How to absorb moisture in housing???

[mjh]

What do you use to absorb moisture in your housing and where do you buy it? Going to Roatan next month for 2wks, Yeah Baby! Have D100 Aquatica housing. We are staying in a non-air-conditioned bungalow and you can bet in July it will be hot and steamy. Not looking for a moisture alarm. Just looking for what you put in a housing to absorb any small amount of moisture from condensation, etc… and where do you buy it?

 

[zboss]

What do you use to absorb moisture in your housing and where do you buy it? Going to Roatan next month for 2wks, Yeah Baby! Have D100 Aquatica housing. We are staying in a non-air-conditioned bungalow and you can bet in July it will be hot and steamy. Not looking for a moisture alarm. Just looking for what you put in a housing to absorb any small amount of moisture from condensation, etc… and where do you buy it?

Most Dive Shops that sell dive camera also carry that. It's called moisture muncher. Be sure to set up the camera the night before to allow the exess moisture to be absorbed. It doesn't work very fast.

 

[miketsp]

See this recent thread for part of the answer.

http://www.scubaboard.com/t56579.html

As to where to buy silica gel / dessicant packs, I don't know, I just save the packs every time I buy anything with them in among the packing. I have lots in all shapes & sizes. Just heat them up to dry them out.

 

[milkathecow]

You can get some Silica Gel little bags from any photo shop, i'm sure they would be quite happy to give you some, they usually receive heaps... else you can always buy some off them.

Another good idea is rice, make a little bag or pouch out of thin moskito net, put some rice (you could make a pouch not too small ... like 50-80% of size of your housing) ...

rice is really efficient, i have tried it with a watch which had taken water, it was all steamed up and i put it in a pot of rice for 1 night and the fog had gone, watch was fine after that. (Rice you can buy in any supermarket )

 

[miketsp]

Quite right, a few grains of rice in the salt cellar works wonders, keeps it running free.

PS nothing to do with camera housings - please don't put salt in your housing.

 

[jcclink]

Condensation is typically only a problem in acrylic housings. Never had a problem with aluminum housings in cold or tropical conditions. They certainly can't hurt anything thou.

 

[artw]

I've never had condensation in my acrylic housing and it's been in a wide range of temperatures. however I have only been using it for about 2 months.
I would think that if your housing is getting water in it, you should solve that problem first and forget about trying to soak up the water

 

[miketsp]

Without dessicant I used to have some problems around wrecks. Although one would expect the iron and the water to be at the same temperature there are often thermal gradients and on putting the housing near a lot of iron for a macro shot there is momentary condensation.

 

[SubMariner]

Another good idea is rice, make a little bag or pouch out of thin moskito net, put some rice (you could make a pouch not too small ... like 50-80% of size of your housing) ..

.

If the housing has too much moisture in it, doesn't the rice start to disintegrate & get stuff all gluey?

Just wondering...

 

[milkathecow]

hmm, i'd say i shouldn't think so, but i wouldn't bet on it. If the moisture is not a water pond it should be ok, and if it's wrapped in a little pouch it won't get that gluey i don't think.

Might want to check the pouch in a very humid glass or plastic Tupperware type of think before sticking it in the housing for a cruise trip