Reusing Desiccant Packs

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DivingPrincessE

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Miramar & Fort Lauderdale, FL
# of dives
50 - 99
I have the Sea & Sea small Desiccant packs and the first one has now turned pink. I was hoping to get some clear directions on how to reuse them.

I found this thread (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/oly-outlet/78201-desiccant-useful-life.html)

which says you should

-----heat them in an oven at 250 F degrees for 45 minutes

-----heat them in an oven for 225 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----heat them in an oven at 150-200 F degrees for a couple of hours

-----microwave them at 50% power for 20 seconds

-----other said you should not microwave them

-----place them in a silicone tubing and hold them against a light bulb for a couple hours

My questions are...

1. Which one of these ways is right and/or best??

2. How many times can you do this before you need to buy new desiccant packs?

3. Is microwaving bad or not?

4. Won't holding anything against a light bulb cause a fire? And if not, do you have to actually sit there and hold it against the light bulb or is there a better way to do it? (I'm not creative in a handy kind of way).

Thanks!
 
Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh. If you are not sure or don't really trust any method to reuse the dessicant packs, just buy some new ones. In a simple search I found this for just $6.50 and this for $4.95 (plus shipping and taxes). Compared to other costs for scuba, this is very low.

I am all for reuse, but if you have doubts...........
 
Can't answer your question but FYI...my wife will have her camera and I now have a video camera for use on our dives on the trip.
 
Those little point-and-shoot cameras can get pretty hot causing moisture to fog the lens port. That's the only SCUBA use I have found for them.

Re-using them is key on an extended trip to exotic locales. You can do it until the nylon bag material poops out... many, many cycles.

All recharge methods work, but I would skip the microwave. The key here is a slow release of the moisture.

The light bulb trick is fine, just lay them atop the bulb and go for a beer. They are really not a source of flammable materials. Don't have a clue what/why the "silicone tubing" is or is for.

I save the ones from pill bottles, cameras, optics and any electronic gear~ store them in film containers. Tough to buy the postage stamp ones economically in less than 10# lots.
 
Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh. If you are not sure or don't really trust any method to reuse the dessicant packs, just buy some new ones. In a simple search I found this for just $6.50 and this for $4.95 (plus shipping and taxes). Compared to other costs for scuba, this is very low.

I am all for reuse, but if you have doubts...........

Well I bought these so I could reuse them, so I will be attempting to reuse them one way or the other...and if you actually read the thread I posted to you will see that lots of people reuse them...and if I'm not mistaken they advertise them as reusable. I put one pack in to test it out at the pool and left it in the case while it was sitting in my room and it turned pink. So if they are only good for one dive...yes I will be reusing them :shakehead:. Both links you provided are for the large packs and if you read my original post I said I have sea & sea small desiccant packs.

Also if you have money to throw away by spending $7 a week (diving every day in humid environment would probably require one desiccant pack per day) then more power to you. I however would prefer to save that money and buy things like a wide angle lens, strobe, back up reg, and countless other things on my wish list.
 
If you try to only open your camera housing inside an air conditioned room you will prolong the life of the little packets considerably, as you are not exposing them to nearly as much moisture as you would on the boat, dock etc.
 
Hello Diving Princess!

I worked in a chemistry lab for over 20 years and we just put the desiccant in an oven for a few hours whenever we needed to recharge it. I'd just go with the 2 hour method at about 150 to 200 degrees. That should work just fine. I've never heard about putting it in the microwave so I can't speak on that.

BDSC
 
Hello Diving Princess!

I worked in a chemistry lab for over 20 years and we just put the desiccant in an oven for a few hours whenever we needed to recharge it. I'd just go with the 2 hour method at about 150 to 200 degrees. That should work just fine. I've never heard about putting it in the microwave so I can't speak on that.

BDSC

Thanks for the tips: I'm going to experiment. I get awfully mad when I find unopened packs that I've only had a little while are already pink. Was told they couldn't be resurected, and end up tossing them. Worth trying all the suggested methods to see for myself. Jim
 
Thanks for all the feedback!!

Fishgirl-I was actually really suprised to see the pack turn pink. I did not have my camera housing "locked" shut because my LDS said that when it's at home (not in use for a while) to leave the case unlocked so there isn't constant pressure on the o-ring. Made sense, still does. I left the desiccant case in the unlocked housing thinking that it would be fine in my un-humid bedroom...guess that was a mistake. From now on if I'm not using the housing, the desiccant case will be inside a ziplock bag. The pack of the other desiccant packs in the ziplock bag was sitting right next to the housing and they are still the original color...no pink (thank goodness).
 
if you actually read the thread I posted to you will see that lots of people reuse them...
I did read the thread. Note that I said I don't mean to sound harsh. Seems you took it that way.
...and if I'm not mistaken they advertise them as reusable.
I too reuse them, but if in doubt, I replace them.
I put one pack in to test it out at the pool and left it in the case while it was sitting in my room and it turned pink. So if they are only good for one dive...yes I will be reusing them :shakehead:.
I don't know what happened with yours, but I have not had a problem like that where the darn things were finished after a day, even in humid environments with multiple dives.
Also if you have money to throw away by spending $7 a week (diving every day in humid environment would probably require one desiccant pack per day) then more power to you. I however would prefer to save that money and buy things like a wide angle lens, strobe, back up reg, and countless other things on my wish list.
I suggest that your analogy is a bit flawed here. Spending $7 a week on desiccant packs is not throwing money away IMHO. Better to be sure than to have damage to photo equipment that will need to be replaced/repaired at a much higher cost. You have to dive many weeks saving $7 each week to offset the cost of a strobe. :wink:

I would refer you back to my post. One of your questions in the first post was with regard to how many times you can reuse the desiccant packs. I responded that if you do not trust any of the methods or are unsure, then just buy some new ones.


YMMV
 

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