Coolidor fan or no fan that is question?

[Hunter1974]

Ok got a 150qt coolidor got all my shelves and plenty of spanish cedar . So do I need a fan or not lets get some opinions on the matter . Thanks guys

[Tedrickson8]

IMO, you need a fan if you're not going to be opening the cooler much. That way the air doesn't get stagnant in one place. If you do open in commonly, then just the act of opening the kid will cause air circulation, and keep all of your cigars at a more common RH.

[CanuckSARTech]

In a coolerdor, yes, especially for that size. I have multiple 100 qt coolerdors, with 5/8" finished cedar on the base, and a single Oust fan in each, with 3 half-pound packs of RH Beads at 65% RH in them. Without the wood on the base, and the Oust fan, both working in conjunction together, generally the bottom of the cooler will become a cold / damp / dew zone (at least for me anyways, sitting them on concrete, in my basement crawlspace / utility space).

I would think that a 150 qt coolerdor, for it's sheer size, a single fan would be very beneficial for RH levelling throughout.

[Hunter1974]

In a coolerdor, yes, especially for that size. I have multiple 100 qt coolerdors, with 5/8" finished cedar on the base, and a single Oust fan in each, with 3 half-pound packs of RH Beads at 65% RH in them. Without the wood on the base, and the Oust fan, both working in conjunction together, generally the bottom of the cooler will become a cold / damp / dew zone (at least for me anyways, sitting them on concrete, in my basement crawlspace / utility space).

I would think that a 150 qt coolerdor, for it's sheer size, a single fan would be very beneficial for RH levelling throughout.

do they still make an oust fan?

[Boosted]

do they still make an oust fan?

I could be wrong, but I don't think they make the Oust fans anymore.

[CanuckSARTech]

Correct, I don't think they make them anymore. But you can still find them from various online retailers I believe.

[rtrimbath]

I use three Oust fans in my 150qt, but part of me swears it's just placebo. I can't imagine those little fans being powerful enough to really push that much air around. I've thought about switching to a computer fan hooked up to a timer. I could see that being more effective.

[btp1979]

I use three Oust fans in my 150qt, but part of me swears it's just placebo. I can't imagine those little fans being powerful enough to really push that much air around. I've thought about switching to a computer fan hooked up to a timer. I could see that being more effective.

There is nothing wrong with that considering it's impossible to put a value on peace of mind

[garbandz]

Try things for a month or two and see if you ever get any mustiness or dead air smell.You may need to go the other way and dry them down some months due to humidity.

don't buy beads you don't need..........

[busdriver]

I have a 400 count wineador that obviously has a fan. However I had to add an additional fan to keep RH consistent vertically and there is still a 5-6% difference from top to bottom. The point being that I would think a fan would be needed. Fyi they do not make oust fans anymore. I went with a cpu fan on a timer outlet.

[Destino30]

I've seen the same phenomenon that busdriver mentioned, especially when I have my NewAir very full. There's even variation within a single shelf. I need to do something to get the air circulating better.

[dubleuhb]

Google this;

Camco Fridge Airator

I use them, they run on two D cell and they last 2-3 months.

[rtrimbath]

Google this; Camco Fridge Airator

I use them, they run on two D cell and they last 2-3 months.

disregard this post I found it. I might have to give this a try. It looks like a good alternative to oust fans.

[dubleuhb]

Which do you use? I'm getting a bunch of different products when I search those keywords.

Here is a direct link sorry, I was being lazy.

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-44123-Fridge-Airator/dp/B0006IX7TW/ref=pd_sim_263_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1SSFGMD4DQ5AMWVSK64H

[dubleuhb]

It comes with some little carbon packets for odor absorbing, just leave those out.

There is no timer or on/off switch. Put the batteries in and it is on. Moves air really well. just make sure the side the air is drawn into is clear of being against the side of a box or wall of whatever unit you put it in.

Two batteries last well over two months and all I use are the cheap Rayovac I buy in bulk on EBAY.

[dubleuhb]

FYI, those blue fans Valterra or whatever brand they are suck. I tried those and changing batteries is a PIA and the connections inside are questionable. I would open to check on things and they would be off, shake them a bit and they come on, not worth the trouble.

[busdriver]

Thanks for the tip on the camco fans. Just ordered a couple. Trying to balance out the front to back rh along with the top to bottom is a challenge!

[Professor Twain]

Without a fan you are likely to have a marked variance in humidity between the top and bottom shelves. If you don't use a fan, you need to rotate your stock and especially check the boxes in the lower shelves to assure that you don't have mold in them.

I also recommend picking up some wireless remote digital hygrometers, that way you can check how the humidity reads at the highest and lowest levels.

FYI I did a number of experiments with this, posted them here years ago--the humidity differential between top and bottom shelves will be much lower inside of boxes than outside of boxes.

In brief, don't drive yourself crazy with this. I use my cooladors for storage, and transfer them to humidors for smoking