Posted: 8/21/2016 10:05:18 AM EDT
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Hey Gang. I'm in the worst kind of need here dealing with this mess.
I live in one of those devastated areas in Louisiana you may have seen on the news last week. Besides my house, shop, and truck flooding. This safe took 5 inches inside. All the walls now feel dry. The bottom had two pieces of that crumbled. Then there's the very bottom of the safe. How can I get this all the way dry. I've had 2 Damaris buckets and have been running a dehumidifier next to it for a few days. I've even sat with a heat gun on and off for 20 mins at a time. Still feels damp.....HELP!!!! |
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If your safe isn't double-wall constructed with the fire resistant mixture in between, I would suggest as others have above.
Remove the interior and replace it. Gun safe fire rating information 9 Myths about fireproof GunSafes talks about construction and may help you. Sorry for all the problems you are having with the flood. Let us know how you resolve everything. |
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As many have sad, remove ALL of the drywall, and replace it.
I would go a bit further even, and totally dry and repaint the inside, then new drywall, dry that out with a heater for a few days, then new shelving then put guns in. Since everything was so wet and it is humid as fuck down there, oil your guns several times over the next few weeks, or even grease them. If you have wood stock guns, pull the stocks off and let them dry separated from the metal parts. Good luck |
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Thanks for all the replys. They some good suggestions here. Here's where I am right now.
First off I've sent Liberty Safe an email on Wednesday with not reply. That's ridiculous in my opinion. 
Speaking with the dealer I purchased this safe from. They're tell me if I rip out the bottom of the safe my warranty is void for the fire protection. 
But liberty is offer 15% off a new safe. Which is great but I do NOT have contents on my insurance. Just flood insurance. I have 3 Damp Rid buckets in the safe right now. |
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Damp rid buckets just lower the moisture content of the air in the safe. Yes they help but I see them as being super duper slow. You want to find a small electric heater, you said you had a heat gun but I don't know if it has a low setting. A hair dryer on low would work as well. I would go ahead and rip out everything in the safe til I hit metal. And put some form of electric heater in there and leave the door barely cracked for the cord to clear and let that sucker work a while. If you have one of those temp things where you can put a sensor outside to see temp and humidity, use that. I consider emails to companies to be an unknown response time limit sort of thing. Give em a call. Tell em you sent em an email with a question. I figure the fire rated whatever is ruined after the flood. Even if it dries out, I would not want anything near it in a fire because of what was probably in that flood water chemical wise. If the safe is bolted to the floor I would also wonder about what is not currently between the safe and floor. I never thought about caulking around the safe and the floor, til I read about floods. After reading about all the chemicals in the flood water I would wash the inside of the safe out with something like simple green or some other basic cleaner. I have been known to use brake cleen, in the automotive section, to clean stuff as well. Basically the goal is to rinse everything off the metal in that safe and get it out of the safe. I could also see still painting it with something as well just to make sure the metal is protected decently as I build an interior back to it. Somewhere during all this liberty will contact you, call em anyway, and I sort of figure the fire rating is dead if you do nothing or if you do something. Having a pro do it will be expensive. If they offer you a deal on a new safe, go ahead and get it. What does it take to water proof a safe? Added on edit. I am talking about garbage bags in door as you close it to evacuate or caulking it or what would someone recomend being done. And garbage bags or anything would need to be done around the locking rods or possible interferance might make opening it again a pain. |
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If it were me, I'd rip all of the drywall out and replace. That shit holds moisture unlike anything I've seen Eta; guns ok? THIS! Had 4 foot of water in the house during the No Name storm of 1993. Tidal surge. Was told by FEMA agent to cut out all the drywall that had gotten wet. I replaced every board floor to ceiling. Some people took the insurance money and splashed bleach around. A few months later they were driven from their homes by Black Mold and all sorts of respiratory infections. |
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Are you ok otherwise? It isn't affecting the northeast so we aren't getting a lot of info here. I expect there are areas there that will never be the same. We're going to make it. Yes there are areas that will forever be changed. It's going to take 6 months to get back to some type of normal for my family I hope. I'm not sure why the news is not covering this. I'm not comparring tragedies but this one is up there with Karina and Sandy for sure. This is basic a tropical storm with no name (the no name storm is what I keep hearing it called). It came in and sat there pulling water out of the Gulf and dumping it. Typically hurricane come in slow or fast but they move. This sat there for two days and slowly broke up. |
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Call Liberty tomorrow. Forget email. Explain exactly what happened and follow their suggestion. I'll be calling today. Let everyone know that they say. I do appreciate all the ideas. And feels good to talk to fellow gun people about this issue. Non gun people can not understand the pain of this issue. |
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Bingo. The fuck with trying to repair it and wondering if you did it right or not. Quoted:
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I make it part of the insurance claim. Get a new one. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Bingo. The fuck with trying to repair it and wondering if you did it right or not. I do not have contents insurance. I'd have to come out of pocket $2500 for a new fat boy. My dealer will give 15% off discount. Go fund me? |
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I feel your pain. My safe took several inches of water
When my house flooded back in April. Got all my guns out and onto the bed, but lost many Thousands of rounds of .22lr. after I cleaned it out, I hung a couple of 100watt light bulbs in there for a Few days. Dried it out nicely so I was able to refinish The inside. |
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Quoted: We're going to make it. Yes there are areas that will forever be changed. It's going to take 6 months to get back to some type of normal for my family I hope. I'm not sure why the news is not covering this. I'm not comparring tragedies but this one is up there with Karina and Sandy for sure. This is basic a tropical storm with no name (the no name storm is what I keep hearing it called). It came in and sat there pulling water out of the Gulf and dumping it. Typically hurricane come in slow or fast but they move. This sat there for two days and slowly broke up. Quoted: Quoted: Are you ok otherwise? It isn't affecting the northeast so we aren't getting a lot of info here. I expect there are areas there that will never be the same. We're going to make it. Yes there are areas that will forever be changed. It's going to take 6 months to get back to some type of normal for my family I hope. I'm not sure why the news is not covering this. I'm not comparring tragedies but this one is up there with Karina and Sandy for sure. This is basic a tropical storm with no name (the no name storm is what I keep hearing it called). It came in and sat there pulling water out of the Gulf and dumping it. Typically hurricane come in slow or fast but they move. This sat there for two days and slowly broke up. |
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Wrong demographic..... (Answered your question) Quoted:
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Are you ok otherwise? It isn't affecting the northeast so we aren't getting a lot of info here. I expect there are areas there that will never be the same. We're going to make it. Yes there are areas that will forever be changed. It's going to take 6 months to get back to some type of normal for my family I hope. I'm not sure why the news is not covering this. I'm not comparring tragedies but this one is up there with Karina and Sandy for sure. This is basic a tropical storm with no name (the no name storm is what I keep hearing it called). It came in and sat there pulling water out of the Gulf and dumping it. Typically hurricane come in slow or fast but they move. This sat there for two days and slowly broke up. Been watching it on the Weather Channel. Seems to be the only news outlet with any coverage. Sorry for all the crap you guys are going through right now. The damage looks horrific. Glad you and your family are safe. |
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So here's an update.
A few nights with a huge fan that is able to get my hands on. Seems like everything is dry. There also a dehumidifier running in there room. But I'll do this for a few more nights to be sure. Also waiting on a Peets dryer to come in so I can install it. Liberty has been zero help!!! I spoke with a representative and I swear that guy knew nothing about there products. To sum up the conversation. Yeah you can just rip it all out and put drywall from the hardware store in there. Really?? I'm not happy with Liberty. My local dealer is supposedly working on a floor kit for people by Liberty but it's going to be a while. I have better things to do. Like rebuild my house and buy 2 vehicles. Seems like all you do is sell safes. Sell me parts I need. 
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Quoted: If it were me, I'd rip all of the drywall out and replace. That shit holds moisture unlike anything I've seen. Or park it on a clif at Badwater with the door open for a couple months. Eta; guns ok? It's too humid for that stuff to ever naturally dry out. Just rip it all out and replace it. Drywall is cheap and it's easy to cut to exact sizes. |
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I would gut the interior and build your own. As you gut it you will see what it is made from. If you want to change anything, now is the time. If your safe dealer or liberty get around to making an offer of some sort have receipts and pics for what you did on your safe. I would want the safe cleaned up and back in use quickly. Did the water level come up to any of the holes in the door for the locking bars or anything? If it did I would be tempted to look in the door as well. At the very least add in some kroil or something to help keep things in good shape. The post up above about losing 22lr to the safe getting water in it has me glad I have ammo cans and rethinking something like a job box as well. |
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Quoted:
Hey Gang. I'm in the worst kind of need here dealing with this mess. I live in one of those devastated areas in Louisiana you may have seen on the news last week. Besides my house, shop, and truck flooding. This safe took 5 inches inside. All the walls now feel dry. The bottom had two pieces of that crumbled. Then there's the very bottom of the safe. How can I get this all the way dry. I've had 2 Damaris buckets and have been running a dehumidifier next to it for a few days. I've even sat with a heat gun on and off for 20 mins at a time. Still feels damp.....HELP!!!! No advice -- just wishing you good luck!!!! |