would you use this "closet dehumidifier" in ammo cans to store ammo?

[cajun47]

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/WILLERT-755-KEEP-IT-DRY-ClosetDehumidifier-6-7oz.html

i get them at walmart. i been using them in my boat box and gun cabinet. i like them cause you can actually see it collect the moisture from the air. it works well cause things in my boat box would get damp, now everything seems to stay dry and i can see the water collected. i guess it last about 6 months before its filled up.

would you trust this with ammo in an air tight ammo can?

 

[yeti]

Sure, that size seems like over kill in an ammo box, but I see no reason it wouldn't work fine.

If that container is filled with crystals (like the link says it is) I would just divide it up into a few smaller cloth sacks and use them in multiple ammo cans.

 

[cajun47]

the crystals, i guess they melt and the water is collected at the bottom of the container.

 

[W.E.G.]

Ammo cans stored in normal places do not need such things.

Maybe if you store your ammo on a boat, it might be useful.

 

[Shadow 7D]

NO
waste of money

if the ammo is in the can, and not a bathtub, it will be fine

 

[mowmer]

I use a similar product in my gun safe along with silica cat litter in small bags.

 

[meadmkr]

If it were required the military would be using them as well. Required? Probably not but its cheap insurance

If you feel the need or just want to be extra-extra-extra sure, add 2 small packs (top/bottom) for each. If you are very frugal you can scrounge them electronics boxes (check your IT or electronics shop at work) or simply order them online. I found a bunch of 'em a few years ago on fleabay and they work well. I store my primers in heavy duty ziplocs and throw one each bag as a little extra precaution. I left a few sitting on the bench in the garage that I forgot to put away during a rainy weekend. They are the color-indicating one and sure enough they were all blue (moisture) Monday morning. I set them out on the front brick porch on a dry breezy day out of the sun and they were back to their 'dry' color after lunch. Some folks dry them in the clothes dryer or oven but never felt the need to go that far.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Once again, why are you concerned about the ammo,
Do you realize that the military has huge amounts of it stored outside in very bad conditions with little more than kitchen plastic wrap over the above ammo boxes, I have seen foreign military ammo dumps that had the ammo in large loose bins, open to the elements, and it too worked.

Save the money and spend it on a decent gun safe or more ammo cans

 

[hso]

I concur, not needed.

If the ammo goes into a dry box at low relative humidity then what are you protecting the ammo from in a sealed air/watertight container?

 

[MinnMooney]

I love the fact that it's "Fragrance free."

Don't ya just hate it when your NATO ammo smells like roses at a sniper's convention?

 

[Shadow 7D]

Damn it Mooney, now I have to clean my key board, well that's what you get for letting your wife pack your ammo

You know real men's ammo smells like Axe Chocolate

 

[BlisteringSilence]

If you're looking to test an ammo can to see if a desiccant is really necessary, why don't you try some anhydrous cobalt(II) chloride? That way, you'd get a color change if you do indeed have a humidity problem.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Cajun47. Don't listen to these people. I use them in my gun safe and my camping equipment boxes. I no longer have a mildew problem in the camp equipment boxes. I would also advise that you purchase a Golden Rod for the safe.

Very cheap insurance!! Not to mention peace of mind.

 

[hso]

I keep desiccant bags in my safe also, but he's only talking about putting this in steel ammo boxes. If the ammo goes in dry and the steel ammo box is dry I can't determine what value it will provide if there's no excess moisture in there to begin with.

I'll grant the cost isn't much, but it takes up room that could be filled with dry ammunition.

I would suggest using a small oxygen absorber in a can for long term storage. They're about the size of the electronics silica gel packs in a cell phone box.

 

[femoralis]

Have to be careful to not let the liquid spill after it collects! Would be much worse than the humidity.

 

[M2 Carbine]

IMO it's not necessary in the steel military ammo cans but I believe I will look into them for my gun safes.

 

[oldreloader]

It looks like something I might set a couple of in my reloading room too.

 

[otblue]

Absolutely DO NOT use these in an ammo can.

These products are Calcium chloride based and dehumidify by absorbing moisture and dissolving in the said moisture. This is fine in a fixed closet or safe where you put the container on the floor and it is unlikely to get tipped over. In an ammo can that you are moving around you simply cannot avoid spilling the salt solution and it is corrosive!

Personally I have stopped using the stuff for any application because it seems to leave a sticky film around the containment area.

The desiccant most posters are referring to in response to your question is silica gel, a completely different product. I use it everywhere, ammo boxes, gun safe, medicine cabinet, seed storage and the list goes on.

Non corrosive and "rechargeable". The blue stuff is said to be carcinogenic, so don't eat it. You can buy a "safe" orange version these days, just check eBay.

The cheapest way to get this in bulk is cat "crystals", but just so you know the blue dye in every one I've checked is a fake indicator and doesn't tell you when to "recharge". Easy fix, buy a small quantity of the good grade and mix it in, alternatively just recharge on a regular schedule, uneccessary in a fully sealed container like an metal ammo box.

 

[hso]

calcium chloride is not a carcinogen. It's relatively harmless.

If you want to use this in a room for dehumidifying you can buy it by the bucket as roadway deicing salt. Just remember it will absorb water until it dissolves and you will have to dispose of it safely since now you have a container of calcium chloride salt solution.

Silica gel doesn't present any of these problems.

 

[otblue]

Never said calcium chloride was a carcinogen.

I referred to the "blue" stuff in silica gel which is cobalt chloride. This is listed as a possible carcinogen and silica gel containing it as an indicator is no longer recommended near food products.

While I continue to use the blue indicating silica gel because it remains the easiest to get, I no longer use the kitchen oven or microwave to recharge it and I wear a mask (because of the fine dust) when I pour it from one container to another.

The newer versions contain allegedly safe indicator agents.

 

[hso]

Ahhhhh, thanks for clearing that up for me.

Cobalt Chloride, the blue stuff, isn't a human carcinogen either (but as in all things the status of a chemical can change as more information on it is gathered). It is an animal carcinogen and it is pretty strong irritant and has a low permissible exposure limit due to the cobalt so wearing a dust mask when handling is a good idea.

The good cat litter is about the least expensive quality dehumidifier around.