Beef Jerky Didnt Come With Silica Gel Packet
In our contempo article near h2o damage restoration we talked about the difference betwixt refrigerant dehumidifiers and desiccant dehumidifiers. Which nosotros oft use to help dry a property after nosotros have plant a leak delivering our water leak detection service.
In that commodity nosotros explained about the desiccant cloth in desiccant dehumidifiers and how they are used to extract moisture from the air. Often the material in desiccant dehumidifiers is silica which nearly people will know from the modest silica gel packets ofttimes included with items they purchase, especially electronic and food items.
The idea with these silica gel packets is that they trap any moisture present and protect the potentially sensitive electronic or nutrient items. As you likely know, water and electrical items exercise not mix well not just can they crusade brusque circuits but they can also corrode sure materials. They are sometimes plant in leather items, including shoes and handbags which helps to prevent mould, which leather is specially susceptible to.
If the relative humidity is enough and dew indicate within current temperature levels, moisture droplets volition form. To find out more almost this procedure, bank check out our dew point calculator.
But the big question is practise they actually work? we ran a examination to notice that out and y'all can see the results of this after. But get-go…
What is Silica Gel?
Generally silica gel is a granular grade of silicon dioxide aka silica (although like many things at that place are dissimilar varieties). For many people they will be most commonly found in sachets within electronic items or in some situations food substances in particular dried food (for case beef jerky – although that is very probable food grade certified) and these silica gel packets helped prevent the nutrient from spoiling due to moisture exposure.
Silica is known for its adsorption properties (observe we didn't say absorption backdrop – more than on that later on!) pregnant it attracts moisture assistance the air onto its surface thus reducing relative humidity of the air and helping to keep the product nearby dry out.
The fact that silica gel has a loftier specific expanse helps with the process of adsorption. Think of it as a bit similar a golf ball whereby the dimples increase the surface area versus a smoothen ball, like pores. Once the silica gel has trapped this moisture on the surface it can be removed through drying to help return it back close to its original state.
In a desiccant dehumidifier this happens automatically and the warm moist air is vented out of the belongings allowing the dehumidifier to take on board further wet from the air via its silica wheel, until such point equally the property is stabilised to the dry state that is normal for that property. Interestingly silica gel tin can really trap around xl% of its ain weight as water, which is significant.
Adsorption vs Absorption – Explanation
So what is the difference between adsorption and absorption. starting with absorption offset, think of it as like a sponge or paper towel. When information technology comes into contact with water, the water is captivated into the fabric / structure of the material, this is adsorption. However the procedure of adsorption it's dissimilar.
The diagram below helps to demonstrate the deviation:
A material such as silica gel with good adsorption properties attracts water molecules from the air onto the surface of the material. Even so it is not absorbed into the material. This property is benign for a desiccant dehumidifier modifier considering the wet only needs to exist removed / extracted from the surface not within the pores of the fabric.
Silica Gel Packets – Tested
nosotros thought information technology would be interesting to run a test to bear witness if and how silica gel works with a pocket-size experiment. For this experiment we used:
- Two prune sealed closed lunch boxes
- Two shot glasses
- Some silica gel packets (iv)
- Three hygrometers to mensurate humidity
What is a Hygrometer?
A hygrometer is a device used to mensurate the moisture (water vapour) in the air which then measures for relative humidity. Modernistic digital hygrometers ofttimes log the data over fourth dimension and measure other things often such as temperature (which has an impact on relative humidity) and vapour pressure in the air.
Firstly, we put ii of the hygrometers in each of the lunch boxes and airtight the lid, waiting for them to stabilise to take command readings. We and then filled each of the shot glasses virtually half full with h2o from the tap, cold water to be specific. We and so opened each tiffin box and stood the shot glass with water in it into the box and re sealed them.
After a period of time we briefly opened the commencement lunch box and placed in for modest silica gel packets into the box. Nosotros then tracked and recorded the relative humidity in each of the two lunch boxes using the hygrometers which had data logging facilities the results of this are shown on the charts below.
As you lot can see, the two lunch boxes we're at near 52% relative humidity earlier the shot spectacles (with water) were added. Once they were added, this had a noticeable affect on the relative humidity in each box. Ascent by near 20% in nether 30 minutes.
To make the exam that bit trickier nosotros added the silica gel packets to the box with the slightly higher relative humidity. You can also come across how the first box, once the silica gel packets were added, dropped Immediately with the addition of the silica gel. Over time, the gap in relatively humidity measures widened to the bespeak at which they were over 27% apart at the end, which is a considerable variance.
Hither is a quick video showing the silica gel test:
In a way, on a small-scale calibration, this simulates the process of drying a property after a water leak, for example a ceiling leak from a shower. As nosotros accept said in previous articles the presence of additional water from a water leak in a room can raise the relative humidity. This in turn can cause issues with secondary problems such as condensation on windows and walls and blackness mould issues.
Then in conclusion, based on the prove collected, silica gel packets practice work, albeit on a pocket-size scale and for specific purposes. To dry out a holding it would not exist practical, that is where professional person drying equipment (which we have) comes into its own.
If you desire to see other videos, run into our Tiresome Motion H2o drove.
If you accept any of thee bug or need assist finding a water leak at your home with our trace and access service, become in touch with our friendly squad today. We offer these services to both domestic and commercial customers, including commercial leak detection.
If y'all are interested in seeing some other tests that we have ran check out these articles:
- Humidity In House Vs Outside – Tested
- Adept Room Temperature & Humidity – Tested
- Bathroom Condensation: Clear Test Results
- How To Cease Condensation – 1 Quick Trick!
- Bath Vs Shower – Worst Condensation?
- Nosotros have lots of other keen manufactures on our Water Leak Web log Page
Source: https://waterleak.co.uk/report/silica-gel-packets-test/
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