My Thoughts on Rod Dehumidifiers

[Jim Koepke]

Because my shop gets below freezing in the winter a standard dehumidifier doesn't work properly to keep moisture from settling on my tools and other metal surfaces.

The product I am using is not really a dehumidifier. It is a low wattage heater. The idea being it warms the area above the dew point so moisture will not form on the items being protected. Some people use fixtures with incandescent lamps to do this, but that is not only wasted wattage, there is a breakage possibility.

These units are also used in pianos, storing motor cycles, tool chests and many other enclosed places where one doesn't want moisture to settle.

The most common place to find them is in retail outlets that sell fire arms.

I looked at three products and ended up buying two. In the future I will likely stay with the product from Steven Buenger of GoldenRod Dehumidifiers.

http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/

The Browning product was marked 08 Watts. I think this may have been an error, but I do not like to buy errors unless I know more about them. The Browning unit's method for installation was also a bit daunting. To feed the electric cord through a wall required taking the unit apart and feeding the heating element through the hole. Browning gun safes come with a hole to allow this, but the two other products are much easier with a plug that can be removed from the cord in the case of the GoldenRod and the LockDown model came with a plug the user installs. It is much easier to feed an electric cord through a hole than a heating element and a cord.

I bought the LockDown 18W model locally at the only sporting goods store in Longview, WA. It seems to be an OK product, but doesn't seem to get as warm as the GoldenRod.

Candy and I went to Olympia and while there I wanted to look for a few other items that are hard to find locally. We went to Cabela's sporting goods and a few other places.

http://www.cabelas.com/home.jsp?WTz_l=Header

If you are ever in the Olympia, WA (actually Lacey, WA next to Olympia) area and want to be dazzled by a sporting goods store, this is the place to be. There prices tend to be full retail, but looking is free. There is a rendition of a mountain on the first floor of the store with all kinds of animals displayed on the mountain. Inside the mountain is a large aquarium.

If you ever want a wide variety of lubricants, look in the places where they sell guns.

I am not a gun nut, it is just that where there are guns there are things that many of us can use for other things.

Like special springs, some of the best sources for odd springs are a gun store.

Conclusion:

The Browning unit did not even have a way to mount the holders to a wall. They were just flat pieces of plastic to hold the unit off the floor. Both the GoldenRod and the LockDown were supplied with screws to mount the holders to a wall. The GoldenRod mounts were a bit stouter then the LockDown mounts. It took a bit more of a push to get the rod mounted in the GoldenRod unit.

The LockDown is made in China. The GoldenRod is made in the U.S.

All three units are 18" and are supposedly available in other sizes.

So far, the GoldenRod seems to be worth the higher price. It is likely if one searched around on the internet instead of buying brick and mortar they could find better prices.

Though, I often opt to buy from the brick and mortar retailers just to reward them for taking the chance and selling a quality product that I can see and hold before handing over my plastic.

jtk

[Maurice Ungaro]

I'm a fan of Golden Rod dehumidifiers, and have had the same unit in my gun safe since 1997. Still works as advertised.

[Jason Coen]

GoldenRod makes good stuff.

And for a cheap and readily available rust preventative, I've yet to find anything that beats Breakfree. Don't use it on something that will see much use, as I'd be wary of it interfering with finishes, but for longer-term storage it's just about perfect.

Brownell's and MidwayUSA are great resources for springs and other small parts that might otherwise be hard to find.

[Jim Koepke]

And for a cheap and readily available rust preventative, I've yet to find anything that beats Breakfree.

A co-worker gave me a small almost empty container of that one time. I went and bought some from, where else, a local gun shop when I lived in California.

Another oil I like is silicon oil I have some that was used in copiers and it is some slick stuff.

jtk

[Tim Tyler]

I have been thinking of getting one of those Goldenrod units for my tool cabinet. How do you set those up? Does the cabinet need to have vents to allow air circulation or can you just install it in the enclosed cabinet? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Tim

[David Keller NC]

I have been thinking of getting one of those Goldenrod units for my tool cabinet. How do you set those up? Does the cabinet need to have vents to allow air circulation or can you just install it in the enclosed cabinet? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Tim

Tim - Venting would defeat the purpose of the heater. What this relies on is the fact that the relative humidity of a given volume of air that has a particular amount of water vapor in it (the absolute humidity) goes down as the temperature goes up. In the winter, the relative humidity of the air at ambient conditions may be as much as 80% in the NorthEast or NorthWest US, at a temperature of anywhere from 15F to 45F.

When you bring this ambient air indoors and heat it, the relative humidity drops precipitously, even though you've not actually removed any water vapor from the air. This is why a home with forced-air heating and no other source of water vapor (humidifiers, unvented showers, etc...) is very dry in the winter.

And, all of the processes associated with humidity in the air, including rusting of ferrous metals, is dependent on the relative humidity of the air, not the absolute humidity.

Jim - In this case, I would strongly advise you to buy the made in US model, regardless of a small (or even relatively large) cost differential. A malfunctioning electrical heater is essentially a dead short, and particularly in a wood shop, may result in a devastating fire. I know your preference for good value, but in this case buying something inexpensive (other than an incandescent lamp and lamp socket) may be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

[Carl Beckett]

Interesting approach to condensation problems. I might point out that since the premis here is to keep the temperature of the environment around your tools above a certain level - this is really a thermal mechanism which indirectly controls condensation (so what, as long as it achieves the desired goal)

To me, it means:

It will only really work in an enclosed space, with limited air movement and ideally insulated. If a large amount of recirculated air - it will not have the capacity to keep up. So putting these inside a cabinet, or drawer, is the only practical implementation (otherwise you are just heating the entire shop - and resistive heating is not particularly efficient)

Even better - insulate the drawer or cabinet you have your tools in. Dont allow it to over heat, but the more insulation, the less energy required to keep the space above the desired temp. These have a thermal shutoff so its on/off cycling. The better your insulation the less overall energy used.

So these wouldnt work for large spaces or un-enclosed spaces (may as well just use a space heater). But for a drawer of important tools (or inside a gun case), it should be viable as long as the heater can keep up with the energy loss (a function of the insulation).

The concept could be a nice feature to incorporate into your tool storage cabinet (or drawers under the bench). I am imagining one of those resistive floor heaters (that go under tile or laminate flooring, with a thermostat control). A little insulation around the sides/back/top/bottom, and this would keep all your tools in a temp (and indirectly humidity) controlled climate. Kinda like fine wine......

[Jim Koepke]

Jim - In this case, I would strongly advise you to buy the made in US model, regardless of a small (or even relatively large) cost differential. A malfunctioning electrical heater is essentially a dead short, and particularly in a wood shop, may result in a devastating fire. I know your preference for good value, but in this case buying something inexpensive (other than an incandescent lamp and lamp socket) may be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Thanks for the advice. The units are on a low amperage circuit breaker to prevent such a problem.

I think more common than a resistance unit (heating element) shorting out is the element breaking and becoming open.

I have been considering using a ground fault outlet for this and grounding the heating units. They do not have grounded plugs.

jtk

[Dominic Greco]

I installed a Golenrod Dehumifier in my tool cabinet back in 2009. Like you mentioned, the brackets made it a snap to install. All I had to do was drill a couple of vent holes in the cabinet's divider to help the internal air flow.

Since the installation I have had NO issues with rust from condensation. I would recommend them to anyone considering trying to reduce the chance of their iron tools rusting. I figure it was money well spent.

[David Keller NC]

Thanks for the advice. The units are on a low amperage circuit breaker to prevent such a problem.

I think more common than a resistance unit (heating element) shorting out is the element breaking and becoming open.

You're right - that fault is definitely more common. It's just that the other fault has potentially catastrophic consequences, even if they are on a low amperage breaker. This happens frequently with another extremely common small resistive heater - fish tank heaters. They don't blow the breaker even though they're shorted, because the element cross-sectional area is extremely small, and it only takes a few milliseconds to heat that part of the element to a few hundred degrees, which increases the resistance greatly and stops the breaker from tripping.

I have been considering using a ground fault outlet for this and grounding the heating units. They do not have grounded plugs.

I wouldn't bother with the ground fault because while GFC would be code for a shop with a concrete on-grade floor, that's primarily for items that are not double-insulated, or that could be dropped in a bucket of water. I'm presuming you don't have ominous and threatening buckets of water around your woodshop.

[Jason Coen]

AFCI instead of GFCI would be more appropriate, I would think.

[Erik Manchester]

Jim,

I use a couple of Goldenrod Gun Saver units in my enclosed saw till and vintage tool chest. Together with some LV rust inhibitors and a light coat of 3 in 1 oil I have never had any problems with corrosion of my saws, planes and drills, etc. They are worth the cost of purcahse and operation.

[Jim Koepke]

I'm presuming you don't have ominous and threatening buckets of water around your woodshop.

No, just a jug or two for the water stones.

Though I do have an on grade concrete floor.

jtk