I got a new humidor, what next?

Just do the salt test every 6 months or so till you can get a good digi.

thanks smokey.....i'll get on that tonight or tomorrow and let you guys know the result

hmm...the space time continueum must work differently in this thread. That last post said Feburary and we still didn't get a result from Cus

haha, woops, i forgot i posted on this thread...i did the salt test and my analog read 76...so it's 1 high...sorry bout that guys...

Mine's one high, too but I'll have to live with it until I can afford a digital. Meanwhile, I have another question - - what's the skinny on Heartfelt's humidity sheets? Anybody got any input on 'em?

Thanks,

Marty

Marty, i saw those and was wondering the same thing. My beads are from Heartfelt. I'm thinking they work the same way as the beads.


DL

It sounds to me like they work like the beads and they're sure cheap enough. I think I'll give 'em a shot. Even if I end up throwing 'em away later.

Marty

Marty,

Let me know how they work. Thanks!


DL

I'll try to remember to do that. It'll be a while, though, since they have to be shipped to me and then allow some time to evaluate 'em.

It just seems to me that, if they work, they'll take up a lot less space in my puny little humi. If I read the product description correctly I think I'll be able to place 'em under my sticks (see, now you guys have got me talking like you big boys do) without doing any harm.

Marty

Marty,

A good digital hygrometer that I use is an adjustable one that sells for 20 bucks. The major online retailers carry them. All you do is salt test, then adjust up or down to 75%. I have two of them, one each in two humidors. They are extremely accurate and well worth the money.

DL

Well, I went back and re-read the description of the humidity sheets and couldn't tell how I would know if and when to add distilled water to them so I went ahead and ordered a tube of the beads instead. I figure a tube of the 65% beads will go a long way toward helping me stabilize my humi.

Guess we'll just have to wait for someone else to try the sheets and let us know how they work.

Marty

Okay, so I've got a theory question - - If a person buys some Heartfelt beads, say the 65% version, and they're used exactly as intended by Heartfelt - why would that person need a hygrometer? I mean, if the beads do their job the RH oughta always be 65% assuming they're not allowed to dry out. Am I right?

I assume the hygrometer is just a backup, just in case.....

What am I missing, here? Be gentle, guys. I'm a relative newbie.

Thanks,

Marty

jlmarta said:

Okay, so I've got a theory question - - If a person buys some Heartfelt beads, say the 65% version, and they're used exactly as intended by Heartfelt - why would that person need a hygrometer? I mean, if the beads do their job the RH oughta always be 65% assuming they're not allowed to dry out. Am I right?

I assume the hygrometer is just a backup, just in case.....

What am I missing, here? Be gentle, guys. I'm a relative newbie.

Thanks,

Marty

Click to expand...

Marty, you are absolutely right. You don't need a hygrometer when using beads. I've said this in another thread or forum, you just need to trust the beads. I still have a digi in both my humidors, I just won't sweat it when the batteries die. And yes, the hygrometer is just a back-up. I've been using beads for over 7 months now, and my hygometers have always read 65%. The beads absoluttely rock. In fact I just ordered another 65/100 Puck from Mark today. It seems that I won a 50 count humi from the devil site! I'm gonna be in trouble!!


DL

I am actauly extremely close to pulling the trigger on an Aristocrat with thc, then all I nee to do is check the h2o level!!!!

So, here's another item to consider - - I've now gotten a tube of 65% beads and have had them in my humi for a week or so. I've removed the humidifier from my humi and allowed it to dry out. I salt-test my analog hygrometer (I know, I know - - they're not accurate) once a week or sometimes twice just for the sake of knowledge. I'm an inquisitive kinda guy.

So, here's the situation - - my 65% beads are properly hydrated and in my humi - my analog (I know, I know) hygrometer has just been freshly salt-tested and reads 76% which we know to be 1% high. I close my humi, leave it for a day or two, and then check it. It reads 70%.

Anybody got a guess as to why?? I haven't got the foggiest.

I'm getting to the point where I'm almost ready to accept 70% as being OK, 65% beads notwithstanding.

Marty

First of all Marty, I would do the salt test on the hygrometer for a minimun of 48 hours. I've read on other forums of people doing a second test right after the first one. I don't know, maybe they have a little paranoia issue going on. But I think a 48 hour test is good.

Second, make sure that about only half your beads are hydrated. You need to leave dry beads to absorb the excess humidity. This is very important. The only thing that I can think of is maybe your beads are over hydrated. If they are, you can dry them on a cookie sheet with a hair dryer. I think that 50% wet and 50% dry is good. It has been working for me.

Third, maybe Heartfelt accidentally sent you 70% beads. If thats the case Marty, it may be that your cigars smoke well with 70%. I'm not sure what part of the country you're in but 70% may be fine. If you get burn issues all the time after a stick has been in your humidor for a few months, then I'd say that 70% is too high. In Central Texas, we have more humid days than dry, my stick are okay at 65%. I do occassionally have tunneling even at 65%. If I go an extra week before I recharge my beads and the humidity drops to 63% to 64%, I don't sweat it. Sometimes I think that 63% is ideal. A few guys on here prefer 60%-63%. The 70/70 deal may be good for long term aging but alot of us simply do not have that luxury. 70/70 is way over hyped and I think it misleads alot of beginners. I was.

Now if you have the 50% dry 50% hydrated and your RH stays at 70%, then you may want to contact the vendor. He is a great guy and BOTL and will be glad to help.

As an after thought, if you put in alot of sticks recently from your local B&M, they may have been to wet in their humidor and could have caused a spike in your RH. That goes back to needing dry beads to absorb that excess humidity.

I hope this helps Marty. I know how frustrating RH issues can be. It almost takes the fun out of the hobby. You made a good decision by swithcing to beads. It will all work out.

DL

Also Marty, I am not trying to insult you intelligence. You did say that your beads were properly hydrated. I'm just trying to look at all possibilities short of talking to you in person.



DL

No offense taken, my friend. As I said in an earlier post, I'm a relative newbie and have a long way to go on the ol' learning curve.

I bought the 1-oz. tube of 65% beads (blue cap) even though it's about twice what I needed for my small (20 ct.) humi because they said the larger tube would compensate more quickly than the smaller one - even though that shouldn't be a problem for me. The beads are about 50% wet so I felt I had a good margin for correction in either direction.

Maybe the problem is coming from the fact that I haven't done a 48 hr. salt test - only a day or less. I'll give that a try and see what happens.

I don't think I really have a problem, I'm just curious about the effects I'm observing. I just finished a nice churchill this evening (along with a snifter of Baker's which, I guess is something for a different thread but is a wonderful taste experience just the same) and the smoke was quite enjoyable. Maybe I should just leave well enough alone.

Thanks very much for your input.

Marty

Here's another item I'm curious about - - right now, I have more cigars than my small humi will handle so I need to store a few. Based on what I've read, 70 degrees is a good temp at which to store them. My problem is that in the area where I live, and with summer coming on, it's almost impossible for me to find a place where there's a relatively constant (or even close, for that matter) temp in the range of 70 degrees.

Even with the air conditioner running I don't allow the house to get that cool in the summer. So far, I've been storing 'em in a ziploc bag, sealed, in a desk drawer. Unfortunately, the temp in there has been getting to the low 80's recently.

My question - - what would be the harm if I stored them in their ziploc bag in the refrigerator? The temp in there goes quite a bit lower than the recommended 70 (about 40 to 42) but would that seriously hurt 'em?? Has anyone stored theirs in the refrig?

As always, any input will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Marty

do you have a basement? that may work.
a few of the guys around this forum have converted wine coolers (thermoelectric) into humidors and hold them at about 65.