Active Humidification

[mcease022]

Hi All,

I just picked up a cabinet humidor (6ft x 21" wide and 17"deep) I believe those are the dimensions. Can you recommend something as an active unit. Cheaper is better for now - I can always upgrade later if necessary. Thanks!!

[irratebass]

Beads or Boveda packs, until you can upgrade to a Set It & Forget it system

[mcease022]

I know someone who has a humidistat hooked up to a regular room humidifier to control the humidity. Anyone know how to do this? I am going to speak to him about it, but curious if anyone else has gone this route. It is definitely a cheaper option. $30 humidifier plus $10 humidistat.

[Nickbarb]

Cheap would be a very small humidifier from target or like place. Beads and boveda packs won't be able to recover fast enough from opening and closing the door.

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[ElPuro]

I used the magna cigar oasis in my end table humidor and love it. Can get a good deal on cigarbid.com (with patience).

[Profmd]

Too big a cabinet to waste time with beads.

Get a Cigar Oasis, it will run great until you can spend on a set-and-forget system.

My cabinet is alittle bigger than yours, and the Oasis sis a decent job for me.

[SCgarman]

I have this one, albeit the older version and has worked fine since 2008. A must for a humidor cabinet.

Passive humidification such as beads or similar simply wont work in a big cabinet. This humidifier can be bought online for around 179USD. It really does the job in the winter when humidity levels in the air are virtually nill.

[ElPuro]

You can supplement with beads if you like

[mcease022]

Any input on the room humidifier and humidistat? My friend has no complaints about humidity and it works well for him. I know it is not designed for a humidor but with the humidistat it is a set and forget system. Any thoughts if it is a good idea, and thoughts on where to purchase it. His came with his cabinet.

[bugg4672]

I know someone who has a humidistat hooked up to a regular room humidifier to control the humidity. Anyone know how to do this? I am going to speak to him about it, but curious if anyone else has gone this route. It is definitely a cheaper option. $30 humidifier plus $10 humidistat.

That is how mine is set up. The humidistat is a 120V 15A AC switch, single pole, COF (close on fall). That means when the humidity falls below the preset, the switch (humidistat) closes, making energy to the receptacle below to run the humidifier. When the rising humidity reaches its preset, it opens, turning off power to the humidifier receptacle, and goes back into standby. It is important to note there is a 120VAC live wire feed to the humidistat anytime the unit is plugged into a live outlet. Think of the humidistat as a living room switch that turns on all the table lamps in the room; that means you can always test the humidistat element by plugging anything that is "on" (lamp, radio, etc) into the receptacle below, and turning it on and off by cycling the humidistat control up top back and forth.

[Cohiba Stevie]

I use german product called a cigar spa.

Might need more than one for your size cabinet though, or use extra re-circulation fans

[mcease022]

That is how mine is set up. The humidistat is a 120V 15A AC switch, single pole, COF (close on fall). That means when the humidity falls below the preset, the switch (humidistat) closes, making energy to the receptacle below to run the humidifier. When the rising humidity reaches its preset, it opens, turning off power to the humidifier receptacle, and goes back into standby. It is important to note there is a 120VAC live wire feed to the humidistat anytime the unit is plugged into a live outlet. Think of the humidistat as a living room switch that turns on all the table lamps in the room; that means you can always test the humidistat element by plugging anything that is "on" (lamp, radio, etc) into the receptacle below, and turning it on and off by cycling the humidistat control up top back and forth.

This is exactly what im looking to do. How are the holes sealed where the wire for the humidistat come in to the Humidor? is there a silicon grommet or something? Or is it caulked? Can you show a pic? is there another hole where the wires go to the humidifier or do the wires run inside the cabinet? Thanks!

[Profmd]

I just fill the hole where the electrical comes in with a bit of steel wool.

It's just to keep the bugs, ants etc out, it's not to keep the unit 100% air tight. Some air in and out is not an issue.

[Professor Twain]

I have a big, beautiful Aristocrat that I got used from Tampa1257s family. It came with the Set and Forget from Bob Staebell. I love the cabinet but I found that the humidity was consistently going too high. The seal is very tight on that humidor. I think that just having the large container of water in there was sufficient to raise the humidity. I love the digital hygrometer that it came with and the powerful fans.

I use beads (65% Heartfelt and the kitty litter type) and two small cups of water and my system stays right on the button at 65% all the time (until the water in those cups is absorbed, then I refill).

Note, unless you have really powerful fans, your humidity will tend to be a good bit higher at the bottom than at the top.

Good luck.

[bugg4672]

This is exactly what im looking to do. How are the holes sealed where the wire for the humidistat come in to the Humidor? is there a silicon grommet or something? Or is it caulked? Can you show a pic? is there another hole where the wires go to the humidifier or do the wires run inside the cabinet? Thanks!

It was just a small hole just big enough for the wire, but I just a small amount of Aquarium caulk to fill it.

[mcease022]

It was just a small hole just big enough for the wire, but I just a small amount of Aquarium caulk to fill it.

Excellent! Thanks. I will do the same.

[bugg4672]

This is exactly what im looking to do. How are the holes sealed where the wire for the humidistat come in to the Humidor? is there a silicon grommet or something? Or is it caulked? Can you show a pic? is there another hole where the wires go to the humidifier or do the wires run inside the cabinet? Thanks!

Also by doing this and make sure all the doors are sealed you should not have to use any other media like beads and stuff. I have had this cabinet for over a year, I change the filter in the humidifier every 3 months I change the water in the 2 gallon holding tank and clean out the tank to get all the possible slim out that my be in there every 6 months. My unit holds pretty good between 65% and 69% depending on temp in the house. I have never had to use any other media. Honestly I can open my doors and leave them open for 5 to 10 minutes close them back and the humidity will go back to 65% to 69% in a few minutes without the humidifier even coming on. It holds 2 gallons and that will usually last 6 months with maybe a 1/2 a gallon or more left.

[Professor Twain]

You have that backwards. It may sound counterintuitive, but the higher humidity is HIGHER in the cabinet.

Hutch, you don't cite a source for this, but I have monitored two large humidors for years with wireless hygrometers. The humidity on my Haier fridge is consistently 5-8% higher on the bottom. Since I don't have fans there, I redistribute my cigars and inspect them carefully every month or two. Have had some mold issues pop up, only on the cigars in the bottom portion.

[ElPuro]

Mine is higher at bottom, though it shouldn't be (moist air riseshow like steam, yes?) Think it may be related to the sensor placement).

[HarveyBoulevard]

Humid air is less dense...

Physics professor with a PhD

[Profmd]

Hutch, you don't cite a source for this, but I have monitored two large humidors for years with wireless hygrometers. The humidity on my Haier fridge is consistently 5-8% higher on the bottom. Since I don't have fans there, I redistribute my cigars and inspect them carefully every month or two. Have had some mold issues pop up, only on the cigars in the bottom portion.

Mine is the same way. I have a set-and-forget system with the unit about a third of the way up, running one fan.

It's always more humid at the bottom. Has been that way since I built my unit about 10 years ago now.

[CanuckSARTech]

You have that backwards. It may sound counterintuitive, but the higher humidity is HIGHER in the cabinet.

Hutch, you don't cite a source for this, but I have monitored two large humidors for years with wireless hygrometers. The humidity on my Haier fridge is consistently 5-8% higher on the bottom. Since I don't have fans there, I redistribute my cigars and inspect them carefully every month or two. Have had some mold issues pop up, only on the cigars in the bottom portion.

Mine is the same way. I have a set-and-forget system with the unit about a third of the way up, running one fan.

It's always more humid at the bottom. Has been that way since I built my unit about 10 years ago now.

Gents,

Higher humidity rises. Higher humidity is higher up in the air (for these smaller microclimates especially, I mean). As minimal as the difference may be, within the micro-climate within a cabinet or even larger coolerdor, the slightly higher humidity level will be at the top layer of air (all things being equal, and without a fan or other air movement to balance it all out).

Where you may be having humidity at the bottom and/or mold issues at the bottom, is due to a heatsink effect. If the bottom is colder, then you'll get a "dew zone" setting up almost. Basically, if you're cabinet or coolerdor base are directly on a cement floor or other surface that makes the interior base of your structure colder that the rest of the interior or top surfaces, you'll get moisture collecting there and being more dense, due to the slightly colder layer of air.

I had this almost exact same thing happen with my large 100-quart marine coolers. They sit directly on a cement floor in a basement crawlspace / under the family room stairs. Well, everything seemed right, but the bottom layer of boxes would always seem more cold, more moist to the cigars, and more prone to repeated issues of mold.

So, I simply added in a mitred-and-finished layer of 5/8"-thick spanish cedar to the base of each of the coolerdors. It acts as a buffer for the cold zone at the base, has numerous other positive effects, and negates any "dew zone" kicking in and causing mold in the bottom layer of cigars.

[Professor Twain]

Gents,

Higher humidity rises. Higher humidity is higher up in the air (for these smaller microclimates especially, I mean). As minimal as the difference may be, within the micro-climate within a cabinet or even larger coolerdor, the slightly higher humidity level will be at the top layer of air (all things being equal, and without a fan or other air movement to balance it all out).

Where you may be having humidity at the bottom and/or mold issues at the bottom, is due to a heatsink effect. If the bottom is colder, then you'll get a "dew zone" setting up almost. Basically, if you're cabinet or coolerdor base are directly on a cement floor or other surface that makes the interior base of your structure colder that the rest of the interior or top surfaces, you'll get moisture collecting there and being more dense, due to the slightly colder layer of air.

I had this almost exact same thing happen with my large 100-quart marine coolers. They sit directly on a cement floor in a basement crawlspace / under the family room stairs. Well, everything seemed right, but the bottom layer of boxes would always seem more cold, more moist to the cigars, and more prone to repeated issues of mold.

So, I simply added in a mitred-and-finished layer of 5/8"-thick spanish cedar to the base of each of the coolerdors. It acts as a buffer for the cold zone at the base, has numerous other positive effects, and negates any "dew zone" kicking in and causing mold in the bottom layer of cigars.

Hutch, you continue to repeat your assertion that humidity is highest at the top of a humidor. Two of us have observed the opposite. My fridge consistently has much higher humidity on the bottom. It's not on a concrete floor.

You keep disagreeing but on what basis?

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[CanuckSARTech]

Hutch, you continue to repeat your assertion that humidity is highest at the top of a humidor. Two of us have observed the opposite. My fridge consistently has much higher humidity on the bottom. It's not on a concrete floor.

You keep disagreeing but on what basis?

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That's not Hutch you quoted - that was me.

Again, as I mentioned before, with "all things being equal", higher humidity air will rise. It's science. Wiki it, Google it, whatever - it's been discussed on the forum here as well plenty of times over the years.

But also, we're talking a miniscule difference here, for the overall elevation difference within a humidor cabinet / coolerdor.

Check the surface temperatures inside, top and bottom. Something is causing a condensate / "dew zone" / fog effect to make the humidity pool at the bottom layer of air.

[LLC]

The density of humid air depends on its temperature in virtually the same way as dry air however at the same temperature and pressure moist air is lighter than dry air.