Humi help.

[thecapo]

Hello all. Need some advise on my humi system.

I currently have a end table set up. It holds 10-12 box only CC.

I have an hydra lg unit with 3 extra fan and spent over 1500 on the set up. It is completely full.

I would like to add another setup but don't want to spend the big$ on a new system. I would like some advise on a cost effective method to continue to collect am put my $ into the CC themselves.

Any thoughts would be great.

[gigabyte056]

Guess it is best you post some info about your location.

High and low temps during the seasons, RH count etc.

That will help people answer your question,

[thecapo]

Thanks.

I live in the US, Florida.

It is a most of the time very humid about 65-85 rh depending on season.

Hope this helps

[thecapo]

Temp is at 78 today but ranges from 90's in summer and 65-75 in winter.

[stogieluver]

I and others have had very good success with a plastic box with a water tight lid, meaning it locks in two places on each side and on each end with plastic locks and has a foam seal around the lid. This is working very well for me. This particular box is about 18" - 20" high, 22" wide, and 24" long, and I have one 6" tube of heartfelt 65% beads. I currently have probably about 10 or 11 boxes in there and it can hold probably that many more if organized. This system constantly holds at 65% at 70 df with virtually no maintenance at all. I live in south Alabama, so my humidity and temps are the same as yours. I ordered this off the internet, but I've seen the same boxes in Walmart. Very easy to find, and cheap. Be sure to put some time in washing it and getting rid of the plastic smell before you put your sticks in it.

[PigFish]

Answer to this really resides in you, not the readership.

I would have to start with the question; are you satisfied with the current system that you have created? If not, why?

Does it make sense to abandon that one, sell it, or move critical appliances to another humidor to make a new project more cost affective?

Many folks are happy with ice chest humidors. I have one that I experiment with, but they don't perform well for me. If you have the ambient conditions for it, or if you don't care much about the range the ambient conditions have as an effect on your cigars then they are a simple, inexpensive solution.

For me to help you with your question, I need to know more about what you want and expect from a system? It also helps to know if you have strict beliefs, or tastes, or requirements that will drive your decision.

With the range in temps that you just described, and if those temps are reflected in your home, or where you keep your cigars, you will need a lot of help, or a lot of energy to move those to what I consider desirable. So the question really is; what do you consider desireable?

Cheers, the Pig

[thecapo]

Pig, thank you.

I keep my humi room at about 68-71 deg. When I mean room, I have a separate room that is air conditioned and I keep my whole house at 71 degrees.

Not to sure if I am happy with my current system. It is beautifully crafted, really sexy wood. Not sure if my Hydra LG is to large but everything works well.

It took 5 month for this to be custom built and not wanting to take this long again. I feel it is to small at this point and want something different to hold 15-25 boxes for aging.

I truly enjoy a more med-full smoke. I would like the new humi to look nice meaning eye appealing with an active humi devise like I have now.

Hope this help with your diagnosis.

[thecapo]

How can I upload pics for u.

[PigFish]

Do you have a problem with high humidity?

[thecapo]

Not really. As with my cigar room the temp is about 68-71 deg and the humidity moves from 69-71. This depend on the central air going on and off.

In Florida it is humid most of the time between 70-80% depending in season.

For instance:

Feels Like77°Visibility10miHumidity78%UV Index0 (Low)

[PigFish]

Temperature control does not appear to be an issue, and neither is high humidity. That makes things quite easy.

So next you must decide what a humidors is to you. Is it a show piece or just a place to store cigars?

With this, you have wondered away from my expertise as a humidor controls person and moved into the realm of the subjective.

To me, it sounds like you have a perfect place for either a low budget, bulk storage solution such as beads and an ice chest, or one of the boxes that have been suggested to you, or another furniture type humidor with an active system like what you have now. I mean you seem to have a handle on what you need, you just did not anticipate your future storage requirements. You certainly don't need a sophisticated solution, which is more my expertise.

You sound prime for one of Bob Staebell's humidors. It is more or less like what you have now, just bigger.

If I were in the position where I needed a furniture humidor and chose not to make my own, knowing that it was going in an ambient 60rH or less, in a temperature stable environment, such as you have, I would choose an active system for humidity control, which I think you need in a cabinet humidor and consider one of Bob's.

If you can put your overstock humidors in a place where they are not a bother, or if you don't care if you have boxes or coolers all over, I would save the expense and use a passive sealed system. There are lots of people around here who can mentor you on those solutions.

We are back full circle to personal preference. I would likely fill my fancy existing humidor with singles and open boxes and start storing in bulk with one of the other solutions. At sometime in the future if you decide that coolers and boxes are more than you can bear, you can save up for a larger cabinet if you are really pulled in that direction. I say store cheap now, pull the trigger later on a solution that you know that you need only after you have determined the extent of your need.

While I don't want to say that you made a mistake with your existing humidor, the under estimating of the size you now need appears to point that direction. Don't make the same mistake twice, use the lesser expensive solutions until they get under your skin! Perhaps they never will. You won't know until you try…

Best of luck! -the Pig

[thecapo]

Much appreciated.

I am glad we chatted and now feel more comfortable with my purchase. Even thought I have out grown this first piece I will indeed check out Bob's product.

Thank you.

[sw15825]

Capo, I live in pa where we get some high humidity for 9 months of the year. I use two sea chest coolers for box storage, using 60% beads.Personally, I feel this is a good and inexpensive solution in higher humidity environments as it keeps stock from getting too wet. I have used this for years with great results when I keep the temps as stable as possible around 70 F. I keep empty boxes inside for singles and such and works great as as a large humidoor. I have a desktop that I use for 9 months thru summer with no charging just ambient conditions for singles. If you want bulk storage for the 15 to 20 boxes, I feel an 150 qt cooler with beads would work great if you don't want the showpiece. Hope I have helped. Happy smoking!

[thecapo]

Thank you. Great idea. As I see many doing the same.

Maybe you can help me with this dilemma.

I have two hygrometers in my humi, both digital,

I have completed the salt test for both in the same bag for 4 hrs and they were really close off by 1 point for humidity.

When I put them both back into my humi their is a 5 point difference. Very confused.