First Humidor...

Joined Feb 2008
4 Posts | 0+
Need some help/thoughts.

I got my first humidor. I "seasoned" it for about a week by putting a shot glass full of distilled water in my humidor and let it sit. In the meantime I ordered a digital hygrometer and ran it through the salt test and calibrated it accordingly. I set the hygrometer in my seasoned humidor overnight and in the morning it read 65%.

Do I even need to add the beads? I bought a set of 65% beads. I am not sure how to set up the beads. Any tips or thoughts? The directions say to make 75% of the beads clear, but there are caps on both ends, does that affect it at all?

Sorry if none of this makes sense. This is all new to me and I've tried to read the boards to understand.

Any help is appreciated.
 
The beads will keep the RH at 65% without them it will drop. To get them wet you have a few options. place them in a container with a shot glass of distilled h2o and they will absorb it (time consuming). or open the end and add the distilled h2o, if you pour it in the beads will crack. They still work but they crack. If you use a spray bottle they are less likely to crack. You do not completely saturate them because they will pull extra humidity out of the air if it goes to high in the humi. Hope this helps.
 
Helpful.... but now...

It was helpful but now I got a little aggressive with the beads and saturated them all. I've had the beads in the humidor for 24 hours now and it's reading around 68% humidity.

I know "the book" says 70%, but most here say 65%. Am I going to be "ok"?

What the best way to dry the beads and start over?

thanks again.
 
i wouldnt sweat it.
at all.

put your smokes in there. just let em go. its winter. with all the dry air around itll only be a week or two before its back down to 65% RH

shouldnt cause any problems at all.
 
68% is a little high, but I wouldn't worry about it. It's still in a very acceptable range. (Also depends on what you like and what you smoke.) Load up the humi and it will fall as the beads dry. When the hygrometer reads around 60% take your tube and spritz it with distilled H2O wetting about 70% of the beads. This will allow for the "give and take" of the beads to work.

Also, welcome to the boards!!

--Scott

Edit: Kuzi, you beat me to it. :D
 
You should relax about all this RH stuff - sounds like everything is right
where it should be.
Cigars will help hold RH so add them & then smoke them & you will
be on your way.
I would not worry unless your humi drops below 59% -
 
CastleCrest said:
You should relax about all this RH stuff - sounds like everything is right
where it should be.
Cigars will help hold RH so add them & then smoke them & you will
be on your way.
I would not worry unless your humi drops below 59% -

+1

Unless there is a problem, don't sweat it....enjoy your smokes :D
 
thank one and all. If you can't tell I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this sort of stuff. I like to do things "right".
 
ok I am back. Since my last update the RH has dropped to about 60%. Is it normal for me to have to "re-charge" the beads so quickly?

Was my humidor not properly seasoned to begin with?

Any help or thoughts would be great.
 
It is normal where I live, in New Jersey. Having the heat on dries everything out and I fill my Cigar Oasis much more often.

Where do you live? That could be a huge factor - I hardly recharge in the Spring, Summer or Fall.
 
Holy Crap; BP sighting.

Where did you come from Bro? So good to see you.
 
WOW!!!

BP in the HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lock your humidors Gents, The Mooch extrordinaire has returned!!
WOOOOO HOOOO!