Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Gun safe in garage?

Son lives in Anchorage and has a question. Is it ok to store a safe in a heated garage with a heated rod inside? When we lived there before all our safes were inside the house so this is new territory to me.
He keeps the temperature in the garage 40-45.
Appreciate the help
Thank you.

Mine is in the garage. I keep it a little warmer, 55 - 60, but still cool. I don't have a rod or dehumidifier in the safe. There isn't enough humidity to cause problems, summer or winter.

I have a safe in an outside room that isn't heated or cooled. I have a heated rod in it and dessicant that I recharge periodically. My guns aren't rusting in it.

Typical 12" DriRod will protect around 45 cubic feet (6' x 41" x 27") in the type of environment you mentioned. Having a vapor barrier under the safe and don't use a moisture absorber and you should be fine. LPS makes some of the best rust prevention products for short to long term storage. A rag with a basic oil is also good to keep fingerprints from creating rust spots.

I have had my safe in my garage with in floor heating in Kenai, Alaska for 12 years. No problems, but it is advertised as waterproof. All of my weapons are stored with after a wipe down of Corrosion X on them. Have never had a rust issue at all.

I own two stainless bolt rifles, every thing else is blue steel and walnut and their fine.

My garage has alarms and a camera inside to record what ever.

Mine is in a room off the garage, and the garage is used by two daily drivers. That means wet, snowy cars drip and melt off daily. Lots of water on the floor. The temp in the garage ranges from the low 60's in summer to the mid 40's in winter. The safe is a fireproof Browning. It has been in that room for 30 years. I have no dehumidifier in it. I've never had even a hint of problems. I've tossed in some of those moisture desiccant packs that come in various packaging over the years.

Thanks gents. Son will appreciate it.

I run a light bulb in my garage safe….have a coffee can sitting on floor with the bulb in it… have a gauge reading the moisture mounted and it always showing low moisture. Never had a trace of rust on my firearms for over 15-20 years. Have to replace the small bulb ever so often but that no problem.Temp is in 40’s in winter and 70’-80’s in summer.

I kept my safe in my unheated garage for a short period. In Tn the temp may be 25 one day and mid60’s the next. Anytime that happened my concrete floor would sweat and so would my safe. I never found any problems with the guns inside but my safe did start showing a hint of rust on its exterior. Moved it inside after that.

Benbo, you probably did not put down a barrier when they poured your concrete. The carport at my house is like that and no barrier was put down when they poured it.

In the last few years I have dealt with two safe loads of guns that got very wet, but not from atmospheric conditions. One was a swamping from a smallish fire in the kitchen above. The other was from leaking copper pipe in the walls above. In both cases they found out bigger safes have a hole in the top threaded for a picking eye. A plug is usually supplied/installed when the safe is set up.

I found out my safe did not have one installed and have found another. Cheap insurance to take a peek...

I just leave guns setting all over. One at the wood shed, one at the out house, one down at my cut site, one in the dog sled scabbard one in the truck.

They are all rusted.

Good argument for buying Rugers

Have a safe in the garage in the interior, I keep it pretty warm, mid 50s, park inside. So there is moisture at times.
I just keep a can of desiccant in the safe, no problem with rust.

Bigger concern is the possibility of theft, back in the garage with a pickup, close the door, jockey- slide the safe over to the back of the truck and flop it in the bed.

2 big guy's could do it, 3 for sure.

If a safe is in the garage it should be bolted to or anchored to the floor or wall.

Just a thought

Which of the two Corrosion X or Corrosion X CLP work better, if there is any difference?

i have always have my safe in the garage.

Dad put one in his garage in the late 80s.
Not sure if it's on the floor or not, he built it into a nice set of cabinets in the outside corner.


It is a rust factory.

Everything needs pulled every 6 months and cleaned an re-lubed.

Lotta things going on with it I might do different now, not sure if there is one
problem, or several. Golden rod didn't stop it, dessicants added didn't.
VCIs did seem to help.

He finally gave up and bought 2 safes to put in the basement.


The conditions Benbo mentions aren't uncommon here in the spring, add moisture from the concrete floor (no vapor barrier under cement 50 years ago) and all the water in car exhaust.....


I know guys who have them in unheated outbuildings with no issue.
All are either wood floors or they sit on wood

Mine is in a little storage room off the garage, with no door. No rust problems whatsoever in 30 years. That room, indeed, has a wood floor.

But how are you going to get to it when the zombies come?

During awakened hours, one should have a firearm on one's person. The home invasion, carjacking, and prison revolving door phenomenons prove that the flag is currently flying 24/7/365. The war has been ongoing, if not declared, and hostilities can erupt at any moment and at any location. We pretty much live in a world of goblins, not the other way around.

There are great firearm storage units available for immediate access to sleeping homeowners:

https://www.gunsafes.com/stealth-portable-handgun-safe-mechanical-pistol-box.html

https://vlineind.com/shop/rifle-case-home-defense-rifle-safe/

These aren't fireproof, but they keep guns out of the hands of kids.

Ring electronic systems allow homeowners some measure of warning. Solid core bedroom doors with deadbolts provide sleeping homeowners plenty of time to get a gun in hand and punch 911 into a cellphone.