I was just wondering if anyone has experience with putting a larger bag of silica in their cabinet to prevent humidity “damaging” their (metal) pinball parts.
I was thinking about doing that myself.. thinking of periodically (once or twice a year) putting it in my microwave to dry out the silica.
Would a large silica bag be effective or am
I overthinking it when trying to protect the pinball from humidity?
Quoted from twhtalm:Is anything around the machine having issues with humidity?
Not noticeable.. but for me it’s more a matter of protecting it where I can after putting the effort in to de-rusting, polishing and waxing all the parts
It can be very humid where we live, but not often
Can be very humid where I live to, can be 80/90%. I built a pinroom in my garage which is virtually sealed and has a dehumidifier set to 50%.
I have a humidity gauge and a dehumidifier in the basement game room and switch on the dehumidifier on days it’s getting out of control. Or can set the dehumidifier to maintain a certain level automatically
Quoted from vid1900:A pin is too open to airflow for silica packets to be effective.
Your best bet to keep condensation away is to put a reptile mat in the cab.
The gentle heat will prevent the "morning dew" cycle
When it’s on and getting warm/hot, yes maybe but humidity will not be an issue then but when it’s off I cant see much air flow running in and out of a pin.
For larger scale humidity protection I use these inside tool cabinets in unheated garages or sheds instead of the bags. They work very well and are easily rejuvenated in the oven once they become saturated. I’ve also heard from people who have them in gun safes, coin safes etc. but have no first hand experience there.
Quoted from Lostcause:When it’s on and getting warm/hot, yes maybe but humidity will not be an issue then but when it’s off I cant see much air flow running in and out of a pin.
They are designed to be a chimney.
Even the slightest airflow pulls air up and out of the machine.
But if you want to test this for yourself, put the humidity reading card from your gun safe inside the machine. Lock the coin door tight. Read the humidity in 30 minutes.
Then put 50 silica packs in the game, and repeat. See? It's still at the room's humidity level.
Test again in 2 days, still at room humidity.
Every photographer, gun enthusiast, and basement chemist knows that you can often pull 4 GALLONS of water out of the air in a single day from a basement or garage in the summer.
That's why your gun safe has a Goldenrod, and your $$$$ Canon lives in a sealed Pelican with a giant silica pack that changes color after a few months.
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From the Dry&Dry FAQ:
Q5. How are silica gel used best?
- Silica gel packets work in air-tight seal container. If they are open to air, they are constantly absorbing moisture in open air and become saturated right away.
https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Humidity-Indicator-Cards-Reusable/dp/B07D7LSZZP
71PeWp0MdAL._AC_SL1500_ (resized).jpg
Quoted from TDK-WPG:For larger scale humidity protection I use these inside tool cabinets in unheated garages or sheds instead of the bags. They work very well and are easily rejuvenated in the oven once they become saturated. I’ve also heard from people who have them in gun safes, coin safes etc. but have no first hand experience there.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/53828-silica-gel-dehumidifiers?item=56Z6103
Those are great, but pricey @ $80 for only 750 grams.
You can get 7.5 POUNDS of color changing silica beads for $33 shipped
71+3P3msgpL._SL1500_ (resized).jpgQuoted from vid1900:You can get 7.5 POUNDS of color changing silica beads for $33 shipped
Nice! Appreciate the tip!
Quoted from jackd104:I have a humidity gauge and a dehumidifier in the basement game room and switch on the dehumidifier on days it’s getting out of control. Or can set the dehumidifier to maintain a certain level automatically
Same here. I have the dehumidifier outlet hose into the high efficiency furnace condensate drain so no bucket emptying. I try to keep the relative humidity in the mid 40s, 50 at most.
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Sana'a
South Berwick, ME
Winnipeg, MB