Q: does this contain enough volume to fully cover a 16in diameter bowl thats 5in deep? thanks

Cover? or fill? You would need 4.35 gallons or 1.006Cu,in.to fill an area with a diameter of 16 inches and 5 inches deep

Q: Is this safe to use in a desiccant drier in an automotive paint shop?

Yes, many of our customers use our beads for air dryer for painting. Thank you.

Question 1

Besides color, what is the difference between the blue and orange beads?

Accepted Answer

Type of dye used for color is the only difference between blue and orange beads.  Performance wise, they are the same.
Silica gel beads are white in nature.  However, you can't tell when they are saturated with moisture with white beads. Therefore, cobalt chloride is added to serve as an indicator (blue to pink).  Cobalt chloride is known as carcinogen.  European markets prohibited the use of blue silica gel beads in 1998.  Therefore, orange indicating beads were made to conform to the European Union requirements.   Thank you.

Question 2

Would these work in an outside, enclosed storage shed?

Accepted Answer

All silica gel beads and packets work in air-tight seal container. If they are open to air, they are constantly absorbing moisture in open air and become saturated right away. 
Please, keep them tight seal as much as possible. 
Information below lets you estimate how many gram of silica gel is needed at a given volume of your container. 
This is general estimate when used in an air-tight sealed container. The amount of silica gel needed will depend on several factors: 
1. Chemical properties of the product that will be used: 
2. Volume of the container 
3. Conditions and physical properties of the container

Container volume – packet size 
120 cubic inch - 1 gram 
240 cubic inch - 2 gram 
360 cubic inch - 3 gram 
600 cubic inch - 5 gram 
2 cubic feet - 30 gram 
4 cubic feet - 60 gram 
8 cubic feet - 120 gram 
64 cubic feet - 960 gram

If you intend to use silica gel beads for storage shed, you'll notice that you'll need larger quantity and also they will change color faster.  Silica gel beads and packets are ideal for you to use with air-tight containers to store your items. 
For your shed, we would recommend using the dehumidifier or moisture absorbers (calcium chloride).

Silica gel beads are for an air-tight sealed environment. They continue to absorb moisture until they become fully saturated. They can bring the humidity level down to <10%.
Moisture absorber contains mineral salt named calcium chloride. These are ideal for small enclosed space like garage, basement, attic, closet, and etc..

Calcium chloride crystals absorb excess moisture in the air and brings the humidity level of about 50% which is an ideal and safe level. These crystals will slow down when the humidity level drops below 60% and will restart again when necessary. This is cost efficient, because the product will works when it's needed and not when it does not have to. 
However, calcium chloride is not reusable.

Below are the ASINs for moisture abosrbers and hanging moisture absorbers.
B07JHVN4T7 and B07JL32YTB .

Thank you.

Question 3

does this contain enough volume to fully cover a 16in diameter bowl thats 5in deep? thanks

Accepted Answer

Cover? or fill?
You would need 4.35 gallons or 1.006Cu,in.to fill an area with a diameter of 16 inches and 5 inches deep

Question 4

Is this safe to use in a desiccant drier in an automotive paint shop?

Accepted Answer

Yes, many of our customers use our beads for air dryer for painting. Thank you.

Dry & Dry [7.5 LBS] Blue Indicating Silica Gel Beads(Industry Standard 3-5 mm) - Reusable Desiccant Beads Silica Beads(Blue to Pink) Moisture Absorbers

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