Humidor temperature above ambient

[forty_caliber]

I have medium size (150 stick) humi that is seasoned and holding RH in the low 70's. Humidity in Houston is not much of a problem. The xicar digital hygrometer is reporting the temperature inside the humi at 75 - 76 most of the time. This is a few degrees above ambient room temperature in the house AC is set to 71 degrees. It is located away from windows and about 10 feet from an AC vent.

How much should I worry about tobacco beetles hatching out in my puros? Is this really a serious threat or just urban legend?

Why would the temp inside be greater than the surroundings?

forty

 

[Red Raider]

Someone more scientific than i will have to answer the question as to why the temp is higher. My guess is that the air in your house its constantly being circulated and replaced while inside your humi it is not.

Beetles are a real problem and there are plenty of people who have had to deal with them.

My humis are at about the same temp as yours and i have yet to have a problem. I really don't think you have too much to worry about, but i wouldn't let the temp rise above 80. A wineador will be my next project as a way to control temp a little better, but in the mean time, I'm not too worried about 74-75 degrees.

 

[sneak_a_cigar]

I've got the same issue. It's been really hot here in Jersey, and I don't have central air. Temp in my Humi has been in the 77 degree range since I started measuring.

I've thought about keeping the humi in a cooler with a couple of ice packs, and adding packs until the temp is right, but that's pretty labor intensive.

I don't have a big, valuable collection though so it may not matter as much to me.

 

[Scroni]

From what I understand, beetles are a problem over 70 degrees. You will never know when you could get "hit" by them so there's always a chance if you can get them. I would suggest that if you can't keep the temp lower than 70ish, that you freeze your cigars for 2-3 days before putting them in the humi. That should help keep any problems to a minimum. I'm sure someone with more experience can chime in and give more information. I also live somewhere where it can get warm and I use a combination of freezing when I get them and went with a wineador.

 

[TravelingJ]

Just because the vent is close by, doesn't mean that room is the same temp as what the thermostat controlling the system is reading. It's very obvious in our RV-we set it to 68 at all times, and it will cut off when it reads 68. I've checked temperatures throughout, and seen up to a 10* difference. The thermostat honestly see's 68, but upstairs is a different story.

That said, I always worry if my cigars get above 70. I go to great lengths to make sure it NEVER happens. It doesn't need much time above that number to start doing damage, so just saying "well, it was only a few days" doesn't actually make anything better. Cool the room, or cool the cigars. A window air conditioner for that room would bring it's temp down, and take care of your investment. You can also go to Target and get a small wine cooler. I used to keep an 8 bottle cooler in my last RV, to make sure the cigars stayed cool. I added a second AC to this RV to make sure it stays cool enough my larger vinotemp to do it's job at all times.

 

[Treinenwj]

I was just having this conversation earlier tonight. Aside from the very real possibility of beetles, you also have to worry about over-humidifying your cigars at higher temps. 70% at 75deg is more moisture than 70% at 70deg.

 

[Red Raider]

Well Crap!!! Now I'm going to be worried. I'm at 68%and 72°in my coolidor (not very cool) and my desk tops are at 65%. Maybe i should get moving on the wineador sooner rather than later....

 

[forty_caliber]

I was just having this conversation earlier tonight. Aside from the very real possibility of beetles, you also have to worry about over-humidifying your cigars at higher temps. 70% at 75deg is more moisture than 70% at 70deg.

Makes sense. Not meaning to start the cello no-cello debate rolling, but in the event of a beetle outbreak would the cello prevent them from spreading to other cigars?

forty

 

[Treinenwj]

No. The one and only time I've had a beetle, the little bastage ate right through the cello on two cigars, out of one and into the other.

 

[PLUSH]

Not much. I have been smoking for over 7 years, in that time, never saw a beetle. Before I was married I kept a 50 count humidor at the girlfriend's house. She would keep that place like an oven when I was not there. In the desktop it was always over 85 with and rh of 65-67. As I noted before, I never had a problem with those smokes and they were there for a couple of years.

 

[Cigary43]

High RH is not a welcome sign in any humidor and there are things one can do to alleviate that problem. If you are a fan of freezing cigars then that will take care of any beetle issues in the future. If you are getting high anxiety over the RH then you can do do something immediately to remedy that problem.....kitty litter is a one way form of taking RH that is high down to a lower number. You say your humidor is a 150 size humidor....easy enough remedy here. Find a shallow container where you can spread about a cup of KL ( unscented crystal type---picture to follow on this post ) and leave it in your humidor. It will probably drop a good deal to get you into the mid 60's...if it doesn't drop that means that the KL was a bit damp to begin with...again, you can dry them out in a shallow pan in your oven for about 30 minutes on low...take em out..let em cool and put them back into the container and I guarantee you...your RH will drop like a stone. If it gets too low then you spritz the crystals with DW..just a couple of spritzes and you should be good.

 

[Evan]

Before I went the wineador route, my cigar collection, at that time was about 40 and they were kept in a desktop humi that saw temperatures over 80* for about 6 hours a day. Maybe I was lucky, but I didn't have any issues with beetles for the 2 months before purchasing a wine cooler.

 

[b.stone]

Good advise so far. If you freeze your cigars, please search here first for the method. It's not as simple as just sticking them in the freezer. You have to do it in stages. With a 150ct. Humi, you could just move it to a cooler location until the weather cools. Beetles are real, although not very common. It's typically the combination of both high humidity and high temp that brings them out.

 

[Cigary43]

Good advise so far. If you freeze your cigars, please search here first for the method. It's not as simple as just sticking them in the freezer. You have to do it in stages. With a 150ct. Humi, you could just move it to a cooler location until the weather cools. Beetles are real, although not very common. It's typically the combination of both high humidity and high temp that brings them out.

You're right about freezing...it's not just throwing em in there for a few days and there are posts around that will tell you in detail as to how it's done. Beetles are real but in todays market there's not as much as there was years ago and people are more educated in taking care of their cigars.

 

[forty_caliber]

Thanks for all the responses. I found some silica gel kitty crystals at Walmart for $4.61. I drilled out several .025 holes in the lid of a small mason style jelly jar to hold them in. Humidity level dropped about 5% overnight.

Murphy's law was in effect today! The double sided tape that was holding the little steel squares that the magnets on my humidifier attaches to lid came loose. Moved everything to a coolerador temporarily. Using gorilla glue to permanently attach the metal squares directly to the lid. Humidity dropped to %54 while the glue was curing and the humi was open. Started the seasoning process again, so I can move back into the humi in a few days.

Having fun and that's all that's really important.

forty

 

[Cigary43]

The beauty of KL is that it's so cheap and works just as well as anything out there..probably even better. Putting the KL in dry will give you an accurate reading in as little as a few hours but waiting for a day is a good idea. You can be creative as you want as far as how you put it in your humidor....I've gone the quick and easy route...small one inch by 3 inch tupperware container...fill it up and place it in the corner where I keep a mesh screen over it so it won't spill out. Rarely do I ever have to add DW except for the first time to regulate it to the RH I want. Usually, 1 to 2 spritzes will bring a 60% humidor up to 65% and that's what I keep mine at. A pound of the KL will only set you back $17 and it will last me probably around 10 years...not a bad deal!

 

[forty_caliber]

Found a 38 bottle Frigidaire Wine Cooler on Craigslist today. Turns out it was listed by a neighbor only 3 blocks from my house and set me back $150. Temperature problems will soon be a thing of the past.

forty

 

[mirage]

Hi all,
I have a large humidor 300-500count Havana foot locker, probably about 80% full, we have just gone into summer here in Australia and inside the humi is about 83f, I have placed the whole humi inside a cupboard where it is only slightly cooler.
How can I lower the temp?
I have no ac, the humi is not near any windows etc. RH is around 66% at the moment.
Where I am located we can have days of 30c or 86f and above, even in the high 30s 100f for days on end.
I'm concerned about mould and anything else.
I am currently using the humidifiers that came with the humidor, it has been suggested I move over to Boveda humi packets which I have a box en route, but what about the temp?
It has also been suggested I upgrade to a wineador.
Any thing I can do in the near term?
Thanks
Tom

 

[mirage]

Hi all,
I have a large humidor 300-500count Havana foot locker, probably about 80% full, we have just gone into summer here in Australia and inside the humi is about 83f, I have placed the whole humi inside a cupboard where it is only slightly cooler.
How can I lower the temp?
I have no ac, the humi is not near any windows etc. RH is around 66% at the moment.
Where I am located we can have days of 30c or 86f and above, even in the high 30s 100f for days on end.
I'm concerned about mould and anything else.
I am currently using the humidifiers that came with the humidor, it has been suggested I move over to Boveda humi packets which I have a box en route, but what about the temp?
It has also been suggested I upgrade to a wineador.
Any thing I can do in the near term?
Thanks
Tom

PS Hope this is posted in the right place.

 

[mdwest]

Without AC in the house.. I am definitely going to recommend the wineador route.. or anything else that has the ability to cool your stash for you..

bovedas should help you with keeping your RH stable..

but you absolutely need to do something about the heat..