Eva-Dry High Capacity Dehumidifier Systems.
by Steve Cox
The Weapon:
Welcome to South Florida, and the wonderful conditions of moisture that go along with it. The enemy comes to astronomers in the form of dew. Our equipment takes the punishment night after night. Now there is a new weapon to fight back, behold the Eva-Dry High Capacity Dehumidifier Systems. They come in all shapes and sizes and range in price from $14-$80 each. Their one mission is to remove moisture from our astronomy equipment. Inside these units are thousands of tiny crystals that remain active for 10 years and offer a limited 5 year manufacture warranty.
Regeneration:
There is an indicator window on each unit with a color bar graph. When the units are fully charged and ready to absorb moisture the indicator bar will be blue. When it’s time to regenerate the units the bar will turn pink. Depending on the levels of moisture the indicator bar should allow for 30-60 days before needing to be recharged. To regenerate these bad boys you simply plug them into a standard outlet where the excess moisture can be released and the silica crystals are heated for the next go round. These unit will heat up (this is normal) during the regeneration process and the indicator bar will slowly return to blue meaning the units are ready to be used again. A usual overnight recharge is typical.
Storage:
They should be used and stored with our astronomy cases where eyepieces and camera’s among other astronomy equipment take the brutal moisture conditions of South Florida. There are vents on both sides and are completely leak resistant. A precaution of not directly placing them on astronomy equipment inside cases is strongly suggested.
Where do I get one?
I did a Google search for ‘eva-dry’ and found lots of places to purchase them. I used Amazon.com because if you purchased two over $25.00 total order you get FREE shipping. We like FREE! The two units in this review are the E-300 and the High Capacity E-500. Both units together were a little over $35.00.
Acknowledgments:
I owe a great deal of credit to Bennett Burbank for bringing these ideal units to our hobby.
Clear Skies –
Steven Cox