humidor(box) won't keep charge

J

Joe1115

Joined Dec 2005
9 Posts | 0+
I am having trouble keeping my humidor at a constant humidity. I have gotten rid of that little disk humidor and gotten 3 DRYMISTAT TUBES in the humidor currenty. I have wiped this thing down with everything from plain tap water, to distilled water. Next I think I am going to use the kitchen sink. I have used the salt test to calibrate my analog hydrometer and got that all squared away :evil: . I have a digital one on the way. I am trying to figure out what is going on with this thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
 
Need more info (welcome by the way), is the humi full of sticks, is it new, does it seal well (pass the SWOOSH test), what size is the humi, etc.
 
assuming your analog is correct you may have a bad seal on the lid of your humidor. close a dollar bill in the lid and see if you can easily pull it out. there should be resistance. do it on all sides. what is the humidity reading at?
 
It is the one from jr cigars. (http://www.jrcigar.com/graphics/accesso ... 2KR-tn.jpg) I have about 10 cigars in there currently. I have also wiped this thing down numerous times, put a bowl of hot water into the humidor and let it sit. I also did the sponge thing where you wipe down the humidor and then put a sponge in on top of a baggie so there isn't direct contact with the wood and wet sponge and let that sit for 24 hours. It passed the dollar test and the current reading is 53, it says it is in the "normal" range. Also, the humidor is in my basement pc room.
 
I am not a fan of the "wiping" method. I know it has it's supporters on this forum, but I have a stained humi from long ago that turned me off to this form of aging.

The humi in your link looks smaller, so let's see if we can't figure out why it won't do it's job.

-I know this will sound silly, but how often are you opening it? If you check it several times a day, you could be adding to your problems.
-Is it in a direct draft from fans, heaters, furnaces, etc.
-Is it in direct sunlight or heat?

-What does your hygrometer read after being in the humi overnight with the sponge on a baggie? Does the humi EVER reach the correct levels?
 
Umm I don't try to open the humi often. I try and keep it closed most of the time. The room that it is in is windowless. So no sunlight or draft. There is a vent but it is on the ceiling. When I did the "sponge test" the humidor seemed harder to open if you will, like a swollen door in the summertime. I put the salt and hygro in a tupperware bowl and it was high 80's
 
Your hygrometer should read 76 when the salt test is performed correctly. If it is reading in the high 80's then you may have found part of the problem.
 
part of your problem is you only have 10 sticks in there, thats a lot of empty space that doesnt hold humidity very well. your second problem is you have an anolog, calibrated or no its a pretty good bet that it doesnt work worth crap.
 
Ok,

I have about 30+ cigars in the box plus the 3 drymist tubes. Hopefully in a few days everything will be good to go. Wil keep you posted.
 
Ok,

I have about 30+ cigars in the box plus the 3 drymist tubes. Hopefully in a few days everything will be good to go. Wil keep you posted.
 
Here's another stoopid suggestion, but I'll fire away.

You are using the tubes correctly? (I'm sure you are, just trying to cover all bases.)
 
With all the wiping and hot water and such, I wonder if you might have some warpage and some of the joints, corners might be leaking.
 
Where do you live? Last week in jersey, it was very dry! & cold, humidty very low. Then over the weekend it was warmer and very rainy on thur. night. Humidty shot back up through the roof. You have to watch for these kinds of things. There isn't much you can do about it. If its raining your humidty level will be higher. Relax, get the digital hygrometer, the bovida pack and a fuente humi pak, and run some test on the hygrometer, you're humidifier. Etc. LEAVE THE HUMIDOR ALONE FOR AWILE. See what you can find out on the humi sticks. Three might not be enough. The humidor might be ruined now though. I have one here I cant use any more cause i kept messing with it, trying to get it right. The key to humidors is to let them alone, let them do there thing. They will go up and down for the weather, etc.
 
I just put in the digi, and when I checked the analog had gone up in temp since. So hopefully things will be good to go. Maybe I will open them up after xmas to make sure all is well.

As for the humidor not working/leaking. It passed the dollar test and the light test where I put a flashlight in and turned out the lights and made sure I couldn't see any light coming from the box. So on that note I am trying to be optimistic. Thanks all. Is there anyone from PA(philly area) on here?
 
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