Recommendations for a newbie

[jnel]

I have a small 16 bottle wine fridge that I am looking to setup as a humidor. I was thinking of the 65% rh beads and a fan or either a cigar oasis xl plus and 65% rh beads. Please forgive my ignorance in the subject of humidors.

I have read so many topics within this forum and I am just overwhelmed with information! All feedback/advise is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

[jnel]

Cigar Oasis is overkill imo. Beads and a couple oust or similar fans are MORE than fine. I assume it gets pretty sticky and humid in GA and NC in the summer and continues pretty much most of the year? Beads a thermoelectric unit and A/C or cool place are your friends.

Thanks. Thats kind of what i was hoping. From what I have read it I can't seem to find any negative comments about the rh beads. I have read a couple of issues of mold and calibration issues with the CO. Any brand of beads you recommend?

[PigFish]

The answer is based on the ambient conditions that need to be overcome. A guy who lives in the dry mountains, in a cooler home, has different needs than the guy who lives in the humid south. A lot of my Canadian friends on this site are very happy with ice chests or un-plugged wine coolers in a cool part of the house. Hell, if it works, don't try to fix it!!!

Small humidors are a real challenge to actively control. With this small a humidor I would not recommend that you attempt to put in any active control unless there is a high ambient temp in the home and it is running all the time. If that is the case, you should choose a better platform to start with.

Active control systems are not for everyone and what is more, not everyone needs it. Build a system that meets your needs and your budget. If your home is not often over 70 dF, I would not attempt to control the temperature at all. I would unplug the unit! Yes, you read that right! These small coolers have primitive controls, they run too long, they are slow to react and not at all accurate. Furthermore there is no need to store cigars at 60 to 65 dF. (This is of course subject to opinion.)

I have written extensively about desiccant usage for cigar microclimates all over this site. If you have specific questions regarding specific problems you are having with your humidor, feel free to ask, or email me.

Welcome to the site. Cheers! -Piggy