We in India have a serious problem of very high humidity especially during =
the monsoon months. If equipment like recorders, camera, lenses, etc. are s=
tored in the open, often there is condensation, especially if the air condi=
tioner is working in the room. There are several ways in which I handle thi=
s problem.
The trick of keeping a low watt bulb on in the cupboard where the equipment=
is kept was what I used to do. Care has to be taken to keep the equipment =
well away from the bulb and to ensure that the bulb does not get too hot. O=
ne of the prices one has to pay for having such hobbies is that at least on=
e hour before planning to take the equipment out of the boxes, one has to s=
witch off the air conditioner so that the ambient temperature is not much d=
ifferent from that outside. Or else, you end up with lot of condensation on=
the equipment.
Another strategy is to keep equipment in large air tight plastic containers=
and to keep silica gel inside the container. Small equipment can be kept i=
n bread boxes or similar small containers, but I use large coleman ice box =
for my camera and long lenses. Blue silica gel is available with chemical s=
uppliers. I use Glaxo brand. I keep the crystals in small bags made of plas=
tic net material, something like the mosquito net. go for large size crysta=
ls. The gel absorbs the moisture inside the container. Once the capacity of=
the gel to absob moisture is over, or it is saturated, the colour changes =
from blue to yellow. Take out the gel, put it in a clean pan and fry it ove=
r slow fire till the dark blue colour returns. Be careful! some crystals ma=
y burst. The gel can be reused several times. I am using my present batch f=
or the last three years, frying them once a month during monsoons. You can =
also use the microwave for this purpose, though I prefer frying as I am abl=
e to watch
the colour changing.
Of course, for those who can afford, there are branded dry cabinets availab=
le, but how one transports them to your camp and how to find power is your =
problem!
Hope this helps.
Koshy
"It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to what's required"=
-Sir Winston S. Churchill
Visit my photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kkoshy/
|