I got a new humidor, what next?

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Joined Feb 2006
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Kelvin's House
This question has been the first question most people have asked. I am going to try to put a how to together.

First thing that needs to be done is get rid of the Credo type hydration. The don't work well and can drip on your cigars. I would go with a Cigar Oasis or Heartfelt beads there are others such as cigar Jars and such but I find these work the best.

Replacing the credo
I like to reuse the same holders that the credo came in. You can also use things such as aquarium filter bags, nylons old cigar boxes and such. To do this you need to open them up. I take a small screw driver and place it in the seam between the top and bottom halves. With a little twisting motion you can get the two to come apart. Throw the green foam away. I usually lay a small piece of screen and lay it on each side of the two halves, Nylons will also work well for this. I then fill one side with beads till it is a heaping mound. gently place the other half on top and shake a bit to distribute the beads. The two halves should snap back together. When using the Co xl plus you need to fill a bowel with water and invert the cartridge in the water and let it sit for 5 minutes. I never think it is needed to soak the wood directly as that can cause the grain to raise.

Hygrometer
Not to be blunt about it but Analog (dial type with the needle) are no good, they are notorious for being inaccurate. It is best to go with a Digital style hygrometer. it is also important to Salt test your new Hygro and see how far it is out. I like to write right on the Hygro plus or minus what ever it is.

Humidor seasoning
This is probably the most daunting but the easiest part of the whole deal. There is a lot of wood in any humidor, this wood needs to soak up some moisture so it can help regulate the humidity in your humidor. to do this I find it is best to place a small bowel of water in the humidor and leave it alone for 24 hours. After 24 hours check to see if you need to add more water. than leave it alone again. Do this for three days and check your Hygro to see what the Rh is in the humidor. once it is at a consistent level and the water is not needed any more, it is safe to put you beads in and watch it for a couple days to make sure the rh stays were you want it. If using a Cigar Oasis, Just plug it in and watch the hygro for the RH.
 
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I never tried the bowl of water. I've just taken distilled water and literally poured it into the humidor, and wipe it all up and over the humidor with a sponge - covering every inch of wood inside the box.
 
i always thought too much moisture too fast would warp/crack the inside otf the box and maybe damage the seal.
 
hmmm...
Thor and I both use the wipe down method....

And we KNOW what kind of collection Thor has........
:shock:


Where were those naysayers again???? :roll:
 
Well, I'm the odd man out because I have a humi that I "wiped" down and I have a nice stain in the bottom of it from the attempt.

Of course, Thor is a cigar mega-man, so his humidors won't dare stain!
 
I NEVER wipe down a Humidor. the grain can soak up water to fast and cause warping, I found this out the hard way on my first humidr. IMHO it is just not worth it
 
Barcochris said:
I NEVER wipe down a Humidor. the grain can soak up water to fast and cause warping, I found this out the hard way on my first humidr. IMHO it is just not worth it

I agree 100% -
I like the bowl f water method.
Wetting the wood can cause all kinds of problems.
Better safe than sorry.
 
I guess I've been lucky! no Humi damage yet... But I have been using the Oasis in a few humi's, and those will just do it themselves...
 
I tried the bowl of water with my newest humi and it took almost a week before I just wiped it down anyways. When I did wipe it down it was done very carefully, the sponge was almost dry and it was applied just enough to change the shade of the wood. Since then the rh has held at 62-64 without the benefit of any added credo, beads or Oasis. I have in the last week put a 1/2lb of heartfelt beads inside and nothing has changed.

Just my two cents.
 
somewhere, someone, posted about putting a fan inside there larger humidor. I have a 300 count with an oasis in the bottom. The seal has been great and it doesn't make the oasis run to often.The bottom is ususally 3% higher than the top of the humidor. Any suggestions for what type of fan I could use to keep the air moving inside the humidor.
 
laxjb1 said:
somewhere, someone, posted about putting a fan inside there larger humidor. I have a 300 count with an oasis in the bottom. The seal has been great and it doesn't make the oasis run to often.The bottom is ususally 3% higher than the top of the humidor. Any suggestions for what type of fan I could use to keep the air moving inside the humidor.

oust fans i think. i only have a series of desk tops. but if i ever make the leap to a 300+ count thats what id use.
 
I'm currently seasoning my old humidor. I already need a little more space and I was going to use it for aging. I ordered beads for the first time. Does anyone use the mesh bag they advertise with it? Any Pros/Cons. I don't have the original credo's anymore, and was debating getting one of the mesh bags or just filling a shallow bowl.
 
The mesh bags work well or so will a pair of Nylons. what I like to use is the Aquarium filter media bags. Something like this work great. the have different sizes you can get, and you can also get them at several pet stores.
 
Do you place that inside an open plastic bag? or ontop of something? I'm thinking there could be some leakage out the bottom that might stain the humi.
 
Beads are not that wet. they just hold water, if that makes sense. If you are puttiong them directly ontop off cigars I might put something between it but it not if it is sitting on a shelf or something. How large a humidor are we talking here?
 
laxjb1 said:
Do you place that inside an open plastic bag? or ontop of something? I'm thinking there could be some leakage out the bottom that might stain the humi.

After wetting the bag with bead i wrap a dry towel for a min or 2 and place it back in. Some times it makes a little water stain but not big. Been working good for me
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Its my old 150 count so I think i'll just put them on the shelf and I should be good.
 
Has anyone actually used the Humi-Tubes that are prepacked with the beads? I went to order the beads but loose beads were on back order so I just ordered them in these tubes.
 
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pilot711 said:
Has anyone actually used the Humi-Tubes that are prepacked with the beads? I went to order the beads but loose beads were on back order so I just ordered them in these tubes.

I have been for about a year now. I only have a small desktop humi - but the tube seems to work just fine and is very easy to maintain.
 
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