Damp Rid in Keezer

I remember recently reading a recommendation from someone to use Damp Rid in a keezer to reduce condensation buildup. Seems like it’s worth a try.

Which model should I go with? “Any room” or “Super System?” I get a lot of condensation build-up on the walls and floor.

http://www.amazon.com/DampRid-FG91-Easy ... _hg_text_z http://www.amazon.com/Barr-FG90-DampRid ... _hg_text_z

As big as will fit?

^^^^+1

If you have a lot of moisture, you need as big as will fit and two small ones if the bigger one won’t fit.

IME, Damp rid has been a bit of a PITA. You might want to consider investing in an Eva dry mini dehumidifier (check Amazon). They are around $20-25, and you can reuse them over and over.

Seconded. I got one of their EV-500 units about a month ago, and it’s doing a great job in my keezer. Damp-Rid’s a lower up-front cost, but then you’ve got to keep paying for refills.

If you want to go a bit cheaper, there are also silical gel dehumidifiers that don’t have a heater built in that you can get for about half the price, but then you need to use the oven (or perhaps a microwave, if it’s encased in plastic) to recharge them.

[quote=“bunderbunder”]
Seconded. I got one of their EV-500 units about a month ago, and it’s doing a great job in my keezer. Damp-Rid’s a lower up-front cost, but then you’ve got to keep paying for refills.

If you want to go a bit cheaper, there are also silical gel dehumidifiers that don’t have a heater built in that you can get for about half the price, but then you need to use the oven (or perhaps a microwave, if it’s encased in plastic) to recharge them.[/quote]

Google doesn’t turn up an EV-500. It only finds the E500 silica gel unit that seems to get pretty poor reviews for this purpose. I’d love a small, battery run unit so I don’t have to run a power cord through the collar.

Search for Eva Dry.

https://www.google.com/search?q=eva+dry ... =firefox-a

[quote=“Nighthawk”]Search for Eva Dry.

https://www.google.com/search?q=eva+dry ... =firefox-a[/quote]

Thanks, but not sure how a less specific search than the one I used last night will be helpful. :wink:

Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Eva-dry-E-500-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375315140&sr=8-2&keywords=ev-500

[quote=“Shadetree”]Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Eva-dry-E-500-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375315140&sr=8-2&keywords=ev-500
[/quote]
That’s the one I referenced in my post above (E500, silica gel based with bad reviews for this purpose). It depends on silica gel to passively draw moisture out of the environment, and as such does not work effectively for this unless you modify it by adding a fan to push air through the unit–and even then is only moderately effective. I do not want to mess with running power into my keezer. Hence the statement about a battery operated unit–one that works actively like a normal de-humidifier, running off a battery instead of power from an outlet.

By the way, I did not mean for you guys to do the research for me, but nice of you to try.

A small computer fan would be enough to move the air around. Power it with an old cell phone charger. I would go that route over buying batteries.

I also don’t know how well damp-rid (or any humidity-reducing setup) will absorb moisture if air isn’t being circulated.

This is a game of ‘work-arounds’. Freezers are meant to freeze, not ‘cool’. If you need a complete humidity-controlled environment, I am sure there is someone around who will sell you a device built for such. As they say in the forums, YMMV.

Yeah, if you’ve got an air circulation issue in your keezer then it’s going to limit Damp-Rid’s effectiveness the same way it does for silica gel based solutions. Nothing can absorb moisture that isn’t being brought into contact with it. I guess Damp-Rid does have the advantage that it can suck up water that’s pooling at the bottom, but since that’s the situation you’re trying to avoid in the first place I’m not sure I’d place much value on that.

[quote=“kcbeersnob”][quote=“Shadetree”]Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Eva-dry-E-500-Renewable-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375315140&sr=8-2&keywords=ev-500
[/quote]
That’s the one I referenced in my post above (E500, silica gel based with bad reviews for this purpose). It depends on silica gel to passively draw moisture out of the environment, and as such does not work effectively for this unless you modify it by adding a fan to push air through the unit–and even then is only moderately effective.[/quote]I wouldn’t recommend the product if it didn’t work great for me, without using a fan, and under some pretty tough conditions. I’m in Texas with ambient temps in the brewery well over 100F right now and the chest freezer is set around 40F - with a EV500 and a EV300, I occasionally get a little puddle in the bottom after letting the lid sit open for a while (like when moving several kegs in and out or filling lots of bottles). Might not work as well if I didn’t have a really good seal on the lid, but I’m happy with the setup and have been using the same units for many years now and they last just as long between “re-charging” today as they did when I first bought them.

Thanks for clarifying. Didn’t realize you were recommending this product based on personal experience. So you’re using two passive de-humidifiers simultaneously. That’s not a bad idea as cheap as they are.

I’d recommend this “Damp Rid” product:

http://www.amazon.com/Barr-FG01K-10-5oz ... d_sim_hg_5

You can get the CaCl2 cheap, in bulk, if you want; you don’t have to buy the Damp Rid-branded refills. FWIW, I have the Eva-Dry 500 unit as well as TWO of these Damp-Rid buckets, and combined with a fan for air circulation, I have no water or moisture build-up.

A refill of the Damp-Rid branded CaCl2 isn’t that bad, either, and considering it isn’t needed all that much for 3-6 months out of the year, you’ll likely be able to get a whole year out of one $4 bag. The Eva-dry product is pretty nice, too, but it might take you 3-4 years of using the Damp-Rid stuff before you would exceed the initial cost of the Eva-Dry.

Damp Rid does not come close to the ease, value, compactness, cleanliness and effectiveness of two Eva Dry 500’s.

I’d say that most of those are going to be a matter of taste and circumstance; I’m glad you enjoy your unit.

Regarding “value,” just for clarity, you’ll need to use your eva dry for six years before it is a better value than Damp Rid. Using a “time value of money approach” (at 5%) one $24 eva dry unit is about 50 cents more expensive at year #5 compared with a time value of money approach (at 5%) for a damp-rid container plus one $4 refill for each of five years. At year six, you’ll have saved yourself about $3.

If you’re like me and one refill is (occasionally more than) sufficient for two units per year, you may be looking at a pay-back period of 14-15 years.

I’d say that most of those are going to be a matter of taste and circumstance; I’m glad you enjoy your unit.

Regarding “value,” just for clarity, you’ll need to use your eva dry for six years before it is a better value than Damp Rid. Using a “time value of money approach” (at 5%) one $24 eva dry unit is about 50 cents more expensive at year #5 compared with a time value of money approach (at 5%) for a damp-rid container plus one $4 refill for each of five years. At year six, you’ll have saved yourself about $3.

If you’re like me and one refill is (occasionally more than) sufficient for two units per year, you may be looking at a pay-back period of 14-15 years.[/quote]

Andrew, I appreciate the cost analysis. Like you say, different strokes for different folks. I thought along the same lines and so bought Damp Rid at first, and found that it was a hassle for me. I admit there’s a bit of shekel to put out to get two EVA-Dry’s, but I wouldn’t trade them!

I use a sponge in the bottom and get 1/4 oz water per day during the summer and about 1/2 oz when I add a new keg. I also use Damp Rid on my hump in freezer set at 37F. I use about 2 packs of refills per year.