Kangaroo495 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I've got a small desktop 30 ct humidor. Can't remember the brand. Made in Italy of mahogany with Spanish Cedar inside. About a month ago, I bought a puck-50 with 65% beads and an RHI electronic meter. The RHI has been falling recently and is now at 57-59% constantly. I've tried adding more distilled water, and beads are almost 80% soaked. I have been smoking a lot of cigars out of the humi over the past week or so, and now it is only aobut 30% full. I've noticed the drop in RHI as the humi gets emptier. Is there a correlation? Is it the beads? Perhaps I have too few? Humi is very small - only 30 ct. As an aside, I'd like to make sure my distilled water is in fact the right one. I bought it in the car-repair section of the supermarket. Does that sound right? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2advnture Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Adding or removing cigars can affect the RH level as well as frequently opening and closing your humidor, especially as we get into the drier Winter season. You may just need to bump it up to a Puck-100 for faster RH recovery. What are the dimensions of your humidor? Have you calibrated the hygrometer recently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thechenman Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I agree with n2adventure. Winter is coming on fast in NY, and I have noticed a precipitous decline in my humidors. Using a larger Puck, or more beads would help. I also sometimes supplement with Boveda Humidity Packets in the winter. It tends to work for me during those dry and cold winter months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semery74 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Is your home environment temperature controlled throughout the entire year? Spikes in temperature adversely affect the amount of moisture in the air. I used to see a 6 point swing from winter to summer in my desktop. I would just make sure your Beads are giving off your desired RH at 21C. Forcing your RH up too high during the Cool Months of the year could cause mold in the Warm Months. Here is online calculator to help you see the difference. Humidity Calculator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa1257 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I was taught that for a humidor to work properly, that it needed to be "at least 70% full", so if what I understand, your 30ct humidor would need at least 21 cigars in it at all times. As others have mentioned, winter season is typically drier and loses RH faster when opening up. If I remember correctly, you said that you were smoking more from this humidor. (which means that you are opening it up more, have fewer cigars in it) I would seriously listen to Mark's, n2adventure, suggestion about using a 100ct Puck. Over saturating your beads is not a good idea in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kangaroo495 Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks gents. I've drawn the conclusion that the puck is too small. I took it out and replaced it with my old rectangular sponge thingy which I was using before (with the chemical solution). Humidity has returned to 62%. I'm getting a fridge next week anyway, so hopefully will not have to deal with these problems much longer. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thechenman Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Good luck with the fridge Kanga...post some pics if you get the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby07 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks gents. I've drawn the conclusion that the puck is too small. I took it out and replaced it with my old rectangular sponge thingy which I was using before (with the chemical solution). Humidity has returned to 62%. I'm getting a fridge next week anyway, so hopefully will not have to deal with these problems much longer. Cheers! A fridge will present a whole new set of issues. Be sure to read up on setting them up. There are lots of good posts here and on other forums. As far as your regular humidor goes, I've set up several. The process of seasoning is well documented, but what I have found that's rarely mentioned is that it can take a good 9 months to a year for the wood in the box to fully season and stabilize. For a small humi such as you have I'd suggest you take the whole thing and keep it in a plastic bag for several months. Once the box is fully seasoned it will be much easier to keep the desired humidity Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samb Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks gents. I've drawn the conclusion that the puck is too small. I took it out and replaced it with my old rectangular sponge thingy which I was using before (with the chemical solution). Humidity has returned to 62%. I'm getting a fridge next week anyway, so hopefully will not have to deal with these problems much longer. Cheers! The fridge is the best way to go. I use kitty litter in my winedor and it works perfectly. Oversaturating the beads is never a good idea though, if they are over saturated, they will not be able to absord anymore humidity if you leave the lid closed and/or fill up the humi... Then the humidity will skyrocket and nobody likes a plump cigar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kangaroo495 Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 A fridge will present a whole new set of issues. Be sure to read up on setting them up. There are lots of good posts here and on other forums.As far as your regular humidor goes, I've set up several. The process of seasoning is well documented, but what I have found that's rarely mentioned is that it can take a good 9 months to a year for the wood in the box to fully season and stabilize. For a small humi such as you have I'd suggest you take the whole thing and keep it in a plastic bag for several months. Once the box is fully seasoned it will be much easier to keep the desired humidity Good luck. Hey mate, I fully agree with that. I've had this humi for just over a year, and only in the last couple of months, I've seen some consistency in the RH start to develop. In terms of the fridge, it's my intention not to switch the thing on. I can easily maintain a temp of 19 degrees in the flat year round. I'm just buying it, coz it's a big, airtight box which looks nice. I'm also worried that if I do switch it on, I'll f*ck the whole thing up along with my cigars. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKA27 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I seem to have a similar issue with my desktop humi in that it leaks like a sieve. I have a puck 50 but may need to buy a puck 100. I don't open my humi that often as I now transfer the stogies I wish to smoke in a week into my travel humi. A question however: If I did upgrade to a puck 100, will it be too large for a 30ct desktop? I would imagine in theory it shouldnt matter as the excess humidity should be absorbed by the RH beads....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeafLover Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 You can never have too many beads. In fact, the more surface area of beads that are exposed to the air, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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