N
Neil Maxwell
The safe, which also had a sizable quantity of cash stored there, has
become damp and musty. A humidistat read 60% humidity inside the safe
which I think was from the large amount of cash in the safe.
Obviously, this is not a good system as I'm under an impression that
disks should not get damp
Separate from the issue of whether this is appropriate for data
storage or not, many safes have the ability to use a small heating
device specifically for the purpose of keeping moisture low. One
brand name is Goldenrod, and they typically go in the $20-40 range..
Some folks do this themselves with several small wattage bulbs in
series (say, 2 25W bulbs wired in series). The reduced voltage and
current extends the lifetime on the bulbs pretty dramatically. Some
also use christmas light strings. In any case, it's a good idea to
keep the lights shielded to avoid scorching.
Devices like this are much more practical than dessicant, as they
require little to no maintenance and are very stable. My main
experience is with gun safes, where you want to keep the metal dry and
rust-free but not dry the wooden stocks excessively, and the Goldenrod
works great.