Posted: 3/20/2013 3:20:37 PM EDT
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Strongly considering moving my reloading area from the third slot in the garage to a portable building in the back yard. Main question is about humidity(NW houston)and security.
If there are no issues with these two then we move to how big of a place(thd mower will be there also). Let's hear it. |
| I have been thinking about it for years. The firefighters would probably let house burn down because they wouldn't come near it with all the ammo going off. Moving it and my reloading gear to a shed sounds like a great idea. Move it far enough away the other half won't bother walking out to it to bother you. Win win situation |
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The humidity is a problem for the dies, etc. not to mention the powder.
I would not want to be reloading in a non-air conditioned building around Houston (or probably anywhere in Texas) in the summer anyways. I live out west of San Antonio in Bandera County - a lot less humidity, but it is still HOT. My Mancave is a separate building from the home and I have my reloading bench out there. I built the building myself. What I did was install a window a/c unit through the wall. The newer units with digital thermostats and an eco feature make them pretty efficient, The economy feature cycles the unit on an off as needed. If I am not going to be out there much or going out of town, I set the thermostat for 78-79 and it keeps the humidity down. It really does not add much to our electric bill. I have a friend who lives in Alvin, TX and he did something similar, but not being as handy with a hammer as me, He bought a premade building, had it delivered and wired for electricity. He had them cut a hole for his window a/c unit when he ordered it. He does not reload, but he keeps a lot of their LTS preps stored out there. He also uses it as his Mancave. As for security, I do not think it is any easier to break into an outbuilding than it is the house. It is easy enough to wire up an alarm to notify you if someone is out there. |
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I built a reloading shed about 15 years ago, it is 12x16 I insulated the walls and ceiling, I have a window unit and a portable electric heater for the cool days.
I have had no problems with rust or other humidity problems even though most of the time the A/C or heat is off. I had an electrician run the wire from the house to the building where I live you don't have codes to worry about, I wired the building myself. It is about 100 ft from my house. |
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thanks all!
i've been reloading in my garage since i got married and moved to SE TX. i can't see any damage to dies or press. i have a good reason to move from the garage; i can't get a toy(c6)unless i can keep it on my property, per the sammichmaker! some days i'm hot for this, some days i'm Not for this. i guess i need to find out what my deed restictions are and get to looking at costs involved, as i, too, am not that handy with a hammer! |
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One of my friends has his gun safes and reloading set up in a portable building. Its wooden and insulated. He runs a window unit in it to help control the temp and humidity. Said if the house burned down he would still have his guns. Priorities.  I actually thought about doing this(safe in shed)but I'm dealing with easements and I'm sure I'd want the Damn thing anchored pretty flipping well! The building and the safe. My neighbor knows a guy that builds sheds then assembles them on your property. He's in rural cypress off Mueschke rd. |
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A friend of mine built a loading/safe room in his backyard. He builds commercial refrigeration plants and built his room using freezer insulation panels. He has a small a/c unit that will also blow warm air, but it is so well insulated he has to keep it on low even in August. From the outside it just looks like any storage building. |
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I have been thinking about it for years. The firefighters would probably let house burn down because they wouldn't come near it with all the ammo going off. Moving it and my reloading gear to a shed sounds like a great idea. Move it far enough away the other half won't bother walking out to it to bother you. Win win situation ammo burning in a fire being like a death blossom is a myth, check out this video, maybe share it with your local FF. video link |
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I have been thinking about it for years. The firefighters would probably let house burn down because they wouldn't come near it with all the ammo going off. Moving it and my reloading gear to a shed sounds like a great idea. Move it far enough away the other half won't bother walking out to it to bother you. Win win situation ammo burning in a fire being like a death blossom is a myth, check out this video, maybe share it with your local FF. video link What about loaded weapons in a fire? |
| reloading roomgo to post 1239 and you can see my pics from when I turned our "pool house" into a reloading room. I say do it for two reasons: when you build it you can put in all the electrical and air lines you want and you'll need. I did and its great. you can also insulate the walls, and roof so its very friendly to reload and store your stuff in when its 120 degrees outside.. 2, it gets all your dangerous stuff out of the house or garage to a separate location. I had everything in my garage and in the summer it would get over 100 degrees inside and I had no cheap way of putting in AC in there. now I just need to buy my window unit and I'm good. also, if your house ever catches fire, if your like me, once my reloading stuff catches fire, there would be no turning back as I have thousands of rounds loaded up and pounds of powder stock piled. if its a separate building, you will only loose that building and most likely wont even have to make a claim on your insurance. just my opinion here. |
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My FFL (Jersey Village area) has a gunsafe in his garage. I'd guess that if you could control the humidity in a safe you could keep your stuff in there when you're not using it. I'm sure he has a dehumidifier rod in his safe which works for metal but temperature wise, I'm not sure you'd want to store lbs of powder in a hot humid climate. |