Silica Gel Packs

[Bill51]

I use Hydrosorbent 40 gram silica gel packs that are available from sporting goods stores and a variety of locations. They recharge very quickly (under 3 hours in the oven), they last forever (some of mine are over 10 years old), they are very durable, and I find them to be a convenient size. I use them inside my video housing, in all my toolboxes, in my dive gear dry box, in Tupperware boxes for food on the boat, and any place I don’t want excess moisture.

http://www.dehumidify.com/ProdDisc.html

 

[maractwin]

I recharge both the original Olympus packs and the ones I got from PreserveSmart. I use a toaster oven, about 225 F for an hour. The idea is to raise them above the boiling point of water to drive off all the water, but not so hot that the envelopes melt. Most of these use tyvek envelopes, which can take a lot of heat.

I really like the color indicator packs. The color change helps make sure you don't mix up fresh and used ones, as well as showing approximately how fresh or used they are. I'll bring a bunch of them in a ziplock bag on a dive trip. By the end of the week, when I've opened the ziplock 8 or 10 times in my air conditioned room to take out packs, I see that the remaining ones in the bag are already starting to change color just a little from the moisture they get from my room air.

-Mark

 

[dlndavid]

I have been wondering about these, in the link provided by maractwin there is a product that also changed from blue to pink when moisture is "sucked up" but it's "rechargeable" via the microwave, or an oven. Are these also "rechargeable" if your able to keep the plastic cover from melting?

I'll give it a try for kicks, but I got 100 of the little puppies and that should last me awhile.

 

[dlndavid]

I use Hydrosorbent 40 gram silica gel packs that are available from sporting goods stores and a variety of locations. They recharge very quickly (under 3 hours in the oven), they last forever (some of mine are over 10 years old), they are very durable, and I find them to be a convenient size. I use them inside my video housing, in all my toolboxes, in my dive gear dry box, in Tupperware boxes for food on the boat, and any place I don’t want excess moisture.

http://www.dehumidify.com/ProdDisc.html

With all the flooding in Florida right now, your gel packs must be working overtime.
Hope you're staying dry.

 

[Bill51]

With all the floolding in Florida right now, your gel packs must be working overtime.
Hope you're staying dry.

Actually I just recharged some last weekend for the bread and potato chip box to keep them fresh in case we lost the AC.

 

[jakubson]

I have been wondering about these, in the link provided by maractwin there is a product that also changed from blue to pink when moisture is "sucked up" but it's "rechargeable" via the microwave, or an oven. Are these also "rechargeable" if your able to keep the plastic cover from melting?

Here is what preservesmart emailed me when I asked them.

Hello. Joel:

Actually - may as well answer now - shipping today -

You can try regenerating as described - but try just a few - they may

melt (the Tyvek).

Some people clip them open and empty into Pyrex - micro defrost or very

low - 15 seconds at a time until blue - cool slightly - twist up in

paper, Tyvek or nylon. Will not be 100% nondusting - but will work for

not too sensitive apps.

Let me know if you have any further questions at all.

Debra

But it seems that Mark has been successful in recharging them. Is this right, Mark?

I recharge both the original Olympus packs and the ones I got from PreserveSmart. I use a toaster oven, about 225 F for an hour. The idea is to raise them above the boiling point of water to drive off all the water, but not so hot that the envelopes melt. Most of these use tyvek envelopes, which can take a lot of heat.

I really like the color indicator packs. The color change helps make sure you don't mix up fresh and used ones, as well as showing approximately how fresh or used they are. I'll bring a bunch of them in a ziplock bag on a dive trip. By the end of the week, when I've opened the ziplock 8 or 10 times in my air conditioned room to take out packs, I see that the remaining ones in the bag are already starting to change color just a little from the moisture they get from my room air.

-Mark

 

[f3nikon]

Question, what are the silica gels used for?

 

[rottielover]

f3nikon - They absorb moisture in confined spaces, like inside camera housings, this keeps the moisture in the trapped air from fogging up the camera lense.

jakubson - Wanted to report that I tried to "recharge" the moisture munchers... First I tried Med Low setting on my Microwave with 1 capsule... It worked but it softened the plastic covering enough to allow the steam to "balloon" the capsule rendering it useless... Trashed

Capsule 2 I placed in the microwave on low power setting for a min, it started turning blue, So I let it in there on low for 15 min, and it turned almost all the way blue again!!!

So depending on the power of your microwave, defrost or low power, for somewhere between 10 and 20 min will recharge the capsules.

Hope this helps someone else out!

 

[jakubson]

f3nikon - They absorb moisture in confined spaces, like inside camera housings, this keeps the moisture in the trapped air from fogging up the camera lense.

jakubson - Wanted to report that I tried to "recharge" the moisture munchers... First I tried Med Low setting on my Microwave with 1 capsule... It worked but it softened the plastic covering enough to allow the steam to "balloon" the capsule rendering it useless... Trashed

Capsule 2 I placed in the microwave on low power setting for a min, it started turning blue, So I let it in there on low for 15 min, and it turned almost all the way blue again!!!

So depending on the power of your microwave, defrost or low power, for somewhere between 10 and 20 min will recharge the capsules.

Hope this helps someone else out!

Thanks! Did you try the oven, or since the microwave worked, you just used that? I would think that the oven, set low enough (200 to 225 or so) would be less sensitive to overheating.

 

[Dee]

Thanks! Did you try the oven, or since the microwave worked, you just used that? I would think that the oven, set low enough (200 to 225 or so) would be less sensitive to overheating.

Wish I'd had those microwave instructions the first time I tried nuking them! Ending up with little bright blue mounds of stuff! I've since learned to use the defrost setting and only at 5 sec at a time until all the pink is gone.

They are cheap enough I generally just throw them away!