Hey guys, I took your advice and got the Intercept archive boxes. Now, I'm thinking about putting in some silica gel dessicant. I have a few questions : Any advice on do's and don't's ? Have you ever had any problems ? Where can I get 'em retail (neither WalMart nor Best Buy have it) Did I get the right number of apostrophes in the word "don't's" ? Why do dogs have black lips ? (just seeing if you were still reading) Any advice is appreciated !
First of all, don't try and put it in the slab boxes You can find them at JP's Corner - the 40 gram is the recommended size for most cases. It depends on where you live that determines how long the silica packs work before they need recharged, so check on them every week or so to see how long they will last.
There is one product that you shouldn't use, that is calcium chloride - it's another kind of moisture absorber but chemical base. Not very smart if the contents leaked out which unfortunately it did and ruined several proof mint sets.
Make sure to change and reactivate them on a regular basis. The ones with indicators, sometimes look black but under a bright light (like from a halogen penlight) you can see the indicator color clearly. I'm not sure of the best way to reactivate them. My metal canisters say 300 degrees for 3 hours. My packets say 250 degrees for 10 hours. The cooler, longer approach seems better so as not to burn the packets, but I'm not sure. You had it right in the first part of your message, but not in the question. Two quotes, one apostrophe.
As noted it depends on where you live. Also, the amount of humidity in your area, house, apartment, etc. If you live in an area where there is very little to no humidity, Arizona for example, those gel packs to absorb humidity are as necessary as the need for one in the tombs of the Epytians. Note in such places as that, there just ain't no humidity to absorb. The usage of gel packs was a really big thing some years ago and still used for shipping articles that need protection from the humidity. However, since those days someone came up with a thing called an electric dehumidifier. If You live in a house or place where you can use one, they work about 1,000 times more efficient than a gel pack. I tried some in my basement some years back. Twelve large ones. Utilizing several chemically lab tested Hygrometers I was able to drop the humidity down to about 45 to 50%. With my one dehumidifier I was able to drop the humidity down to about 25% and worst instance, 30%. I still do testing but you can't beat a dehumidifier. Naturally there are many that just keep windows open regardless of temperature and humidity so modern articles of comfort are wasted there.
Just Carl is correct. Electric dehumidifiers work great. Although, i am not sure of his 1000% more efficient statistic But the use of electric dehumidifiers depends on how you store your coins. If they are stored in boxes in a closet, a house dehumidifier might work, but i would get one of them small versions you can stick in your closet or wherever you have your coins stored. I know they sell small version that arejust an enclosed metal rod that warms up, and as it warms the surounding air, the moisture goes away. As for me, i own a large safe. I was going to get one of them small dehumidifiers for my safe, but it needs to be plugged in. For me to do that, i would have had to have a hole drilled into my safe to allow the electrical cord through. I figured cutting a hole in the side of the safe defeats alot of the reasons for the safe - fire protection, flood ect.... So i bought 2 Remington model 365 mini-dehumidifiers. they are silica based, and come with a 5 year warranty. The 2 i use in my safe get rotated every 2 weeks, and every 2 weeks, one of them needs re-charging. They do keep my safe with very limited humidity. All i have to do is plugg them in for a few hours until they change color, and then put them back in my safe.
Just one more thing about a dehumidifier. Great for health if that moisture stuff plays on your sinuses. Also, drain line runs to drain in floor so never have to do anything except change settings for summer or winter.
