Ammo Boxes

[+The Northumbrian]

I would like somefeedback from those of you who use ammo boxes as cache boxes. I found an ammo box last week and it had water in it and the log book was damp. then today I got a log from my cache A winters tale, saying that the log book was damp. could it be that water has entered both of these ammo boxes while it was raining during a log ? or are they not as watertight as we think?has anyone ever left a one under water for a couple of hours to see the results?

Nige

[+third-degree-witch]

Ive had some ammo boxes underwater for over a week now..i check them every few days with no leaks as yet must depend on the condition of the rubber seal.

[+Pengy&Tigger]

I think the water gets in if people aren't careful how the repack things. If a little bit of bag or paper is hanging over when it the lid gets closed, it breaches the seal and the water gets in.

 

T

[+Bill D (wwh)]

As P&T said, water gets in if anything is trapped by the lid when it's closed, breaching the seal. It can be the corner of a plastic bag or something else in the container, or some long grass or other vegetation trapped there as the box is closed. That then acts as a wick and draws water in.

 

Also, as t-d-w said, the condition of the seal is a factor. It can get damaged and the box will no longer be watertight.

 

And of course if the box is opened on a wet day, and the finders aren't careful, water can get in then, either directly or by way of the contents getting wet whilst they're being examined, and as the box is watertight any water that does get in will stay in.

[+Birders]

The lids have to be shut properly and be in good order. We did a cache yesterday which had two hinge pins missing so the lid was only being held on by one pin - and it was an end pin, not the middle. There is a little doubt that this box could let in moisture although it seemed pretty sound.

[+Chris n Maria]

The only one we had problems with was when the box had been slightly bent out of shape so that the seal didnt work correctly.

 

This only became a problem when the cache was under 2 foot of water.

Other than that we have had Ammo boxes in the field for over 3 years with no problems.

 

Chris

[+Pharisee]

I've only ever found water in one ammo can... The First In Wales... a few weeks ago. The can was in perfect condition but there was still some water inside (which I removed). When I wrote up the log later I mentioned the water and noticed that the previous finder had stated that it was raining when he found it. Anyone who knows this cache location will vouch that it's a bit.... well 'bleak' is probably a bit of an understatement.... and it doesn't just rain up there, it RAINS. Subsequent finders have not mentioned any water so it's a fair bet that's where it came from.

[+Simply Paul]

The only wet Ammo Box I've ever seen was at the top of Ben Nevis. As the contents were bagged, we just poured the water out and repacked it. On the whole, they're the most waterproof boxes I've seen in use.

 

SP

[+derrylynne]

third-degree- witch it beats me why you would leave ammo boxes under water for a few week)))). I can vouch for the rain in Wales though, I moved here over five years ago before I married my sweetheart Lynne, and the rain, or how heavy it fell, was a bit of a shock. I thought I had moved to the tropics, without the heat. Where I used to live in Kent, a heavy fall was an inch, here none bat an eyelid at three inches in a few hours.....

[+Alibags]

One of my ammo boxes was found to be a bit wet on a maintenance visit, but the previous cacher noted that he had done the cache in the pouring rain. I dried it all out and it has given me no problems ever since. I expect that explains it then.

 

When I go caching in the rain I do my very best to only take the lid off the box for the least possible time (even at the expense if rummaging in the goodies) and do try to keep the cache contents dry. A watertight seal with be watertight at keeping the water IN as well as OUT!

[+mikeswalks]

Having used ammo boxes for transporting cameras underground, I can assure you they are waterproof.

But not if they are damaged, unsecured or have broken seals !

[+DomHeknows]

One of the puzzle caches I've done, the ammo can is under the river and was bone dry so yes, as long as the seals are good it is waterproof. Just don't use one which has a big dent in it. Unfortunately the same can't be said about Doc Martins - see http://www.geocaching.com/seek/gallery.asp...df-231204bfb519 for the photos.

[+milvus-milvus]

Ive had some ammo boxes underwater for over a week now..i check them every few days with no leaks as yet must depend on the condition of the rubber seal.

That sounds like a fun cache...

[+bobuk]

as a newbie and only 6 caches under my belt i have seen a few damp caches.

so i have started to carrying a few bags of silica gel with me, the little bags that we generally through away when we get an item delivered to our homes.they sure do keep dampness out of things but gallons of water i guess not

 

anyone else done this?

 

B.

[NickPick]

Silica Gel might not be such a good idea in case any children find it.

 

I know - we ought to remove the sharp pencils aswell , but Silica Gel is very bad for you if you eat it.

[+Team Maddie UK]

I happen to know a cacher who left an ammo box submerged for, I think, several weeks as a test and I believe it passed.

Another possible reason for dampness (although probably not puddles of water) is if the box is opened on a particularly hot and humid day, when the box is closed this warm humid air will be trapped and a subsequent drop in temperature (inevitable in the UK will cause moisture to condense out.

I think the silica gel is a good idea. Most packets of same are clearly marked 'do not eat' although interfering with Darwins theories in this way probably does nothing for us at all .

 

Martin

[+The Northumbrian]

Many thanks to you all for the replies. seals and opening the box to logg when it's raining, does anyone know of a way of repairing the seals? has anyone ever tried a repair. I was thinking something on the lines of that rubberised gasket repair stuff that comes in tubes. I know that it worked well on a very large water pump I have for pumping water out of the stream to irrigate some land during dry summers( never used for a few years as you all know) not up here anyway

Nige

[+Learned Gerbil]

I once did a puzzle cache where the solution to the puzzle was the combination of the lock on an ammo box. The container was hidden on the edge of a stream so that it was submerged when the stream was high.

 

The ammo box kept the contents dry, but could not stop the combination lock rusting almost solid!

[NickPick]

They should have put the combination lock inside the ammo box!