Desiccant for Ammo Storage - Kitty Litter?

[MCA]

I have been researching this today as I checked my ammo cans and noticed that I needed to recharge all of my desiccant packs in the oven.

Anyone ever use and/or heard of using 100% Silica Cat Litter (such as Tidy Cat) as a desiccant alternative? Basically stapling up a coffee filter with a few tablespoons of kitty litter in it. I have read that it must be 100% silica, no clay or mixtures, and should be unscented.

The price for a large 4-10 pound bag of it is very cheap as are coffee filters (or nylons, socks, tea bags, etc.). Just toss it when your done. Granted it doesn't have the cool little pink "recharge" indicator on it.

Just curious. I like the idea of not having to recharge silica packs in the oven for 3-4 hours. Silica does what it is supposed to do (adsord moisture)regardless of how it is branded.

Anyone?

P.S. I'm a dog guy. Never bought kitty litter in my life.

 

[Tigerstripe]

the litter sounds like it might could get messy, if it really works.

guess what? after deer season go to walmart and buy up the marked down hand and foot warmers. they are good for using on buckets of food or bullets. i dont think they can be recharged but ive picked up a bunch of 6 packs for a buck or less each.

when ive opened a can of ammo the hand warmer is as hard as a brick. takes quite a tug to get the can open too.

 

[Dayman]

I don't use any in my cans....anyone else? Is this really needed? What kind of environment are you storing in?

 

[MCA]

I don't use any in my cans....anyone else? Is this really needed? What kind of environment are you storing in?

I have always read and been told that one should keep a desiccant pack in your ammo cans for storage, especially long term storage. Is it really needed? Not sure but I'd rather error on the side of caution when it comes to my ammo supply and it's a pretty common practice with everyone I know.

The desiccant packs with the color indicator do eventually turn from blue to pink indicating that the pack needs to be recharged or replaced which tells me they are in fact absorbing moisture. I keep all of my ammo in zip lock bags stored in new .50 cal ammo cans with a good rubber seal. The .50 cal cans are on the floor in the back of a dark closet and never see any light. Even when stored this way the desiccant packs still end up turning pink after a few months.

I like Tigerstripes idea though. I going to give it a try.

I'm positive that there is also a similar thread to this one from last year as well titled "long term ammo storage". I was just curious about the 100% silica cat litter trick I have been reading about.

 

[MCA]

Ammo storage thread from February of this year:

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=6376&p=36217&hilit=desiccant#p36217

 

[Tigerstripe]

i dont know why but i had ammo in an ammo can and after openning it smelled and had some kind of "dusty, moldy" looking stuff on it. i cleaned it and it fired but it wasnt in there THAT long. less than a year. after 5 years it might not have fired.

yes add a handwarmer or some dessicant.

 

[11B3XCIB]

I've got silica packs in some of my ammo cans. We live in SC; with the humidity here it's a no brainer to toss some in

I looked at Walmart today and the only silica cat litter was scented and it looked like the blue meth from Breaking Bad. For 8lbs it was like $6....not a bad price.

Also read online that flower dehydrater at Michaels or Hobby Lobby works the same; unscented silica regardless of how it's packaged.

 

[John Canuck]

The reason silicone dioxide works is because of it's shape. It's basically a small hard sponge with lots of pores in it. While kitty litter is not the same as industrial desiccant, it will all adsorb (not absorb) water molecules. Kitty litter may not be as efficient, but as long as it's pure SiO2 it will work. As already stated, it cannot contain clay or other impurities.

The dust from manufactured silicone dioxide is not toxic, ie. it will not give you miners lung, but it may be an irritant. It would be wise to keep the rough handling to a minimum.