On this page we try to answer your most commonly asked questions,
along with links to key Absormatic topics.
If you are unable to find the answer to your question here,
simply contact us utilizing our online contact form for additional
assistance.
How do AbsorDry® help
to solve moisture problems?
AbsorDry® contain Calciumchloride that very agressively grab and absorb
moisture from the air. They dry the air. When the air is dry, there
are no moisture problems.
Can AbsorDry® solve
all moisture problems?
Well, not all. Some cargoes may be so wet that any reasonable number
of AbsorDry® get overwhelmed. But AbsorDry® can reliable
protect even very difficult cargoes that may contain tons of moisture,
such as coffee beans, wood products or paper.
I load my container under dry conditions and
it is very tightly sealed. How come I still experience moisture
problems?
Your cargo or the packaging, including container floors, pallets and
crates, contain moisture that is evaporated into the air during transport.
Wet packaging material is the most common cause of unexpected moisture
problems.
I have shipped the same
cargo for years with AbsorDry® without any trouble,
but now I have a lot of damage. Have you changed the poles?
Check your container and your packaging material. Did you just start
to store your pallets outdoors? Does your forklift drive into the container
with snow on the wheels? Did you just change supplier of crates? You
can't tell by looking whether wood are carton is dry. The moisture properties
of wood and cartons have an exponential character. It makes a huge difference
if your pallets moisture content should be 20% instead of 17%, say.
I ship consumer goods in tubes/cans/jars etc
that contain no moisture, yet I still have problems.
Consumer goods are often shipped with a lot of cardboard packaging. Even
if the boxes seem dry they could literally hold tons of water.
Each container of my cargo
of peanuts/coffe/cocoa contains tons of moisture. What
difference does it make that AbsorDry® absorb
a few litres during a voyage?
All the important things that happen have an exponential
character. That means that a small change in circumstances
can have a huge effect on the outcome. AbsorDry®
create circumstances that allow almost all of the moisture
to remain in the cargo even while the level of humidity in
the air is lowered by a crucial amount, sufficient to prevent
damage. It is a question of ”leverage”.
Does it make a lot of difference that my cocoa
beans have a moisture content of 8% instead of 7%?
Yes, such a difference could be all the difference between no damage
and disaster. The moisture behavior of most agricultural products have
a strong exponential character.
My cargo of peanuts had suffered damage in
the centre even though the outside of the cargo looked fine
and there was prolonged no sign of condensation?
Lots, if not most, damage to cargoes is caused by prologed periods of
elevated humidity without any condensation ( Container rain, Container
sweat, Super Saturation Event). It is common that cargoes loaded at cool
temperature and then moved into warm condition suffer damage in the centre
of the cargo as a result of a difference in temperature between the outside
and the centre of the cargo. Warm air from the outside of the cargo becomes
humid as it moves into the cooler centre. AbsorDry® protect
against this effect even though the poles are mounted on the container
walls.
I had damage to my cargo
even though I used lots of silica gell and there was no
condensation. Would it help to switch to AbsorDry®?
Calciumchloride absorbs moisture even when the humidity is not very high.
This protects the cargo against damage caused by prolonged periods of
elevated humidity. Some kinds of steel start to corrode at 70% relative
humidity, moulds can grow at 80% relative humidity and at near 90% relative
humidity lots of things go wrong. Yet, AbsorDry® are also at
their most efficient protecting against condensation. Most other products,
such as silica gells, are really effective only in very humid conditions
and in protecting the cargo against condensation damage.
What is so great about
AbsorDry® anyway?
Well, they will not fall off the wall, get punctured during loading and
unloading, leave a wet puddle on the cargo or run out after half the
voyage. They are installed in seconds without ladders and take up no
cargo space. The capacity of each pole is big, so fewer is required.
The cost of an installation is very competitive, even against much
inferior alternatives.
How many poles do I need?
The number of AbsorDry® required to protect the cargo depends on the
cargo, the temperature conditions during the voyage, the length of
the voyage – and just how safe you want to be. For some really dry
cargoes eg. steel coils or household removals, 2-3 AbsorDry®
are enough. For a lot of ”normal” goods 4-6 AbsorDry® is about
right. Some cargoes with very difficult moisture properties on long
voyages may require up to 16 AbsorDry®.
Do I need to line my container with kraft
paper?
Lots of containers are lined with kraftpaper primarily for reasons of
hygiene or to simply isolate the cargo from direct contact with the
container walls. The liner will act as a kind of sponge, catching and
absorbing any droplets of water and theb re-evaporating the moisture
into the air. If liner is used without AbsorDry® it could contribute
top a kind of pumping effect, drawing moisture out of the cargo. When
used together with AbsorDry® the liner will act as a buffer in
extreme conditions, and will prevent any container rain from reaching
the cargo. Much the same can be said for so called dew cloths.
My container is absolutely
filled with cargo. Will the AbsorDry® still work?
Moisture diffuses very effectively, even through a seemingly compact
cargo. Experience shows that AbsorDry® will make a difference even
to mould growth inside cartons in the cargo. It is, however, necessary
that some free space is left in front of the grille of each AbsorDry®.
If some AbsorDry® have collected less water than others inside a
container, there may be a problem with air acess to those poles.
I have problems with mould
growth inside my shrinkwrapped pallets. Will AbsorDry®
help?
Yes, so long that there is some access of air through the top and bottom
of the pallets. If this is not possible, a spiked roller may be used
to tear holes in the shrink wrap.
My shipments of steel/galvanized
components/aluminum/ machinery etc arrives corroded, stained
or miss colored despite heavy packaging. Will AbsorDry®
help?
You can forget about your tectyl, coatings, oil-paper and plastic wraps
that are expensive both to apply and remove. Your container can probably
be equipped with a sufficient number of AbsorDry® to protect against
any damage at less cost than your present packaging.
I got some brine on my
hands while removing used AbsorDry® . Is it dangerous?
No it isn't. Calciumchloride
is non-toxic and environmentally safe. It is the second biggest
constituent of sea-salt and is liberally sprinkeled over
icy roads in cold countries. The brine is somewhat similar
to very salty seawater, and may cause irritation and rashes
if left to dry on the skin. We recommend that you wear gloves
and goggles when handling used poles, but should you get
splashed by brine just wash off immediately with lots of
fresh water.
Can I re-cycle my used poles?
The poles are made by PP/PE plastic, similar to what is used to make
drink bottles, and is readily recyclable. Each part of the pole is
appropriately marked for optimum recycling. Any remaining calciumchloride
is easily removed by soaking the poles in fresh water. |