Reusing Desiccant Packs

[Doc]

Better to be sure than to have damage to photo equipment that will need to be replaced/repaired at a much higher cost. You have to dive many weeks saving $7 each week to offset the cost of a strobe.

I would refer you back to my post. One of your questions in the first post was with regard to how many times you can reuse the desiccant packs. I responded that if you do not trust any of the methods or are unsure, then just buy some new ones.

Theory versus real world experience and science....

The dessicant packs will only absorb the most minute amount of condensation that will cause a portal fog. It's really all about fogging, nothing more.

In that they are an extremely slowly acting sponge, you can not expect them to have much an effect on actually protecting the electronics in any real-world way. Most assuredly they have no value in the event of any leak- no matter how minor.

If you believe that they have a value being installed in the battery compartment of your remote flash head, and if it makes you feel better, knock your Mythbusters socks off. It would have a use if you could leave it sealed for a number of days and dives, but that's not how it happens in real life, does it?

The electronics are amazingly resilient towards fresh water corrosion, and not that you would want any water in there anyway, but what little that evaporates out of the small airspace isn't going to be salt laden, anyway.

The Air Conditioned idea- handling the opened case within an AC environment is good only if the object is slowly reintroduced to a warm environment for the boat ride, then also re-cooled to match the ocean temperature. After that, the internal heat generated by thyristors... all bets are off.

Much as they are designed and intended to absorb water over a long period of time... they suffer the same issue when we move to dehydrate them. Slow and warm is the way to go.

I have used multiple desi-packs the size of my shoe in IMAX Cameras, and they generate their own heat as well.

 

[DEEPLOU]

I have the Sea & Sea small Desiccant packs and the first one has now turned pink. I was hoping to get some clear directions on how to reuse them.

I found this thread (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/oly-outlet/78201-desiccant-useful-life.html)

which says you should

-----heat them in an oven at 250 F degrees for 45 minutes

-----heat them in an oven for 225 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----heat them in an oven at 150-200 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----microwave them at 50% power for 20 seconds

-----other said you should not microwave them

-----place them in a silicone tubing and hold them against a light bulb for a couple hours

My questions are...

1. Which one of these ways is right and/or best??

2. How many times can you do this before you need to buy new desiccant packs?

3. Is microwaving bad or not?

4. Won't holding anything against a light bulb cause a fire? And if not, do you have to actually sit there and hold it against the light bulb or is there a better way to do it? (I'm not creative in a handy kind of way).

Thanks!

After going through this thread, I gave two of those Sea Life tubes a try.
put them in oven at 175 deg for 20 min.
They came out brilliant blue, however the plastic containers distorted greatly.
One shrank up and lost its shape.
The other blew up like a balloon.

well two down not try a different method.

 

[OceanObsessed]

I have the Sea & Sea small Desiccant packs and the first one has now turned pink. I was hoping to get some clear directions on how to reuse them.

I found this thread (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/oly-outlet/78201-desiccant-useful-life.html)

which says you should

-----heat them in an oven at 250 F degrees for 45 minutes

-----heat them in an oven for 225 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----heat them in an oven at 150-200 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----microwave them at 50% power for 20 seconds

-----other said you should not microwave them

-----place them in a silicone tubing and hold them against a light bulb for a couple hours

My questions are...

1. Which one of these ways is right and/or best??

2. How many times can you do this before you need to buy new desiccant packs?

3. Is microwaving bad or not?

4. Won't holding anything against a light bulb cause a fire? And if not, do you have to actually sit there and hold it against the light bulb or is there a better way to do it? (I'm not creative in a handy kind of way).

Thanks!

When I worked in oceanography we would purchase dessicant by the gallon container. These were blue crystals. Once they absorbed moisture they would turn pink. We would just bake them and they would turn blue again. If I remember correctly (it was many years ago ) we would put them in cheese cloth for use and then unwrap them from the cheese cloth and put the bare crystals in the oven for heating. You will know when they are done baking when they turn blue again.

 

[AUTiger]

Hello Diving Princess!

I worked in a chemistry lab for over 20 years and we just put the desiccant in an oven for a few hours whenever we needed to recharge it. I'd just go with the 2 hour method at about 150 to 200 degrees. That should work just fine. I've never heard about putting it in the microwave so I can't speak on that.

BDSC

This is what I do, although 1 hour is usually enough. I bought a larger quantity of packs, so some of them have started changing color over time without even being used.

FYI, I keep a tampon taped into the bottom of my housing, figuring that if I see a small leak, I'll try to direct the water flow in that direction to be absorbed. Probably wishful thinking, but it was cheap and easy to implement.

David

 

[DivingPrincessE]

This is what I do, although 1 hour is usually enough. I bought a larger quantity of packs, so some of them have started changing color over time without even being used.

FYI, I keep a tampon taped into the bottom of my housing, figuring that if I see a small leak, I'll try to direct the water flow in that direction to be absorbed. Probably wishful thinking, but it was cheap and easy to implement.

David

Very creative...I'm shocked that you (a guy) is the one to have come up with this, I never would have thought of that. Seems like a very good idea if I can get past the laughs I'm sure it gets...although if it saves my camera they can laugh all they want!

 

[dartref]

Very creative...I'm shocked that you (a guy) is the one to have come up with this, I never would have thought of that. Seems like a very good idea if I can get past the laughs I'm sure it gets...although if it saves my camera they can laugh all they want!

If I see this in your camera housing on our Dominica dive, I'll be laughing my :mooner: off knowing it is not an April Fool's joke! I too must admit it is very creative.

 

[paradicio]

I didn't know these were reusable, I thought once they were pink that was it...game over. Unfortunately when I got mine I didn't see the little baggie ones, I got the tube ones:

Amazon.com: Sealife Small Moisture Muncher (10-Pack): Camera & Photo

Does anyone know if there is a way to re-use these? I don't imagine putting a plastic tube in the oven is an option...

If they're a wash, then so be it. Lesson learned, I'll get the other ones next time...

 

[CardShark]

BDSC has given good advice. That regenerative technique will work best, as you'll want a thorough release of the dessicant's moisture without stressing the beads.
In a pinch, the microwave technique will remove some of the moisture held on /near the dessicant's surface; but will gradually break the dessicant beads up (as the moisture, captive in the beads, rapidly expands ), resulting in undesirable powder.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

I didn't know these were reusable, I thought once they were pink that was it...game over. Unfortunately when I got mine I didn't see the little baggie ones, I got the tube ones:

Amazon.com: Sealife Small Moisture Muncher (10-Pack): Camera & Photo

Does anyone know if there is a way to re-use these? I don't imagine putting a plastic tube in the oven is an option...

If they're a wash, then so be it. Lesson learned, I'll get the other ones next time...

These are the kind I have as well...the large packs wouldn't fit in my housing. I'll try doing the oven trick, and I hope it works.

 

[skynscuba]

I found that 250F was too hot for the packs I had -- they burst and spilled their guts. Something in the range of 175F worked great.

The dessicant packs totally solved the fogging problem I had previously experienced in Roatan, where I was just using the antifog on the port.