Damprid?

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DBCOOPER

Minister of Fire
Jan 23, 2010
509
Stowe, Pa
After 2 seasons of not doing anything for moisture control in the off season and dealing with the oxidation that has resulted I decided to do something different this year. In addition to covering up the exhaust and oak I want to use some type of desiccant. I started looking around online at different options.Seems like the two best choices are silica gel and damprid. Silica gel is silica gel and damprid is what? I read the MSDS sheet on it and it turns out its calcium cloride. So my decision is not made but I do have a 50lb bag of calcium cloride flakes for melting ice....

What's everybody else using?
 
Can't make specific recommendations as I don't have that type of moisture problems and don't have a pellet burner, but I would point out that calcium chloride is the chemical cousin (or more like brother) of sodium chloride... aka table salt. Ask anyone from the rust belt states how well salt, moisture and metal get along. While it may help pull moisture out of the air, any airborne dust, spilled liquid sludge, or condensing vapor may have the potential to accelerate corrosion on metal parts.

Another way to attack the issue would be to use an anti corrosive spray or possibly even wad up some anti corrosive paper - just remember to pull it out next year!
 
I used Damprid last year as well as plugging outside air intake and exhaust port with old rags at the stove. Bone dry and no surface rust at all in the firebox

Just make sure that you remember all your plugs in the fall !
 
I used Damp Rid last summer. Worked great. No moisture at all inside the stove.
 
Used Damprid last summer for the first time with Pam cooking spray and had the best results yet.

No not time yet here, still burning away.
 
Damp rid in the ash pan and another in the hopper.
Yep, I would put one in ash pan, and the other in the firebox.

I do one in ash pan and one in hopper. But the Freestanding Classic Bay has open sides, that are open to the ash pan. The insert does not have open sides. Only way to ash pan, is through burn pot floor plate. :( don't know why they didn't do them the same way. I have only dumped my ash pan once this year. I wait till the ash is over the pot (pretty close to being the 2nd time to dump :))

Damp rid all the way
 
Calcium Chloride for melting ice is a hell of a lot cheaper than Damp Rid branded Calcium Chloride!
$20.00 for 50Lbs Versus $8.00 for about 1Lb.
I plan on using the ice melt and Pam cooking spray.
Right now I am trying to burn out the last of the pellets in the hopper.

Bill
 
The Damp rid can be had for $1 on sale and comes in a handy little container. For the price, its ease of use to me.

2013-04-14_11-07-19_97.jpg
 
$1.00 each? Where? I would buy all that I could just for the buckets, because you can refill them with ice melt.

Bill
 
These are the small containers. Available at Wally world and Dollar General


There only $1.49 regular price here at DG. When on sale, there $1. Just bought the ones in the pic yesterday. :
 
I used Damprid last year as well as plugging outside air intake and exhaust port with old rags at the stove. Bone dry and no surface rust at all in the firebox

Just make sure that you remember all your plugs in the fall !
When you say you plugged the ports with a rag at the stove, did you reconnect the piping or just leave them off?
 
What does the Pam do?

When you get the crud off of the metal inside the firebox a coating of a light oil is applied this provides a protective barrier for the metal.

There are several oils that can be used, some folks paint the inside of the firebox with stove paint instead.

Remember this is done to the inside of the stove not the outside.

Then you cap the vent and air intake.

If there can be airflow through the stove or the stove is in a high humidity location condensation will occur on the metal inside the stove causing rust the light coating of an oil or paint will prevent it.

There are other ways, but doing that and adding a plastic container with a desiccant in it goes a very long way towards extending the life of a stove.
 
My gun safe came with an ingenious little device called a DriRod:

http://www.drirod.com/gun-safes-vault-rooms

It's basically, a small 7 watt heater, which keeps the temperature in the safe just a few degrees warmer than outside. This plays against the relative humidity, to ensure it's dry INSIDE the safe, as mildew inside safes stored in basements is always a major problem.

Since then, I've bought a few others for various purposes, in one case to keep a piece of heavy equipment stored outdoors in a small shed from rusting. They work extremely well, and now thinking about this, I think I'll put one in each of the fireplaces where I have my wood stoves! I've noticed these fireplaces can get quite damp with the doors closed, in spring and summer.
 
When you say you plugged the ports with a rag at the stove, did you reconnect the piping or just leave them off?
Regarding the exhaust, I pull the cleanout T cover and can plug the exhaust flange with rags and put the cover back on. The OAK tube is put back on after stuffing the inlet with rags as well.

Overkill maybe, but I have had surface rust when just plugging the venting at the outside. Bone dry this past summer. Just remember to unplug these in the fall before start up.
 
Regarding the exhaust, I pull the cleanout T cover and can plug the exhaust flange with rags and put the cover back on. The OAK tube is put back on after stuffing the inlet with rags as well.

Overkill maybe, but I have had surface rust when just plugging the venting at the outside. Bone dry this past summer. Just remember to unplug these in the fall before start up.

Yep... Always put a note in the hopper to.remind yourself to unplug OAK, exhaust, plug stove back in, remove Damp rid, and add pellets :)

Helps to ensure a safe a speedy start up... :)
 
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