Dessicants

[+ADKcachers]

Ever use dessicants in a cache? Would I find them at a dept. store?

[+tirediron]

Not sure if you would find them in a department store or not (unless you buy a LOT of shoes ) but you could try building supply stores, craft stores, or floral whole-salers. I don't know that they would be too efective in a cache though, at least not for very long. Silica gel (the most common) doesn't hold a lot of moisture relative to the volume it takes up, and if there is no way to "dry" it out, it's usefulness will be shortlived. IMHO you would better served by spending the extra time/money on a more moisture resistant cache container.

[+buck09]

Silica gel (the most common) doesn't hold a lot of moisture relative to the volume it takes up, and if there is no way to "dry" it out, it's usefulness will be shortlived.

I thought those were skittles... uh-oh.

[+Rainwater]

You can buy big jars of dessicant from fisher scientific (look for thier website) and you can also dry the stuff out by baking it for like 3 hours on low heat. You could make your own paacks using old film cans with the right size holes in it

[AC Student]

Cheaperthandirt sells three 5 oz packages for $5. Plus shipping of course.

 

I've never used it in a cache though.

[+radioscout]

There is a discussion on this topic in one of the european forums: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=63026

Sorry, not in English language.

[+aka Monkey]

Check your local pet store. Any of the "crystals" cat litters are silica gel.

[+MarcB]

There is a discussion on this topic in one of the european forums: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=63026

Sorry, not in English language.

Not the most useful link ever...!

MarcB

[+Webfoot]

I actually thought about this the other day as I was tossing one out from my kid's latest vitamin pill jar.

 

Then I thought that the amount of moisture in a cache would overwhelm those small silica gel capsules.

[+woof n lulu]

Silica gel (the most common) doesn't hold a lot of moisture relative to the volume it takes up, and if there is no way to "dry" it out, it's usefulness will be shortlived.

I thought those were skittles... uh-oh.

<<<<< Your avatar.....Oooowwww

[+Mr. 0]

I found some of them at my local packing/shipping store. Something like the UPS store, but it's a local business, I'm not sure if the major chain places have stuff like that. Anyhow they're fairly large (about 4" wide 3" tall), but I keep forgetting to put them in caches to see how well they work.

 

Also along the lines of "crystal" type cat litter mentioned above. I read about that in a woodworking magazine once. Someone suggested taking Tidy Cat Crystals, placing a bit in some pantyhose, and then tying it off. This suggestion was based on using it in drawers and cabinets to keep tools from rusting. It's worth a shot, and probably ends up being cheaper per unit than buying the packs from the store.

[+Webfoot]

What about using those water absorbers gell type stuff in the same way? They would hold moisture indefinitely. I'm wondering if something like that would work?

[+Team Flying Dachshund]

I found a link where you can buy them Silica gell. I did a quick experament I found out that the equasion y=x1.5 is a good ratio of water to silica gell. x represents the amount of water and y represents the amount of silica gel needed to absorb that much water.

 

You know you coild just put paper towels in a bag type of thing and put them in the caches adn it would be less expensive.

Edited April 9, 2004 by Team ClandestinePenguin

[+Team Flying Dachshund]

If we make something to keep caches dry evaryone will want one.

[+Team Flying Dachshund]

any other ideas?

[+Webfoot]

Actually, the hard thing is the condensation on the inside of the cache after the moisture gets in. At least where I live, it's dry, so the evaporation rate is good, but for those high humidity areas of the country, I can see mold developing very quickly if the cache isn't maintained quickly enough.

[+ADKcachers]

The condensation was my main concern and folks open the ammo boxes in the rain too.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

[+zygote2k]

if you are looking for the ultimate dessicant- try "Sparky-Watts" brand! It's the driest!

[+TotemLake]

Home Depot carries it. I just saw it the other day and wondered IF I needed some for general purpose. Of course, I have some other stuff that soaks up 100 times its weight. Great for turning coffee into gel in the cup gags.

[+Riddlers]

I'm not sure what I'd think if I opened a cache and found cat litter in it but I want to know how Sparky dries things out.

[+Torry]

I came across a cache in an ammo box that used the old "charcoal in paper towel" trick that the refrigerator salespeople swear by. It seemed to help.

[+buck09]

Home Depot carries it. I just saw it the other day and wondered IF I needed some for general purpose. Of course, I have some other stuff that soaks up 100 times its weight. Great for turning coffee into gel in the cup gags.

You know, now that I think about it - the stuff that they put in diapers works astoundingly well. My Dad used to cut open (new) diapers, get the absorbant stuff out and do the coffee-gel joke too. I bet if you cut open a diaper and put the compound in a fabric bag, that might work really well.

[AZcachemeister]

'That stuff used in disposable diapers' is Sodium Polyacrylate. It absorbs 100 times it's own weight in water, and is also used in certain body-cooling devices (a cloth tube with the stuff inside. Soak it 'till it's full, then wrap around the head or neck as a personal cooling system via evaporation), to plug up porous rock formations when drilling wells, and also as a sort of poor-man's hydrophonics system. See www.plantgel.com, where it comes in COLORS! I'm not sure how it might work as a dessicant, though.

[+Team Flying Dachshund]

Go here if you want to buy it. it is cheapre this way than buying dipers and cutting them open.

[+byonke]

Do a google search for Desi Pak and I think you'll find what your need.

 

Brian

[+protocoldroid]

at least to adirondackcache... in NY state (i live in cny) you'll find the brand name "damp rid" at a hardware store, it's used to dry up a moist closet or basement. you could put some in a salt shaker (or something similiar where air can get in, but the dessicant won't get out), and leave it in a ammo can size cache.

 

...and from my experience, there's hardly such thing as a dry cache in upstate ny interesting idea on the dessicant too.