Mold in humidor

[lemmycaution]

I've been having a lot of flunctuation in humidity in my Aristocrat lately. It's been driving me crazy and I eventually added beads to see if I could stabilize it. Today, I just realized that one of the fans has been leaking from the bottom and there's mold on the shelf. Some of the cigars are ruined too. Unbelievable. It's not even a year old. What is a good process to get rid of the mold? Isoprophyl alcohol seems to come up from searching, but I just want to make sure. Thanks for any help guys.

-Jim

[topdiesel]

Yikes.

I would contact Bob. I do not have an aristocrat (yet), but it seems like he is great to work with and I would hope that includes after the sale.

I am interested to see how this works out for you. Please post updates.

[lemmycaution]

Bob is a great guy to deal with..the first thing I did was leave him a message. I did have a momentary freak out and posted this right after. I'm calmer now. Kinda

[PapaDisco]

Isopropyl works great and it also vaporizes quickly so after a few days the scent is gone.

[PigFish]

While I am not going to address the mold issue, I am going to comment a bit about controlled humidors.

2 axis (or more) controlled humidors are not always 'set and forget.' That is a misnomer. Humidors with controllers, fans, humidifiers, coolers and their associated wiring and plumbing may appear very simple, but may be complex, sophisticated systems. I know this to be true of mine...

One must examine and maintain their automated system as any other system. Yes, you can go on vacation and not necessarily worry about your cigars, but this does not mean that they cannot fail or have other problems. I know that this is an ancillary issue, but an important one nonetheless. These systems are not perfect, they are mechanical and electrical systems, sometimes complex ones, and as you know these things can fail.

This is one reason that I don't like humidors made of wood, but prefer solid surface materials impervious to such accidents. Regardless of that, no matter what manufacturers humidor you own, vigilance is your responsibility once it arrives at your house! While the initial failure might not be your fault, preventing the failure from ruining your cigars is your responsibility!

One other thing to look for in these systems is the overfilling of humidifiers. That fact is, in humid environments and during warmer months, these systems may actually acquire water from the ambient as these cooling systems run. While the humidifier may provide that water back into the humidor system, extra water from multiple air exchanges and diffusion is often introduced to the humidor space from the outside world during certain periods. Keep this in mind during warmer, more humid months. Watch your water levels and adjust them seasonally.

Most builders use a gravity assisted plumbing system to remove condensate from the cooler back to the humidifier. You need to make sure it stays in working order and the only way to do that is with periodic inspection.

Cheers! -Piggy

[lemmycaution]

Seems the damage wasn't as bad as I thought. I was checking it a lot because the RH was fluctuating so much. Just didn't notice the leak because it was happening underneath a box of cigars. I'm glad I caught it before it caused more problems. I guess all I need now is a new "set and forget" system. I used Isoprophyl alcohol for the small spot of mold. Hopefully it does the trick. Thanks guys...