Do dry cabinets make a big difference?

Hi guys,

I'm living in South Korea, which is a fairly humid country. However, in my room I have a MASSIVE dehumidifier, which I run 8 hours a day while I'm at work, so my actual apartment is much, much less humid than the country itself. (In those 8 hours I draw about 6L or 1.5 gallons of water out of the air).

There's a guy who's selling a dry cabinet for camera gear for around $60...which is a bargain. I'd be all over it if this was back in Canada, but seeing that I can't take it with me when I move, the question is...being that I have a dehumidifier in my apartment...should I bother with a dry cabinet, or will it not really make a big difference over the next 18 months that I'm in Korea?

Thanks,
Tamas

LowriderS10 wrote in post #14949339
Hi guys,

I'm living in South Korea, which is a fairly humid country. However, in my room I have a MASSIVE dehumidifier, which I run 8 hours a day while I'm at work, so my actual apartment is much, much less humid than the country itself. (In those 8 hours I draw about 6L or 1.5 gallons of water out of the air).

There's a guy who's selling a dry cabinet for camera gear for around $60...which is a bargain. I'd be all over it if this was back in Canada, but seeing that I can't take it with me when I move, the question is...being that I have a dehumidifier in my apartment...should I bother with a dry cabinet, or will it not really make a big difference over the next 18 months that I'm in Korea?

Thanks,
Tamas

I don't know what the humidity in your apartment is like post-dehumidifier, but I would get a storage-sized plastic box and put a large container of silica gel in it like this:
http://www.amazon.com …r=8-4&keywords=silica+gel

Not only can you "recharge" silica gel once it is saturated, but this would be very cheap to do and you could potentially bring the silica back with you.

Just try to find the "most" air tight plastic box you can, but don't go overboard since you can't bring it back.

Thanks! I'll see what I can find here! (I forgot to mention, I collect the little packets of silica wherever I go and put them in the (non air-tight) cabinet where I store my gear...every little bit helps, right?

EDIT: I'm not sure what the humidity is post-dehumidifier, but it's "normal"...like Canadian normal haha...I think it gets down to something like 40-50%...the "gauge" on the dehumidifier leaves a lot to be desired haha

Do you have a dehumidifier just for the protection of your camera gear?
If so, get the dry box and dump the dehumidifier.

Do you know what the RH is with and without the dehumidifier running? If not, find out. You should be able to get a simple but effective hygrometer for a few dollars.

If the RH is below 65% with the dehumidifier running (or indeed, without), you don't need the dry box. If you can't keep the RH below 65% with the dehumifier going, or you personally find that too dry, get the dry box.

Ideally, around 30 to 50% RH is good for storage of optical gear to discourage fungus growth. Silica gel can achieve these levels, but an autonomous regulated box is much better. Make sure that you can actually measure the RH inside the box too, or at least set a target RH.

Oh - P.S. just FYI.
I live in a fairly damp house in a rain forest. I struggle to keep the RH below 70%. I have my camera gear in a large air-tight box with a jar of indicator silica gel and a hygrometer. When the gel goes orange, and the needle starts to rise, I bake the gel bake to blue again.

I live in Bangkok, which is much more humid than S. Korea and I have a dry cabinet. I wouldn't go without one here.

For you, I would say just buy it as $60 is pretty cheap to insure you don't have a mold problem.

Alternatively, I would think Korea only has a humidity problem in the summer, so maybe you can use a cheaper solution for 3-4 months when the humidity is high.

Mold can only grow if it has a dark space, no airflow, and damp conditions. Remove one of the three and there are no mold problems.

Gregg.Siam wrote in post #14949515
I live in Bangkok, which is much more humid than S. Korea and I have a dry cabinet. I wouldn't go without one here.

For you, I would say just buy it as $60 is pretty cheap to insure you don't have a mold problem.

Alternatively, I would think Korea only has a humidity problem in the summer, so maybe you can use a cheaper solution for 3-4 months when the humidity is high.

Mold can only grow if it has a dark space, no airflow, and damp conditions. Remove one of the three and there are no mold problems.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking...you're right, humidity is really only a big issue in the summer, when I run my dehumidifier 8 hours a day (and then usually the A/C which also draws humidity out of the room). $60 is really not a lot to spend, but if I don't need it, then why bother, right? Too bad it has a glass door...if it had a metal door I'd ship it home when I move...

I don't remember exactly how much % RH is needed for fungus/mold to grow, but I'm pretty sure its ~45% or more.

You can get yourself a RH meter and just place it in the room to see how much effect your dehumidifier has.

See if the door can readily be removed, if so remove it and pack it carefully and carry it or pack as baggage.

xarqi wrote in post #14949509
Do you have a dehumidifier just for the protection of your camera gear?
If so, get the dry box and dump the dehumidifier.

Do you know what the RH is with and without the dehumidifier running? If not, find out. You should be able to get a simple but effective hygrometer for a few dollars.

If the RH is below 65% with the dehumidifier running (or indeed, without), you don't need the dry box. If you can't keep the RH below 65% with the dehumifier going, or you personally find that too dry, get the dry box.

Ideally, around 30 to 50% RH is good for storage of optical gear to discourage fungus growth. Silica gel can achieve these levels, but an autonomous regulated box is much better. Make sure that you can actually measure the RH inside the box too, or at least set a target RH.

Oh - P.S. just FYI.
I live in a fairly damp house in a rain forest. I struggle to keep the RH below 70%. I have my camera gear in a large air-tight box with a jar of indicator silica gel and a hygrometer. When the gel goes orange, and the needle starts to rise, I bake the gel bake to blue again.

Thanks for this post.

It's info like this that makes me really appreciate POTN and many of it's members.

uh, unless you have some magic unicorn, shipping will be 300% more than it costs.

LowriderS10 wrote in post #14949339
Hi guys,

I'm living in South Korea, which is a fairly humid country. However, in my room I have a MASSIVE dehumidifier, which I run 8 hours a day while I'm at work, so my actual apartment is much, much less humid than the country itself. (In those 8 hours I draw about 6L or 1.5 gallons of water out of the air).

There's a guy who's selling a dry cabinet for camera gear for around $60...which is a bargain. I'd be all over it if this was back in Canada, but seeing that I can't take it with me when I move, the question is...being that I have a dehumidifier in my apartment...should I bother with a dry cabinet, or will it not really make a big difference over the next 18 months that I'm in Korea?

Thanks,
Tamas

Bite his arm off. My brother in law did a tour in the carribean. $5,000's damage to his Nikon gear by fungus in August humidity.
If your gear is worth more than $300 in total go for it!