Use and source of desiccant

[WetRussell 0]

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty new to underwater photography, I've used a basic Sea and Sea and a GoPro on a few trips but have moved to a TG6.  I've used desiccant strips with the go pro and desiccant cylinders with the sea and sea.  The strips don't seem appropriate, and I don't think the cylinders will fit with the new camera.  Does anyone have any recommendation for sourcing the desiccant I'll need? 

Thanks,

[ChrisRoss 150]

1 hour ago, WetRussell said:

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty new to underwater photography, I've used a basic Sea and Sea and a GoPro on a few trips but have moved to a TG6.  I've used desiccant strips with the go pro and desiccant cylinders with the sea and sea.  The strips don't seem appropriate, and I don't think the cylinders will fit with the new camera.  Does anyone have any recommendation for sourcing the desiccant I'll need? 

Thanks,

Dessicant is generally not essential for housings, but it can help if the humidity is high and the water cold.  Having said that many places will sell small silica gel pouches for this purpose - I think the Olympus housings came with suitable dessicant packs that fit under the camera in the housing.  My daughter has a TG-4 in the olympus housing and we've never had it fog diving in Sydney or on out trip to Indonesia.

The most important point is to not let water droplets get inside the housing - this can happen with water drops clinging to the the o-ring when you open the housing.  If the water drops get inside and the housing is left in a warm spot the water evaporates then re-condenses on the port.

[rwe 4]

You can find silica gel packets in different sizes on Amazon and from many other internet vendors.

[WetRussell 0]

Thank you both for the information.

[PinkOctopus 0]

Hi 

You can use any type of desiccant, I keep the little packet you get in sometimes when you buy items. Those little white packets with packaging. I find they are always in a bag when you buy it. These work just as well as the bought ones and are free!  Obviously some won’t fit into the housing but I generally keep my eye out. 

[AKO_UW 0]

Hi Guys,
I'm pretty new to underwater photography, I've used a basic Sea and Sea and a GoPro on a few trips but have moved to a TG6.  I've used desiccant strips with the go pro and desiccant cylinders with the sea and sea.  The strips don't seem appropriate, and I don't think the cylinders will fit with the new camera.  Does anyone have any recommendation for sourcing the desiccant I'll need? 
Thanks,

I like Moisture Muncher which you can get at B and H or Amazon. You can use each one for multiple dives esp if you close the housing, pump out air if you have vacuum pump, and keep the desiccant in there overnight if you are in a humid tropical environment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[polyroly 7]

I agree with AKO, Moisture Muncher (cylinder style) work well, Blue when they have life and tirn white/pink when exhausted. But they are expensive and may not work (or fit!) any better than the free packs. But the free packs may have dust which is always a bugger to get out of your housing. BUT - you can re-use your MM's over and over. I have 20 that I have been using for years, a couple of weeks before a trip a trip I dry them out - to dark Blue - and I'm good to go. I got a bag of 'drying crystals' from the hardware store for about 5$ about 5 years ago - I throw them into there (in a sachet so not to get dusty) and three days later they are refreshed.

Some housings don't have space enough - they are about the size of half a cigarette - if you can find one of those to cut in half. In humid environments one MM will last for 2 or 3 dives. Also some people store their camera in the mini-bar fridge (lower humidity).

Edited March 9 by polyroly

[ChrisRoss 150]

On 2/2/2022 at 12:48 AM, PinkOctopus said:

Hi 

You can use any type of desiccant, I keep the little packet you get in sometimes when you buy items. Those little white packets with packaging. I find they are always in a bag when you buy it. These work just as well as the bought ones and are free!  Obviously some won’t fit into the housing but I generally keep my eye out. 

unfortunately the reason you get the same results between the freebies and the moisture muncher capsules is that for the most part you don't actually need dessicant if you keep the inside of the case dry from free water - if you have drops of water on your o-ring after opening it and you don't dry that off some of that moisture gets inside and evaporates and then condenses on  the coldest part. 

The freebies will be pretty much exhausted when you get them unless they are completely sealed off from the outside air, their absorption capacity is quite limited and if any outside air gets in they will saturate very quickly. 

The best thing you can do is only open the case in an air conditioned room.  Next best thing is to service and dry your o-ring on every case opening- there are always water drops on the o-ring that need to be removed.  Vacuum also helps by lowering water partial pressure - the dewpoint is lower in lower pressure.

[bvanant 195]

There are many brands that can be reused after an hour or so in the oven at 220F (104C). The moisture munchers can also be reactivated by the same trick at least a few times. The nice part about them is that the color change is a guide to when they are done.

Bill

 

[AKO_UW 0]

There are many brands that can be reused after an hour or so in the oven at 220F (104C). The moisture munchers can also be reactivated by the same trick at least a few times. The nice part about them is that the color change is a guide to when they are done.
Bill
 

Hey Bill,

Aren’t moisture munchers encased in plastic? It doesn’t melt in the oven? Lemme know.


Aviva


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bvanant 195]

They are indeed encased in plastic, but the oven suggestion at just about the BP of water is safe. We reuse ours in the lab after 6 hours at 90C but your home oven might not go that low.

Bill