So bought the cannon 80 gun first of the year. And the silica gel dehumidifier.
Safe is about 70% full, and open door every day.
So yesterday was first time I looked at dehumidifier and was pink so oven 3 hours
back to blue.

My question is Square feet on dehumidifier is larger the safe, but just how long do they
last before they turn pink??? Would it be better to use two???
I'm going to start to watch it more but wondering how long you go before re-charging.

Reading reviews on electric one and they were all bad.

Also pre-drilled hole for electric on back of safe would it be better to seal that up???

Also safe is in uninsulated metal shop, with sliding door.

Thanks

Just put a 50 pound sack of rice in the safe and keep the door closed! Why would you let humidity in every day?

Youre gonna have a tough time fighting humidity no matter what you do if the safe is in a unisulated metal shop where temp fluctuates. Mine is in the climate control house, and I run a golden rod and two dessicant containers. Even then the beads will turn pink in 2-3 days. The color change may not necessarily mean the dessicant is saturated to the point where its no longer absorbing moisture. I know on mine when they go from blue to pink its roughly 6% saturated. I cook mine every 4-6 months.

My safe is in my house. No dehumidifier at all and never any rust.

Put a golden rod in and that's all it needs. The golden rod circulates air so it defeats the purpose of putting a desiccant container in there also (you'll need to recharge the container all the time if you use this method with a golden rod). The rod will work best because it will keep the inside of your safe at a consistent temperature.

I've often thought of buying industrial desiccant pellets, in bulk and keeping a coffee can sized container in the safe.

Seems like a 50 lb. bag of this would last a long time: http://www.ecompressedair.com/activated-alumina-desiccant-18-in-(32-mm)-(50-lb-bags).aspx?utm_source=google_shopping

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

Mine's in my garage and has been for over 15 years, never used a dehumidifier and no rust whatsoever. All I do is scatter a few silica packs around just for good measure and replace them from time to time. But I will say I don't open mine much, maybe 1-2 times a week on average. Mine's a Liberty 28-gun.

Can anyone offer an average humidity level as measured within their safe? My safe is in a bedroom and seems to average between 50-60%. According to my rather inexpensive gun safe hygrometer, a humidity level of 50% is ideal.