Awhile ago I bought a package of several large packets of DampRip dessicant to put into my small gun safe as well as my wooden ammo cabinet. When I felt the one in the safe had become rock hard I knew I had to replace it, so I decided to check the one in the ammo cabinet. Much to my surprise the plastic bag was totally empty. When I checked the shelves below where the DampRid had been I found a slimy clear liquid coating on the shelves and many boxes of factory ammo were saturated as if they had been in water. The ammo itself seems OK but the boxes had to be thrown away. I had never heard of this type thing happening, but apparently the material in the packets liquified and leaked out of the plastic bag. Anyone ever heard of this happening or have idea what might have caused this?
Liquifying dessicant?
- Thread starter vito
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Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
The other day, a buddy showed me a tub of a desiccant he gets at one of the big box building stores. It had a name rather similar to the product you used, except it was in a plastic tub with a ventilated lid. Maybe it was even the same stuff.
Now he's been using this stuff in his safe for a while: the tub he showed me has been in there all summer, which was both hotter and drier than usual here. Even so, there was close to an inch of water in the bottom of the container, which is about the size of a large margarine tub. I'd be hesitant to use a product in a plastic bag if that much liquid's accumulating, especially since I don't know if any of the chemicals react with the plastic to cause leaks. Suppose that's what happened with yours?
Rick C
The other day, a buddy showed me a tub of a desiccant he gets at one of the big box building stores. It had a name rather similar to the product you used, except it was in a plastic tub with a ventilated lid. Maybe it was even the same stuff.
Now he's been using this stuff in his safe for a while: the tub he showed me has been in there all summer, which was both hotter and drier than usual here. Even so, there was close to an inch of water in the bottom of the container, which is about the size of a large margarine tub. I'd be hesitant to use a product in a plastic bag if that much liquid's accumulating, especially since I don't know if any of the chemicals react with the plastic to cause leaks. Suppose that's what happened with yours?
Rick C
Colonialgirl
Hawkeye
I would say that TO BE EFFECTIVE
1. The air in its vicinity must be able to reach the chemical
2. absorbing moisture will liquefy some products if left too long
3. the Liquid will leak back through whatever openings admitted the air if left too long.
Finally
2. the tub is OPEN on the top and sealed on the bottom, the perfect description of a bowl or cup meant to hold a liquid.
Suggestion:
Next time if you use the same product put it in the bottom of a plastic bowl to catch any liquids.
1. The air in its vicinity must be able to reach the chemical
2. absorbing moisture will liquefy some products if left too long
3. the Liquid will leak back through whatever openings admitted the air if left too long.
Finally
2. the tub is OPEN on the top and sealed on the bottom, the perfect description of a bowl or cup meant to hold a liquid.
Suggestion:
Next time if you use the same product put it in the bottom of a plastic bowl to catch any liquids.
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I've seen calcium chloride do what you describe. A friend uses it to dehumidify a classic car in storage. The car is in a big Ziploc bag. The calcium chloride is in a perforated tub suspended in a bucket, the buckle has a drain hose in its bottom that goes to the outside of the bag.
The calcium chloride collects moisture that drains into the bucket then out the hose. I've seen plastic bags of rock salt fill up with liquid too.
Anyway long story short: put your dessicant in plastic tubs.
The calcium chloride collects moisture that drains into the bucket then out the hose. I've seen plastic bags of rock salt fill up with liquid too.
Anyway long story short: put your dessicant in plastic tubs.
We tried a similar product in an attempt to lower the humidity in an old bank safe. Didn't work very well--just absorbed moisture until it turned to salt slime and then had to be tossed. I even made ventilated holders in the hope that the moisture would weep out into a "catch container". Still didn't help. Finally changed tactics and used moisture resistant containers and silica packs which could be rotated as they themselves needed drying.
The problem with calcium chloride, is the extreme corrosiveness of even the air around it.
The problem with calcium chloride, is the extreme corrosiveness of even the air around it.
Bull Barrel
Hunter
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Calcium chloride...the stuff added to salt to melt ice on the roads when temps drop below about 20.
I have seen it eatb through bridge supports and the floorsn of the trucks that applied it.
I have seen it eatb through bridge supports and the floorsn of the trucks that applied it.
exavid
Hunter
Sounds like Dri-Z-Air stuff I used to keep aboard some of my sailboats. It came in a container, looked like a powder and turned to slush in the container when it had absorbed as much as it could. Worked pretty well.
But the liquid was pretty nasty if it spilled.
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=dri+z+air&tag=geminimobiles-20&index=aps&hvadid=32310469558&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1byyums0l0_e
But the liquid was pretty nasty if it spilled.
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=dri+z+air&tag=geminimobiles-20&index=aps&hvadid=32310469558&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1byyums0l0_e
mohavesam
Hawkeye
Why the mess and expense with that stuff?
1. Go to your local market.
2. Find the cat litter aisle.
3. Find the crystal litter made from silicon crystals.
Same exact stuff as you'll pay $20 a half-pound for at a gunshow, at six-seven bucks for ten pounds with 'scent-blocker' blue crystals mixed in.
Silicon crystals can be re-cycled simply by covering a cookie sheet and baking them at 200 degrees for an hour. They will absorb more than +50% of their weight in ambient moisture. So... for the foggy-minded - when a coffee cup full that weighed a pound when you put it in the safe weighs almost two pounds, its time to re-dry your load. Or replace with a fresh cup for pennies.
At the lab, we keep $50K IR cameras dry in the lockers this way (Cleaning to remove "wet dust" stains costs up to a grand each).
Ambient humidity in a closed space is not that hard to overcome these days.
1. Go to your local market.
2. Find the cat litter aisle.
3. Find the crystal litter made from silicon crystals.
Same exact stuff as you'll pay $20 a half-pound for at a gunshow, at six-seven bucks for ten pounds with 'scent-blocker' blue crystals mixed in.
Silicon crystals can be re-cycled simply by covering a cookie sheet and baking them at 200 degrees for an hour. They will absorb more than +50% of their weight in ambient moisture. So... for the foggy-minded - when a coffee cup full that weighed a pound when you put it in the safe weighs almost two pounds, its time to re-dry your load. Or replace with a fresh cup for pennies.
At the lab, we keep $50K IR cameras dry in the lockers this way (Cleaning to remove "wet dust" stains costs up to a grand each).
Ambient humidity in a closed space is not that hard to overcome these days.
