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 becauseof the high humidity. Any glass surface of your equipment attracts this silent destroyer calledMOLDS. Given the right conditions (usually humidity of over 50%, dark environment), moldswill 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 glasscoatings causing permanent damage. This means that you will have to replace the damagedglass 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. DryBox is a container that keeps a low humidity inside to deter the growth of molds. Most of themuse a heater-type system to lower humidity and some have UV lights included as addedmeasure.

You can purchase Dry Boxes from your local camera or DIY stores. The cost varies dependingon the size of the box/cabinet and features (vacuum sealed, electric-driven, etc). They usuallyrange from US$30 to US$1,000.

I’ll 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 bebought at your local home store or DIY store. Cost approximately US$10.00



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 Howto 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



4. As an alternative, there are air-tight containers with hygrometers embedded in them. Thiscan 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. Downsideis that they convert to liquid form once they absorb the moisture. This means that they have tobe replaced approximately every 3-4 months. That’s fine with me cause they don’t cost thatmuch. I try to keep humidity between 30% to 40%. You can lower it by adding moredehumidifier/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. Readthe instructions on the package carefully.

I don’t keep my dry box inside the cabinet where its dark and humidity is high. Try to placethem 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 I’m not using it.

Always remember, it is way cheaper to invest in a US$15.50 dry box than to replace a damagedlens 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 pmHi 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 pmcool!…i’ve been doing the right thing then except that i dont have a hygrometer so i dontknow the level of humidity……i dont use dehumidifier becoz i fear it will worsen thesituation if it spill over the whole container…instead i use a lot of silica GEL as in a “LOt”hahhaha…is this ok JUN???Thanks so much!!!!

3. junsphoto Says:



October 26, 2011 at 7:33 amBased on my experience, you will be able to get an accurate reading up to 2 min fromopening the box to view the hygrometer. After that, there might be an increase or decrease inthe reading.This happens because there will be an additional humidity (if any) that will enter when youopen the box, thus a changing the reading.

4. maiku Says:

October 13, 2011 at 4:04 pmhi…. my diy dry box is not transparent and yet i put my hygrometer inside it…..may i knowthat the reading of hygrometer is reliable or not, when i just open it out and read the readingof hygrometer only a while ???

5. junsphoto Says:

February 18, 2011 at 9:26 pmjerome, from experience, the hygrometer in a dry box is important regardless if we use silicagels or dehumidifiers (chemical or electric). the purpose of the hygrometer is to measure themoisture content inside the dry box. i keep the levels between 30%-40%. anything lowermeans its too dry or higher means there’s too much moisture to probably breedmolds/fungus. without a hygrometer, it’ll be a guessing game.cheers!

6. jerome Says:

February 17, 2011 at 6:57 pmsir jun, if i use electric dehumidifiers, do i still need to use hygrometer?

7. junsphoto Says:

February 15, 2011 at 7:59 pmJerome, try to buy it online sa http://www.tipidpc.com

8. junsphoto Says:

February 15, 2011 at 7:55 pmHi Jerome!



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 moisturecontent of the cigars. Take a look inside their display stand (together with the cigars) & I’mpretty sure they have one in there.Kung wala, try to ask the camera stores (Henry’s, Aperture, etc) if they’re selling. Bakameron.Cheers!

9. jerome Says:

February 15, 2011 at 12:18 pmsir jun, ask ko lnh po if saan p po pwede bumili ng hygrometer, yun nlng po ksi kulang sadry box ko.wala sa fuma,handyman,DIY shop..

10. jerome Says:

February 11, 2011 at 10:53 pmsir jun, good ay po… hanggang nagyon hindi pa din po ako mkahanap ng hygrometer… ialready 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 salesmanyung 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 pmHi Jerome!Usually kung naka plastic pack, dapat meron na yun ng butas. Pero kung wala, butasan mong “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 pmsir jun, ask ko lng po if kelangan p ba butasa yung mga silica gels n nklagay sa small plasticspag ilalagay n sya sa loob ng ait tight container? gaya po nung third silica gel po sa samplepicture nyo….



13. jerome Says:

January 15, 2011 at 7:20 pmSir Jun… Thanks po, more power….

14. junsphoto Says:

January 14, 2011 at 11:20 pmjerome…yup always attach the body cap even inside the dry box.cheers!

15. junsphoto Says:

January 14, 2011 at 11:17 pmhello jerome!i also have the same problem with the viewfinder of my DSLR. It’s possible that it’s a dirtinside your pentaprism & since its inside, using the blower won’t clean it. It’s kind ofannoying at first but i just got used to it. no worries because it won’t 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 pmpag po ba nasa loob ng dry box yung cam dapat po ba naka attach yung body cap? or dapatwala po at naka open ba yung sa lens mount?

17. jerome Says:

January 13, 2011 at 6:17 pmhi sir jun, ask ko lang po. i shoot last december at our province in cagayan so malamig powith may eos 60d probably mga night po then on the following morning nung i open ko poyung cam ko at sumilip sa viewfinder i noticed a little dot on my view finder so nag worrypo ako. inisip ko po baka dust, natry ko n po linisin yung eyepiece pero andun pa din po, ialso used rocket blower dun sa mismong viewfinder sa loob ng cam pero andun pa din po..could it be a moisture? i’m a newbie lang po, just got my dslr last december at wala pa po



ako idea about drybox… hope you could help me po… TIA

18. junsphoto Says:

March 27, 2010 at 3:21 pmGreat info Ian…Thanks!

19. Ian Van Cubing Says:

March 24, 2010 at 1:31 pmI 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. Igot 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 pmhi pao!i would still recommend a hygrometer inside the box because i try to maintain a humiditylevel between 30%-40%.very low humidity means it might be too dry and might cause mechanical parts of yourcamera/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 theystop 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 P1,2003 years ago. (price may differ now)2. DIY Shop (bought mine at greenhills branch). of all places i found one at the car accessorysection (see #2 above). relatively cheap at P225 only

21. paoruiz Says:



December 3, 2009 at 2:09 pmhi,

i was able to do your DIY dry box already. problem is, i can’t find a hygrometer. you thinkthat is ok?

i would appreciate it if you can email me your thoughts. =) [email protected]

thank you so much!

22. Ryan Says:

August 21, 2009 at 9:56 pmYep.. sorry.. my fault.. it’s calcium chloride…

23. junsphoto Says:

August 20, 2009 at 10:20 pmOoopps.. I meant Calcium Chloride, not Soduim Chloride, as dehumidifiers. See #3 on theabove list. I think Ryan also meant the same thing…

24. paul Says:

August 20, 2009 at 9:17 pmHi Jun & Ryan,Wikipedia has a list of dessicants and Sodium Chloride, our common table salt, is not one ofthem. Though we use it to calibrate our hygrometer, it is considered as a poor dessicant andis not suitable for cameras and lenses. Silica Gel is preffered by most photographers. It isNOT toxic but the blue indicators are. So just the same take care in handling them. BTWplease don’t 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 a30-40% reading. Will inform you as soon as its done.

25. Ryan Says:

August 9, 2009 at 6:32 pmBy the way sir, ari lang ko d sa iloilo a. Please please inform me when you guys conductseminars or whatever it is to enhance our skills. I staterted with a point and shoot cameraand i shifted to canon 450d with the kit and bought a telephoto lens(no IS so it’s cheaper)just



this year. I really would like to learn more with this craft. please email me kun may ara kamonga e conduct. Thank you!

26. junsphoto Says:

August 7, 2009 at 9:37 pmRyan, I suggest you have it cleaned by the manufacturer’s service center. I personally don’twant 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,I’m not really familiar with repair/service centers there in Manila. I’ll try to ask around…

27. Ryan Says:

August 7, 2009 at 1:18 pmSir, 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 pmHi Ryan,Thanks for visiting my site.Yes, sodium chloride is highly corrosive and extra precaution should be exercised whenhandling it. I read that it wont damage your equipment as long as it doesn’t come intocontact with it.Keep on shootin’…

29. Ryan Says:

August 6, 2009 at 9:04 pmSir 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. Thanksand 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:



July 6, 2009 at 8:48 pmGreat input Paul!I’ll be creating a link to that site so my visitors will know how to.Thanks.

31. paul Says:

July 6, 2009 at 10:36 amHi Jun,Just read from a how-to website that it is best to calibrate your hygrometer ( may it be analogor digital) before using. Its easy, all you need are salt, water and a transparent closecontainer (your dry box will do). For the procedure, log on to ehow.com.Paul

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