Problem getting a stable RH

[neophytesmoker]

Greetings, my name is Keith and as my screen name, neophytesmoker, suggests, not only have just come to appreciate the cigar smoking experience, but this is also my first post on the Friends of Habanos Forum.

I started out with a 100 Cigar Humidor that I bought on Craig list for $75, I then built a cabinet style humidor, out of 3/8” MDF with a 1 /4” Spanish Cedar Lining, with Ebony Veneer; both of these came to a stable 68% relative humidity within a week.

My latest creation is a 48”h X 22w X 16d, constructed out of 1 ½” Spanish Cedar, I used an Epoxy adhesive because I was concerned about the stability of veneer applied directly to the Spanish Cedar, so there is no ambient air exchange through the Cedar. I have a Hydra LG unit, and have a two 5” fans connected to a rheostat that run at a low rpm.

My problem is that every time I open the Humidor the Hydra turns on, and the humidity level spikes to around 74%, and then gradually decreases over the course of a couple of days to 67%.

This has been occurring for almost 3-weeks, and I do not know if this is something that is inherent to the electronic humidifiers, or if the wood has simply not reached its equilibrium moisture content.

The last cigar I had was not in a box, and it was a little more “wet” that I prefer, but was still a very nice smoke.

Being a neophyte to the cigar world, I wish to express my thanks to the Friends of Habanos for your advice and suggestions, and allowing me to be a little bit wiser than I was today.

Thanks,

Keith

[habanohal]

As this was my summer [roblem that I asked abouit a few weeks ago. Just get a few pounds of %65 beads from Mark and that ll do the trick.

My Cabibet was hittin %72 and I was looseing flavor big time. Put a few pounds of beads and now a steady %65

[Colt45]

I don't know where you have it set currently, but perhaps the simplest solution would be to lower the humidity setting on the unit. I don't know if it's

possible to wire the unit to disengage when the door is opened, but it might still sense a drop in humidity after the door is closed again anyway.

The "problem" (for lack of a more appropriate term) with these type of units is that they are unable to reduce humidity - they can only add.

To that end, I'm with Hal and the many members who use humidity beads and / or similar desiccants. They are simple and reliable.

[jquest63]

RH Beads should do the trick! 1-2 lbs. Keep the fans though to circulate air.

[neophytesmoker]

Thanks, for our patience because it sounds like this is a very stale question asked by us newbie’s; and I really appreciate Colt45’s comment about humidification systems that are “unable to reduce humidity”.

What brand of beads do you use, or are the all pretty much the same?

Thanks

[thechenman]

It seems to me that a large number of FOH forum members use Heartfelt beads. Hope that helps. If you want an approximation of how much you need, www.cigarmony.com has an RH Bead Calculator which may help you. Just go down the left hand margin of the home page and you will see it under the More Information heading.

[fugwumpy]

Mark @ Cigarmony also sells beads and they are essentially the same as Dave's from Heartfelt. Plus, I think I saw he had a sale going on them, too!

~Joe

[EricM]

Care to post pics of the humidors you've built? thanks