[tclu1308]

Has anyone used regular charcoal (Kingsford for example) as a dessecant for long term (year or more) ammo storage? I always drop a few silica packs in my ammo cans but it occurred to me the other day that a charcoal briquette might do the same job. Any reasons why this would be a bad idea? Just curious.

[ArkansasHunter]

I believe charcoal bricketts are sometimes used for odor control such as in fridgerator's and not for mositure control.
I could be wrong...A.H

EDIT: You know it would'nt be a bad idea to use them in Ice Chest when there not in use.

[Big Dog]

"Activated Charcoal" is good for odor control - the brickettes have a lot of additives that might not be so good.
Doubt they'll work for moisture. Mom used to put rice into her salt shakers to soak up moisture and prevent the salt clumping......

[tclu1308]

what got me thinking on this was people I know down in Florida who put pans of charcoal around their homes (under the couch, bed and so forth) and say it helps keep mold and mildew down. Also I've noticed that charcoal kept in the garage for too long seems to get damp and not burn as well.

[Big Dog]

Well, it is the primary ingredient of gunpowder, and gunpowder is hygroscopic (absorbs water/moisture) - maybe there is something to it?

You can buy silica gel crystals pretty cheap at craft shops.

[GunGourd]

As they say on how it's made - it has a moisture content of around 5%. It also does not have additives. It is just plain compressed charred sawdust.

[nathangdad]

refrigerators more so than in freezers.

Charcoal is not a moisture absorbant of any particular value.
Also, mold can grow on it. I know this because long ago I lived in New Orleans.

So, packing something in charcoal or placing charcoal in a sealed container is not really a good idea.

[thrillbilly]

All I know is that after working in a charcoal plant for awhile, I can barely stand to use it to cook my ribeyes, much less invent other ways to use it! I had to take 45 minute showers with 3-4 shampoos and soapings to get clean every night, plus I had permanent mascara.

[tclu1308]

Quote:       Originally Posted by nathangdad

refrigerators more so than in freezers. Charcoal is not a moisture absorbant of any particular value. Also, mold can grow on it. I know this because long ago I lived in New Orleans. So, packing something in charcoal or placing charcoal in a sealed container is not really a good idea.

thanks for the input nathangdad. I did a little research of my own on this and found a site that rated desecants based on some scientific method. (can't seem to find it again now that I look). Anyway, charcoal didn't do so well. I guess Silica packs are the way to go.

[Not2Old2]

The silica chrystals are a very good solution. Best thing is they are reusable. They start out blue and when they have turned pink they have all the moisture they can hold. Just put them in a shallow pan and heat them in the oven at about 200 degrees until they turn back to blue. The container that you buy them in will tell you how to regenerate them.

[Farmer]

You can get silica from the nurseries now, its used as a water holder in the soil.

much cheaper than buying it as a desicant.