Humidity, Powder, Primers

[Zhurh]

Most rain, I've ever seen this year here in Interior Alaska, along the Yukon. Good for the garden, wells, but has me thinking about humidity and storing ammo reloading supplies. We have a foundation under the cabin, which is rare where we live due to permafrost situations. It stays nice and cool, around 50-60 degrees in basement, until I fire up wood stove come winter; and then it still remains 60 degrees in back bedroom with door shut where I have my reloading bench.

I put all my primers in a couple plastic rubber sealed boat boxes and have my powder on shelf, lids sealed tight. I have a few of those dessicants in with the primers. They are dark blue, but are suppose to change to pink when they need recharged by drying for 3 hours at 300 in oven. I noticed the pink look coming on so I baked them along with the wifey's blueberry pies the other day and they turned dark blue again and back in the primer boxes they went.

I also have a few humidity/temp guages and they usually read around 40%, but went up to 50% this summer.

So what is considered high humidity for reloading supply storeage? How do you all store your supplies? I've never had any ammo that didn't go bang, had some over 25 years. I spent 3 gran a couple years back on primers & powder just to clear my mind of Big "O's" designs but don't want to lose it to high humidity either, ha ha. Anybody been through this and have some insight?

[carver]

I can't answer most of your questions, but I live in the Southern U.S., and the humidity is always high here. I don't do anything to my primers, or powder, and I have some that have been on the shelf in my reloading room for years. Yet, I have never had a problem. The humidity here will run from 60%, to 100%. Right now it's around 70%.

[Clipper]

Carver lives in the part of Texas that does get an occasional rain shower. Here in the High Plains, we enjoy very low humidity and very high temperatures. Our annual rainfall by this time of year is almost 10 inches, and to date, I have poured 1.5 inches from my parched rain gauge FOR THE YEAR!...My powders and primers sit in warm, dry conditions most of the year, and I wish I had your problem.

[carver]

Usually by this time of year we should have received around 30" of rain, but due to the drought we are in, we have received only about 15". Humidity has been low this year also. Now we are entering our dry season, and I don't think we will see much rain untill this fall. Normally we receive around 45" - 50" of rain fall each year, but we are now in our second year of drought. We were about 15" - 20" below normal for last year, and on track to get less this year.

[Zhurh]

Interior Ak would be a desert if not for snow pack, we usually have 4-5 foot everywhere in the woods; sure recharges the ground water and wells. This summer has been unreal for the rain. It has rained every other day with maybe 10 days exception throughout the entire summer. The gardens never had it so good and I haven't had to water at all, so nice.

The locals that spend their summers gold huntin, have all come back in early, they usually stay at claims until late September; and thats even with sky high prices too. High water has really fouled them up, all they were doing was moving gravel and couldn't keep up with mother nature & high water.

I ran the wood stove in basement last few days, left the windows open upstairs, as it goes down to around 40 at night here. Humidity guages were both at 40% so I guess I don't have much to worry about.

[woolleyworm]

Storage temps near dew point and large temperature swings are what will cause the humidity to do damage. If you're keeping dessicant in the cans, then you won't have any problems. If they're stored on or in close proximity to concrete foundation, then I'd move them away at least 3" for air circulation.