Keeping Caches Dry

[+The Puzzler]

It seems that most caches, even well sealed ones, get damp during the winter (especially in wet climates like western Oregon).

 

I haven't ever seen a cache with a bag of descicant in it. Why not?

 

In laboratories, we use dri-rite and silica gell inside of various air-tight containers including tupperware to keep chemicals and samples dry. These descicants are cheap and silica gell packets are commonly found in the boxes that our electronic equiptement comes in and in medicine bottles (so we could scrounge them). All of these descicants can also be redried in a hot oven to used over and over again. It seems that some silica gell packets placed in caches every few months would do wonders for maintaining the quality of the cache contents.

 

Does anyone know of a reason not to do this? Has anyone tried this? Maybe groudspeek could start selling silica gell packets with a geocaching lable and instructions for redrying them. It might significantly improve the quality of caches in many places.

 

Of course, it might also lead to the drying out of pens that use water-based ink.

 

Here is a link to some that was just the first one that google found.

 

Here is another tidbit of detail I found on silica gel. "Silica gel can adsorb about 40 percent of its weight in moisture and can take the relative humidity in a closed container down to about 40 percent. Once saturated, you can drive the moisture off and reuse silica gel by heating it above 300 degrees F (150 C). "

Edited October 15, 2004 by The Puzzler

[+fly46]

I've found a few cacheville micros that had a little bag of it in with the log. Or a piece of chalk. Chalk works too.

[+NoLemon]

I've often wondered the same thing - why folks don't put dessicant in their containers. I'm not sure I'd want to use chalk as it is brittle and breaks easy. I wouldn't want things to get chalky.

[+TheWilkens]

I put silica gel packs in all my caches. It's great and it's simple to reactivate as mentioned above.

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

I haven't ever seen a cache with a bag of descicant in it. Why not?

I've seen them in a few of the caches I've found. I've also seen chauk used. Most people don't know about using either one, don't have enough room in their cache for it or, like in my case, just don't think about it.

[Maxxy]

I have use matchbox, it works too... (but need some space )

[+greende]

I have found a packet in one cache. It's a good idea but the cache owner needs to do maintenance on it regulerly for it to work.

[+planetrobert]

i might start doing this in my logbook baggie to keep the log dry.

[+Jamie Z]

I think the reason this isn't done more, and I'm only speculating, is because it doesn't work.

 

Of course, this has been discusseed before.... Here is but one example from earlier this year.

 

The problem is not caches that are a little damp, it's caches that are drenched. As in, they got rained in, or sat in a puddle of water.

 

Sure, they would help to keep the humidity inside the container down if the container happens to be air-tight... but then, if it's air-tight, I don't think water is going to be a problem.

 

Jamie

[+The Puzzler]

The problem is not caches that are a little damp, it's caches that are drenched. As in, they got rained in, or sat in a puddle of water.

 

Sure, they would help to keep the humidity inside the container down if the container happens to be air-tight... but then, if it's air-tight, I don't think water is going to be a problem.

My experience, and the reason for my post was that, at least in western Oregon, everything gets damp in the winter unless it is heated.

 

Caches are often hunted with it raining or at least drizzling slightly and moisture gets into the cache. Of course, desiccant won't dry out a dripping wet cache (unless you have a lot of desiccant), but most caches are not dripping wet, they are just moist enough to damage paper type items like logbooks, stickers and cause metal items to rust (i.e., pins etc). Desiccant is used extensively inside unsealed plastic bags in cardboard boxes to keep electronics from coroding during shipping.

 

Sure, it doesn't last for ever, but if the cache is only opened 20 times a month or so, it might last all winter, and it is easy to replace with new desiccant if the cache is no longer staying dry with the old.

 

I just orded a bunch of desiccant off ebay. Probably paid to much. I'll be trying it out and I'm sure I'll have more to type about it in the future.

[+The Puzzler]

i might start doing this in my logbook baggie to keep the log dry.

Desiccant in a ziploc bag with a logbook should work very well since the volume is small.

[Pantalaimon]

Someone.... I think maybe "Centaur" uses these as a signature item.

 

Pan

 

Edit: Yup, here's a link.

Edited October 16, 2004 by Pantalaimon

[+Isonzo Karst]

I save every packet of dessicant that comes my way - vitamins aspirin and most prescription drugs have some in the bottle. Shoes often have a fairly large packet. Bagged with the log it will help with the high humidity of a Fl summer. But you have to do maintenance - replace or warm on a regular basis.

[+AuntieWeasel]

My experience, and the reason for my post was that, at least in western Oregon, everything gets damp in the winter unless it is heated. 

New England can be bad for that, too.

 

A cache that gets drenched is one thing. Oddly, those often aren't all that nasty.

 

The problem is the long, slow accumulation of moisture. Elderly caches in damp environments. I've done some nasty smelly moldy damp ones. Sometimes for no obvious reason. I sometimes wonder if the infamous "unnatural-looking pile of sticks" or hollow tree is really wicking damp into the cache.

[jdoe]

Silica gel packets would be a good idea, however waterproofing a container goes even further.

 

I've come across so many containers that should not be used. Gladware and flimsy film containers comes to mind. If the area is always dry it USUALLY isn't a problem. If the area gets quite a bit of moisture (like dew), water seems to seep in to these types of containers. Since Gladware type containers are flimsier by design and are not intended for long term use. They really IMO not suitable for geocaching.