Dry Boxes
The Philippines has a very high humidity throughout the year because we are surrounded by the sea on all sides. It gets worse when the wind shifts in April and get quite bad when the rainy season starts in June all the way to November.
I am writing this at 8:00 am in June, the sun is out but the humidity is already at 85%.
All this humidity can cause fungus to grow in our photography gear.
Most people in drier climates don't need any protection against humidity. But in the Philippines it is a must to keep your gear in an electric dry box.
The ideal humidity for storing your photography gear is around 40-45%. Too low and the rubber seals might dry out and too high a humidity level may cause fungus to grow. The dry boxes have a control knob and you can adjust it to the setting you want.
We use two brands Am-Pro and Eureka. They both seem to work very well. They are maintenance free and totally silent. Auto dry boxes use very little electricity. We put our bins, hard drives, lenses and cameras in the dry boxes. We each have one dry box so our gear does not get mixed up.
An electric dry box is a good way to insure against fungus. It costs around P4500 for a small box. A box for a super telephoto should run around P9000-13000.
Some people like to use silica gel and put it in an airtight box with their photo gear. I think it is too much hassle to monitor the silica gel if it is still absorbing moisture and you can't control the level of the humidity. Each time you get your gear the silica gel will absorb moisture so it is very difficult to keep track of the effectiveness of a silica gel system.
The chemical desiccant in the auto dry boxes are more efficient in removing moisture than silica gel. And they work better at the higher temperatures typically found in the Philippines.
Read MoreI am writing this at 8:00 am in June, the sun is out but the humidity is already at 85%.
All this humidity can cause fungus to grow in our photography gear.
Most people in drier climates don't need any protection against humidity. But in the Philippines it is a must to keep your gear in an electric dry box.
The ideal humidity for storing your photography gear is around 40-45%. Too low and the rubber seals might dry out and too high a humidity level may cause fungus to grow. The dry boxes have a control knob and you can adjust it to the setting you want.
We use two brands Am-Pro and Eureka. They both seem to work very well. They are maintenance free and totally silent. Auto dry boxes use very little electricity. We put our bins, hard drives, lenses and cameras in the dry boxes. We each have one dry box so our gear does not get mixed up.
An electric dry box is a good way to insure against fungus. It costs around P4500 for a small box. A box for a super telephoto should run around P9000-13000.
Some people like to use silica gel and put it in an airtight box with their photo gear. I think it is too much hassle to monitor the silica gel if it is still absorbing moisture and you can't control the level of the humidity. Each time you get your gear the silica gel will absorb moisture so it is very difficult to keep track of the effectiveness of a silica gel system.
The chemical desiccant in the auto dry boxes are more efficient in removing moisture than silica gel. And they work better at the higher temperatures typically found in the Philippines.
Two styles of dry boxes. Single and double door.
The bigger boxes have drawers and shelves. It makes organizing your gear very easy.
Look for a good seal. The auto dry box works by using a very efficient chemical desiccant. The desiccant absorbs the moisture in the cabinet during the absorption stage then expels it out in the exhaustion stage. The desiccant is dried with a low watt heater.
