How Often Should Desiccant Packs Be Replaced?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 6,354
trent Valued Member United States 355 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 1:29 pm E.g if I have desiccants / silica gel packs in my ziplocks w/ albums or in boxes with coins, etc. Currently I have some 'homemade' desiccants. I took a box of silica gel intended for drying flowers poured some in coffee filters, and then carefully folded and stapled the filters closed so it's almost the size of a golf ball. This seems to have worked well over the past 2 years with my albums in Ziplock storage bags, but I'm not sure how long this stuff lasts or can possibly get over saturated / over used. When I do come across a tiny pack in a new pair of shoes or something I will also toss that somewhere into my coin collection too. Furthermore I started doing (I think it was Bad Thad's method) of placing a sacrificial red zincoln in the bag too. I take all my ziplock bag'd albums and a box of nicer rolls and place them in a big rubbermaid storage container. In that I have a MASSIVE desiccant packet that's about the size of a pair of socks and is maybe 1/4 lb. I got that when we ordered a new commercial plotter at work. Any way, any critiques of my storage and how often should a 'typical' normal sized silica gel pack that you'd get with shoes or something be changed out? I live in the north east if that makes any difference. Thanks! Report this Post to the Staff

bpoc1 Rest in Peace United States 4078 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 3:25 pm A very good question. My wife said you can micro-wave them to dry them out. She is not sure if this information is correct. Lets see what the other members know. Report this Post to the Staff
awallin01 Valued Member United Kingdom 477 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 3:57 pm If you have staples in the packs, don't use a microwave! Any metal and a microwave will cause sparks or worse. I see there are varieties here's a link to answers regarding differing varieties ;). http://www.silicagelpackets.com/is-...st-its-prime Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16828 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 6:08 pm Silica gel is re-usable; put it in a conventional oven (or even on some other heatsource, like an oil heater) and it will dry out. 2 hours at 120 deg C should dry it out completely. I wouldn't recommend a microwave, for three reasons: overheating can cause the gel to overheat and degrade; drying out silica gel requires time, which a microwave does not give it; and it can even harm your microwave as the gel when dry does not absorb enough of the microwaves to prevent the beam reflecting back into the magnetron. If you wish to know whether or not your silica gel needs regenerating, you can obtain "indicating silica gel" doped with cobalt chloride; it is blue when dry and turns pink when it absorbs moisture. Other compounds are used in some countries where cobalt is a restricted substance. You only need to mix a few grains of it in amongst your regular gel for it to do its job of indicating to you whether your silica gel is still good. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
soulchief Valued Member Canada 54 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 8:01 pm Doesn't cobalt chloride have a risk of causing cancer? I read this the other day when looking into the packs. Quote: Some types of Silica Gel, which they consider Indicating Silica Gel, have been impregnated with cobalt chloride, which is blue when it is dry and turns to pink when it is saturated. There have been some significant health and environmental risks attributed to the use of cobalt chloride within the Silica Gel including possibly causing cancer, along with skin and respiratory irritation. We, along with several other retailers, offer a safer alternative which is Indicating Silica Gel that goes from orange to green and does not contain cobalt chloride. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16828 Posts	Posted 03/31/2014 9:04 pm The cobalt chloride gel should not be used when storing food, but otherwise it is fairly safe and harmless if basic safety precautions are taken (don't eat it, keep out of reach of children, wash hands after using). The cobalt is locked into the gel and is not released unless the gel comes into contact with acid. Cobalt silica gel has been declared a toxic material by the European Union. The orange-to-green indicating gel replaces the cobalt chloride with methyl violet, an organic dye which used to be used as a food coloring agent until it was found it too can cause cancer. Both forms of indicating gel work just as well at their primary task. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 6,354

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Main Coin Forum

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.23 seconds to rattle this change.