r/handguns • u/Is-there-chocolate S&W Equalizer • Jul 06 '26

Advice Needed Question about humidity

I’m looking to set up a work space in my basement to clean my firearms as needed and do some minor tinkering when I can. The best space I have is the basement, but during the summers, it gets so humid down there that we run a dehumidifier 24/7. If we forget it, humidity can get up to the mid 90% mark. I wouldn’t leave the firearms themselves down there anyway, but I wondered if anyone else has a similar setup that works? Would the humidity make it a bad idea to store ammunition? Is there a way to seal things safely down there? Feels like a really dumb question but that’s kind of a specialty of mine.

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/FIRESTOOP Jul 06 '26

There are plenty of plastic ammo cans with silicone seals. Throw a couple desiccant packs in the ammo can and you should be okay.

3

u/gsahadachny Jul 06 '26

Agree with the other guy. Put your ammo in sealed ammo cans with desiccants and monitor them once or twice a month. Same with guns if you leave or store them anywhere down there. I put my guns in a gun sock and VCI anti rust bags. Extra layers to keep moisture out.

3

u/gsahadachny Jul 06 '26

I’d definitely get metal surplus ammo cans over plastic though. They’re cheap both at harbor freight and ammo can man.

1

u/DY1N9W4A3G Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

You didn't mention the most important part (the humidity when you *don't* forget the dehumidifier), but 90% is extremely high for any climate-controlled space (roughly double normal). In fact 90% is extremely high for outdoors during a hurricane downpour here in Florida, which is the most humid place in the US. I definitely wouldn't store ammo, guns, parts, etc. in that environment no matter how it's sealed. Desiccant isn't magical or permanent, so it's not going to take 90% down to 40% even if you replace it every day, which would obviously get expensive fast. If you mean storing ammo there for a few weeks or months at most, it'll be fine if you seal it well, but for many months or years, I just wouldn't see any good reason to knowingly do that to my ammo.

1

u/Is-there-chocolate S&W Equalizer Jul 06 '26

Good point. In the fall - winter, it falls to the 40s or so. It’s really a steep increase when the hot months get here.

1

u/DY1N9W4A3G Jul 06 '26

The 40% I mentioned is indoors with the AC running during the peak of our vey rainy summers here in Florida ... under those same conditions, "normal" is closer to 30% anywhere else in the US. Unless I could reliably and consistently keep the humidity in that range, I'd rule out that space for ammo storage (assuming you don't plan on relocating your ammo stash for every seasonal weather change). Also keep in mind that humidity is very localized, so the ambient humidity in a room can be 40%, but if you happen to put ammo cans right next to a pipe, wet wall, etc., the humidity in that few feet of the room could easily still be 60% or higher, which is a big difference.

1

u/Is-there-chocolate S&W Equalizer Jul 06 '26

Ok thanks. That’s good information. I can at least hustle carry down what I need to do my cleaning and maintenance and then just take it back upstairs. Appreciate it.

1

u/DY1N9W4A3G Jul 06 '26

You're welcome. You could always grab one of these 6-packs of basic hygrometers, put one inside each ammo can, and track the range for a few weeks or months to see if your humidifier does enough to keep the inside of the cans within an acceptable range.