9/17/12 12:26 PM Do-It-Yourself Dry Box Junsphoto

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Junsphoto
April 27, 2009
Do-It-Yourself Dry Box
Posted by junsphoto under Page Updates, Photo News & Updates | Tags: news, philippines,
photo tutorials, photography |
[31] Comments
Being located in the Philippines (or in the tropics) can be hazardous for your equipment because
of the high humidity. Any glass surface of your equipment attracts this silent destroyer called
MOLDS. Given the right conditions (usually humidity of over 50%, dark environment), molds
will grow on the glass of lenses, viewfinders, mirrors and image sensors. Detected early on,
they can be wiped clean. But once they have encroached themselves, they will eat the glass
coatings causing permanent damage. This means that you will have to replace the damaged
glass and this is going to cost a lot!
To prevent the growth of molds in your equipment, you will need to invest in a Dry Box. Dry
Box is a container that keeps a low humidity inside to deter the growth of molds. Most of them
use a heater-type system to lower humidity and some have UV lights included as added
measure.
You can purchase Dry Boxes from your local camera or DIY stores. The cost varies depending
on the size of the box/cabinet and features (vacuum sealed, electric-driven, etc). They usually
range from US$30 to US$1,000.
Ill be sharing with you how to make a Dry Box for US$15.50
You will need the following:
1. Air-tight container(6 liter/1.6 gallon capacity depending on your needs). This can be
bought at your local home store or DIY store. Cost approximately US$10.00
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2. Hygrometer. This device measures humidity. This can be bought at car accessory stores,
DIY shop or pharmacy. Cost approximately US$4.00. To calibrate your hygometer, go to How
to Calibrate a Hygrometer.
3. Dehumidifier (calcium chloride) or silica gel. These items absorb moisture in the air.
These can be bought at the DIY shop or pharmacy. Cost approximately US$1.50
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4. As an alternative, there are air-tight containers with hygrometers embedded in them. This
can be bought at the camera stores or DIY shops. They cost around US$24.00.
I use the dehumidifiers because they absorb moisture faster compared to silica gels. Downside
is that they convert to liquid form once they absorb the moisture. This means that they have to
be replaced approximately every 3-4 months. Thats fine with me cause they dont cost that
much. I try to keep humidity between 30% to 40%. You can lower it by adding more
dehumidifier/silica gel but this not advisable.
Silica gels are rechargeable and you can remove the moisture from them by heating it.
Remember, both dehumidifiers and silica gels are toxic so be careful when handling them. Read
the instructions on the package carefully.
I dont keep my dry box inside the cabinet where its dark and humidity is high. Try to place
them outside the cabinet, maybe in a shelf where there is available light.
I always keep my equipment in the dry box at all times when Im not using it.
Always remember, it is way cheaper to invest in a US$15.50 dry box than to replace a damaged
lens element costing hundreds of US dollars.
Related topics How to calibate a hygrometer
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31 Responses to Do-It-Yourself Dry Box
1. junsphoto Says:
January 21, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Hi Dio!
No problems with using silica gels as long as you get the desired level of humidity..
Cheers!
2. dio guilbert Says:
January 15, 2012 at 11:21 pm
cool!ive been doing the right thing then except that i dont have a hygrometer so i dont
know the level of humidityi dont use dehumidifier becoz i fear it will worsen the
situation if it spill over the whole containerinstead i use a lot of silica GEL as in a LOt
hahhahais this ok JUN???Thanks so much!!!!
3. junsphoto Says:
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October 26, 2011 at 7:33 am
Based on my experience, you will be able to get an accurate reading up to 2 min from
opening the box to view the hygrometer. After that, there might be an increase or decrease in
the reading.
This happens because there will be an additional humidity (if any) that will enter when you
open the box, thus a changing the reading.
4. maiku Says:
October 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm
hi. my diy dry box is not transparent and yet i put my hygrometer inside it..may i know
that the reading of hygrometer is reliable or not, when i just open it out and read the reading
of hygrometer only a while ???
5. junsphoto Says:
February 18, 2011 at 9:26 pm
jerome, from experience, the hygrometer in a dry box is important regardless if we use silica
gels or dehumidifiers (chemical or electric). the purpose of the hygrometer is to measure the
moisture content inside the dry box. i keep the levels between 30%-40%. anything lower
means its too dry or higher means theres too much moisture to probably breed
molds/fungus. without a hygrometer, itll be a guessing game.
cheers!
6. jerome Says:
February 17, 2011 at 6:57 pm
sir jun, if i use electric dehumidifiers, do i still need to use hygrometer?
7. junsphoto Says:
February 15, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Jerome, try to buy it online sa http://www.tipidpc.com
8. junsphoto Says:
February 15, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Hi Jerome!
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I bought mine at DIY & Fuma. At DIY, try the automotive section. Sa mga gauges section.
The Fuma people should know what a hygrometer is. They need it to control the moisture
content of the cigars. Take a look inside their display stand (together with the cigars) & Im
pretty sure they have one in there.
Kung wala, try to ask the camera stores (Henrys, Aperture, etc) if theyre selling. Baka
meron.
Cheers!
9. jerome Says:
February 15, 2011 at 12:18 pm
sir jun, ask ko lnh po if saan p po pwede bumili ng hygrometer, yun nlng po ksi kulang sa
dry box ko.wala sa fuma,handyman,DIY shop..
10. jerome Says:
February 11, 2011 at 10:53 pm
sir jun, good ay po hanggang nagyon hindi pa din po ako mkahanap ng hygrometer i
already tried sa DIY shop, concorde, and fuma,pero lagi nla sinasabi n wala silang ganun.
nagtataka tuloy ako n baka hindi alam nung mga napagtanungan ko n saleslady or salesman
yung hygrometer. so, ask ko lg po if saang part ng DIY shops naka-locate yung hygrometer,
saang section po para ako nlng maghanap. thanks po
11. junsphoto Says:
January 21, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Hi Jerome!
Usually kung naka plastic pack, dapat meron na yun ng butas. Pero kung wala, butasan mo
ng pin para ma absorb ng silica gel yung moisture.
Kung ang packing niya fabric or fabric-like material, no need na.
Cheers!
12. jerome Says:
January 20, 2011 at 6:38 pm
sir jun, ask ko lng po if kelangan p ba butasa yung mga silica gels n nklagay sa small plastics
pag ilalagay n sya sa loob ng ait tight container? gaya po nung third silica gel po sa sample
picture nyo.
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13. jerome Says:
January 15, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Sir Jun Thanks po, more power.
14. junsphoto Says:
January 14, 2011 at 11:20 pm
jerome
yup always attach the body cap even inside the dry box.
cheers!
15. junsphoto Says:
January 14, 2011 at 11:17 pm
hello jerome!
i also have the same problem with the viewfinder of my DSLR. Its possible that its a dirt
inside your pentaprism & since its inside, using the blower wont clean it. Its kind of
annoying at first but i just got used to it. no worries because it wont affect the image output.
if it really bothers you, you can have it cleaned at the service center.
cheers!
16. jerome Says:
January 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm
pag po ba nasa loob ng dry box yung cam dapat po ba naka attach yung body cap? or dapat
wala po at naka open ba yung sa lens mount?
17. jerome Says:
January 13, 2011 at 6:17 pm
hi sir jun, ask ko lang po. i shoot last december at our province in cagayan so malamig po
with may eos 60d probably mga night po then on the following morning nung i open ko po
yung cam ko at sumilip sa viewfinder i noticed a little dot on my view finder so nag worry
po ako. inisip ko po baka dust, natry ko n po linisin yung eyepiece pero andun pa din po, i
also used rocket blower dun sa mismong viewfinder sa loob ng cam pero andun pa din po..
could it be a moisture? im a newbie lang po, just got my dslr last december at wala pa po
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ako idea about drybox hope you could help me po TIA
18. junsphoto Says:
March 27, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Great info Ian
Thanks!
19. Ian Van Cubing Says:
March 24, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I also have a DIY dry box, in case others are also wondering where to purchase the items.
- Biokips, Lock N Lock or Xeonic airtight plastic container at SM Dept. store. P600
- Digital hygrometer. I got mine from a seller in tipidpc.com for P700 including shipping. I
got it the next day.
- Dessicant from Ace Hardware P65
The hygrometer is a must. My drybox once dropped to 20% humidity which is too dry.
Without the hygrometer I would never have known.
20. junsphoto Says:
December 3, 2009 at 11:54 pm
hi pao!
i would still recommend a hygrometer inside the box because i try to maintain a humidity
level between 30%-40%.
very low humidity means it might be too dry and might cause mechanical parts of your
camera/lens to loose lubrication. the parts made of rubber may dry out and become brittle &
crack. my drybox can get as low as 15% humidity if i have a new dehumidifier.
more importantly, you wont know if your dehumidifier or silica gel is doing its job. if they
stop absorbing moisture, then your box becomes one breeding ground for molds & fungus.
here are several shops where you may find a hygrometer:
1. Fuma (located at glorietta, sells cigars). the analog sells for P600 and the digital for P1,200
3 years ago. (price may differ now)
2. DIY Shop (bought mine at greenhills branch). of all places i found one at the car accessory
section (see #2 above). relatively cheap at P225 only
21. paoruiz Says:
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December 3, 2009 at 2:09 pm
hi,
i was able to do your DIY dry box already. problem is, i cant find a hygrometer. you think
that is ok?
i would appreciate it if you can email me your thoughts. =) paolosruiz@gmail.com
thank you so much!
22. Ryan Says:
August 21, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Yep.. sorry.. my fault.. its calcium chloride
23. junsphoto Says:
August 20, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Ooopps.. I meant Calcium Chloride, not Soduim Chloride, as dehumidifiers. See #3 on the
above list. I think Ryan also meant the same thing
24. paul Says:
August 20, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi Jun & Ryan,
Wikipedia has a list of dessicants and Sodium Chloride, our common table salt, is not one of
them. Though we use it to calibrate our hygrometer, it is considered as a poor dessicant and
is not suitable for cameras and lenses. Silica Gel is preffered by most photographers. It is
NOT toxic but the blue indicators are. So just the same take care in handling them. BTW
please dont get confused. Humidifier is the apparatus (dry box+dessicant+hygrmeter+),
while the element that absorbs moisture is called Dessicant.
I am in the proccess of experimenting how much Silica Gel to add into the dry box to get a
30-40% reading. Will inform you as soon as its done.
25. Ryan Says:
August 9, 2009 at 6:32 pm
By the way sir, ari lang ko d sa iloilo a. Please please inform me when you guys conduct
seminars or whatever it is to enhance our skills. I staterted with a point and shoot camera
and i shifted to canon 450d with the kit and bought a telephoto lens(no IS so its cheaper)just
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this year. I really would like to learn more with this craft. please email me kun may ara kamo
nga e conduct. Thank you!
26. junsphoto Says:
August 7, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Ryan, I suggest you have it cleaned by the manufacturers service center. I personally dont
want to cut maintenance cost when it comes to my equipment.
However, if budget is a consideration, then you may have it cleaned by a third party. Sorry,
Im not really familiar with repair/service centers there in Manila. Ill try to ask around
27. Ryan Says:
August 7, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Sir, inquire lang, can you suggest a place where we could go if we want our sensor cleaned..?
thanks po!
28. junsphoto Says:
August 6, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for visiting my site.
Yes, sodium chloride is highly corrosive and extra precaution should be exercised when
handling it. I read that it wont damage your equipment as long as it doesnt come into
contact with it.
Keep on shootin
29. Ryan Says:
August 6, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Sir i am wondering if it is really safe to use sodium chloride dehumidifier to your gadget,
since i read in one of the forums in pinoyphotograhy.org that it corrodes the gadget,
although i had my own research but cannot find any to support their allegations. Thanks
and i am always visiting here to learn from you. i wonder if you could give me some more
lessons and tips. heheheehe
30. junsphoto Says:
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July 6, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Great input Paul!
Ill be creating a link to that site so my visitors will know how to.
Thanks.
31. paul Says:
July 6, 2009 at 10:36 am
Hi Jun,
Just read from a how-to website that it is best to calibrate your hygrometer ( may it be analog
or digital) before using. Its easy, all you need are salt, water and a transparent close
container (your dry box will do). For the procedure, log on to ehow.com.
Paul
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