Jason55555 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Having some troubles with my newly set up wine cooler humidor, I keeping wine cooler humidor at 70 F at the moment and when the fan kicks in the humidity spikes up for example normal reading is 66%RH but when the fan turns on the humidity jumps 5% to 71%RH after the fan stops the humidity goes down. I wondering if this is normal / if this is good for the cigars since I've always read maintaining a constant humidity is key is cigar storage and that swings in humidity are bad for the cigars? I only have boxes inside so far so waiting to figure this out before I put my prized Cubans etc in there.....That bring me to my second question.... It been a hot couple days in Toronto 26C so I had to move my cigar from my room to my basement because on the hot days my digital humidor was reading 75F, now my cigar are in my basement where is cool my only problem now is that I cook downstairs in my basement kitchen. I love cooking very exotic food Asian ,Indian, and Thai food which gives off very powerful odours of onion and spices. This smell fills my basement when I cook I usually open on window and turn on my fan but when onion and spices hit oil its gets stuck in the air lol I was wondering could these odours get into my cigars? Humidors are not supposed to be air tight so could my cooking/food smell seep into my cigars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danclough Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Having some troubles with my newly set up wine cooler humidor, I keeping wine cooler humidor at 70 F at the moment and when the fan kicks in the humidity spikes up for example normal reading is 66%RH but when the fan turns on the humidity jumps 5% to 71%RH after the fan stops the humidity goes down. I wondering if this is normal / if this is good for the cigars since I've always read maintaining a constant humidity is key is cigar storage and that swings in humidity are bad for the cigars? I only have boxes inside so far so waiting to figure this out before I put my prized Cubans etc in there.....That bring me to my second question.... It been a hot couple days in Toronto 26C so I had to move my cigar from my room to my basement because on the hot days my digital humidor was reading 75F, now my cigar are in my basement where is cool my only problem now is that I cook downstairs in my basement kitchen. I love cooking very exotic food Asian ,Indian, and Thai food which gives off very powerful odours of onion and spices. This smell fills my basement when I cook I usually open on window and turn on my fan put when onion and spices hit oil its gets stuck in the air lol I was wondering could these odours get into my cigars? Humidors are not supposed to be air tight so could my cooking/food smell seep into my cigars? Have you moved your hygrometer around to several different areas of the wine cooler. The spike in humidity when the fan kicks on could just be caused by more humid air in one spot being circulated around the entire cooler. Is the wine cooler a compressor type or is it thermoelectric? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason55555 Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Its thermoelectric yes i have moved it around same RH everywhere until fan kicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dB69 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 When temperature decreases the relative humidity increases when there's the same amount of water in the air, because warmer air absorbs more water than colder. When your cigars are in their boxes, the boxes will buffer the change of humidity and temperature quite well. And, the more buffer capacity (boxes) you have in your humidor the better the situation will be. I'm a poor teacher, so you should read explanations by PigFish to understand the whole thing better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 First off hygrometers are never 100% accurate unless you are using scientific grade equipment. Run 4 or 5 in your fridge at different places so you can have an average reading. When you have the fridge turned on you're going to run into all kinds of issues with condensation and spikes in humidity due to the working of the machine. Essentially you are not going to get rid of them unless you are prepared to do a lot of work installing fans and beads to reduce these issues. It can be done but like most things you will need to put in a lot of time and work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I run mine unplugged with hydration sources at top and bottom, with a box of baking soda to check any stray scents except the wonderful tobacco. Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aavkk Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 not too sure on the smells but as to the humidity issue, the change in humidity on the shelf of your humidor may very well be 5% however the change within each box may be as little as 1% and thats the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltoasto Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I run mine unplugged with hydration sources at top and bottom, with a box of baking soda to check any stray scents except the wonderful tobacco. Lisa Doesn't the baking soda soak up the tobacco aroma? I've been hesitant to add it to my Edgestar setup for fear that the cedar/tobacco aroma will disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Mate... your cooler stinks because the humidity is too high and it is telling you so. If I had to guess you have plugged the drain hole and you may be growing leafy greens somewhere. Unpack the entire box and look for mildew! While it is logical to think that humidity goes up in a sealed environment when the temp drops (this is what it does), it does not typically do this in a box where there is a refrigeration coil being used to cool the air. Refrigerator dehydrators are very common. So common that your air conditioning is set to run in your auto when the defroster is switched on to remove humidity of the air so that your windshield does not fog. The truth is, nothing dries air like a cooling coil! I am guessing but it sounds like your cooler might be on its last legs and quite possibly you have a puddle somewhere near the fan. I am just guessing mind you, but the last guy that I told this to argued with me until he unpacked his humidor and found water dripping inside. Unpack it, look around and report back. -Piggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason55555 Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 No no my humidor doesn't smell it smells just fine pure Spanish ceder and cigars, I wondering if i'm cooking in close vicinity to my cigars will the scented air get into my cigars? Just dont wanna smoke a cigar one day and it taste like pad Thai spices LOL My cooler is brand new and I have taken the back apart I don't find any drips. I do find some condensation in the back but no puddle just some drips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Baking soda does not seem to have any affect on the cigar smell, jest have it at the bottom to double check anything from the fridge itself. Perhaps I am a bit anal retentive about moldy smells. Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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