

Yup, I’ve never had an issue with corrosion over the years however the new location was the concern but I don’t think it will be anything to worry about. Thanks for the input chaps!