Frozen powder?

[GLTaylor]

I am getting happier and happier I live in N Alabama. Don't have to deal with any of the above
Now tornados and occasional hurricanes are a different story

 

[StumpGrinder]

Your advice to let powder warm before opening is very good but your comment about cold and low humidity isn't completely accurate. It has been between -30F and -45 F here the last two weeks, humidity is running 70to 80% outside. Now you do have to keep the humidifier on inside or the constant hot air from the furnace will take humdidty in the house down to 10%. It is a balance however, if you allow the humidity inside the house to rise above 35% when it is this cold, you will get water build up on your windows, and you will also find your bathroom vents tend to leak water onto the ceiling or floor from the moist air going up the vent pipe when they aren't on and freezing the moisture on the inside of the pipe once it hits the attic. As soon as it warms up outside or you turn the fan on that ice melts and drips back down. You also have to knock the ice build up off from the moisture in the exhaust from natural gas appliances like your hotwater heater and furnace vents or they will plug off and shut them down.

Burning any type fuel introduces moisture. Wood has moisture in it and so does Natural Gas. Here when the temperature drops in the teen's you can see ice crystals falling out of the air. I have always heard that cold air is dry air. As a kid I remember puting pans of water on the pot belly stove to raise the humidity in the house. I have no science to back it up though.

 

[Longtine88]

Funny story....we were quail hunting one time out in the panhandle of Texas and it was single digits. My brother in laws gun froze up and wouldn't cycle. He was not happy so I took his gun and took a wiz in the chamber a quail flew up on us about then and I shot it with his gun. Lol, he freaked out and couldn't believe I peed on his chamber but Hey it worked and we kept hunting.

 

[Dean2]

I am getting happier and happier I live in N Alabama. Don't have to deal with any of the above
Now tornados and occasional hurricanes are a different story

We deal with cold and its affects but, no poisonous snakes or spiders, no malaria, no hurricanes, very few tornadoes, few big fires, no earth quakes, no water shortages and an abundance of local natural gas for heat and electricity. The huntng and fishing is also pretty darn good plus we have the highest per capita income in North America. I can put up with a little cold for those benefits.

 

[PAGSDIII701]

Smart move! R. Kelly would be PROUD!

 

[StumpGrinder]

Funny story....we were quail hunting one time out in the panhandle of Texas and it was single digits. My brother in laws gun froze up and wouldn't cycle. He was not happy so I took his gun and took a wiz in the chamber a quail flew up on us about then and I shot it with his gun. Lol, he freaked out and couldn't believe I peed on his chamber but Hey it worked and we kept hunting.

That's how the Russians used to clean their Mossins!

 

[StumpGrinder]

Your advice to let powder warm before opening is very good but your comment about cold and low humidity isn't completely accurate. It has been between -30F and -45 F here the last two weeks, humidity is running 70to 80% outside. Now you do have to keep the humidifier on inside or the constant hot air from the furnace will take humdidty in the house down to 10%. It is a balance however, if you allow the humidity inside the house to rise above 35% when it is this cold, you will get water build up on your windows, and you will also find your bathroom vents tend to leak water onto the ceiling or floor from the moist air going up the vent pipe when they aren't on and freezing the moisture on the inside of the pipe once it hits the attic. As soon as it warms up outside or you turn the fan on that ice melts and drips back down. You also have to knock the ice build up off from the moisture in the exhaust from natural gas appliances like your hotwater heater and furnace vents or they will plug off and shut them down.

It boggles my mind to think humidity could still be suspended in the air collum at those temperatures. Wow

 

[Longtine88]

That's how the Russians used to clean their Mossins!

Well I was cleaning a Benelli lol

 

[PAGSDIII701]

Well I was cleaning a Benelli lol

I'd P!$$ on a Benelli too

 

[Longtine88]

I'd P!$$ on a Benelli too

 

[Mallardhammer]

Looks like I'm just north of you, I took delivery of some powder a couple days ago that sat outside for a few hours and I had the same thoughts as you.
Although, I feel like its had to of happened before and I've definitely not noticed any differences.
supposed to get close to 40 next weekend! Tee shirt weather!

 

[Dean2]

It boggles my mind to think humidity could still be suspended in the air collum at those temperatures. Wow

You are correct that cold air cannot hold as much actual moisture as warmer air, that part is accurate, and if you take cold air and heat it up, the relative hunidity does drop because the total parts per million of water vapour does not increase. Most humidity levels published are "Relative Hunmidity" not actual but the reason relative hunidity matters is the effect temperature has on how things react to the amount of water in the air. Hopefully the link below helps.

Cold Air Is Dry Air - Energy Vanguard

Cold outdoor air may have a high relative humidity, but when that air comes into your home and warms up, you find that cold air is dry air.

www.energyvanguard.com

 

[nicholasjohn]

Correct Mandan is currently 65% Humidity, and -24° (-36° with Wind Chill)

 

[esshup]

Temp up here in Ole NoDak is colder than -20 lately. Say one has a powder order coming and that order sits on the delivery truck in the cold in transit and than sits out side in the cold (-20) for a few hours. Could this have negative effects one ones powder? I am guessing you would want to warm the powder back up slowly as to not produce too much condensation? It would be worrisome seeing frost one ones powder container. Maybe it's nothing To worry about since I have had frozen loaded cartridges in the same weather go bang just fine?! Something to discuss anyway

meh - non issue. Just don't open up the container when the powder is cold in a warm moist environment. Powder is in a sealed container anyway, so don't open it up until after 24 hours of being in the house. I've got more important things to worry about!