What humidity for your gun room?

[Chris Shelton]

My wife and I recently purchased a new to us house (built in 2008). It has a “John Deere Room” in the basement which is just a garage. The original owner had an AC duct put in the back part of the garage. My father in law helped me build an insulated wall to capture that vent for a climate controlled reloading room. It’s a 16x14 room. We are in that weird time of year where you don’t run your furnace and you don’t run your AC in southeast MO, so I understand that humidity will be up because I’m not conditioning the air. That room was sitting at about 60% humidity. I put a 1000 square ft dehumidifier in it and knocked it down to 50%ish. I know most people say 40% is ideal for that intended use, but realistically, will I have any problems with powder, primers, etc. if they are all in sealed containers as long as I keep it under 60%? I know tools may get minor surface rust but I can handle that. I think I’m overthinking it, but wanted to get some input. Thanks!

 

[RegionRat]

I kept the loading labs between 45% and 60%, powder was stored at a very tight 50%.

Keep in mind that corporations have bigger budgets and different motives. That said, it isn't difficult or too expensive to run a de-humidifier and hold 50% - 55% RH on a room that small.

Keeping the humidity up when it is very dry is a little more difficult in hobby situations since HVAC systems are not equipped unless you spend some resources on them.

Going down too close to 40% invites the static issues with electronics. Going up above 60% invites the corrosion and water content issues. YMMV

 

[Fire Dog]

I kept the loading labs between 45% and 60%, powder was stored at a very tight 50%.

Keep in mind that corporations have bigger budgets and different motives. That said, it isn't difficult or too expensive to run a de-humidifier and hold 50% - 55% RH on a room that small.

Keeping the humidity up when it is very dry is a little more difficult in hobby situations since HVAC systems are not equipped unless you spend some resources on them.

Going down too close to 40% invites the static issues with electronics. Going up above 60% invites the corrosion and water content issues. YMMV

My dehumidifier is set for 55% and some times in the summer it goes below that but never less than 50%. Never have the mould and dampness that used to happen, especially in the summer and rain season.

 

[Killing Time]

My house has a full basement and the basement walls are the precast concrete walls that are built off site and installed. I went with this offering due to several reasons but the most important was they’re pretty much guaranteed to never leak. In my basement, I had a safe room built in that is completely encapsulated by concrete and that is where my reloading area is. I keep a humidity gauge in there all the time and I’ve never seen the humidity over 55% since I built my house in 2018. I have never had any signs of moisture anywhere in the basement or the reloading room and have not had any issues with powder or primers. Static electricity hasn’t been bad either, but I still take precautions there by keeping my powder dispenser sitting on an anti-static mat and have it grounded through the earth ground in my home’s electrical system.