- Joined
- Aug 18, 2012
- Messages
- 70
After lots of reading, planning, figuring stuff out and with the help of some great BOTL's (thanks GolfNut) my wineidor has been online and holding cigars for a few weeks.
Some of the discussions that puzzled me at first surrounded the almost universal belief that only TE coolers make suitable winedors. My intention here is not to start a flame war but open up the topic for examination. Using a combination of Johnson Controls for temperature control, cigar oasis xl, and heartfelt humidity beads I put together a compressor based wineidor that holds steady numbers. The wine cooler is a 34 bottle with Frigidaire branding.
Living in south Texas, a TE cooler has limited application where the ambient temperature will often be greater than 20 degrees of my desired setting. Using the compressor based system, the wineidor could be setup in a garage or outbuilding and still maintain acceptable temperatures during the hot summer months.
To measure the temperature and humidity levels I'm using a remote read thermometer/hygrometer from Meade Instruments along with 3 additional digital hygrometers placed throughout the cabinet. I don't have the instrumentation to scientifically monitor the levels on a constant basis. However, through casual observation and by relying on the High/Low recording function of the Meade device it appears that temperature and humidity levels stay within 3 points +/- of 67/67. More importantly, the cigars are smoking well, and I've not seen signs of humidity related damage thus far.
I would like to hear experiences from my BOTL. Why is there such a strong belief that only TE coolers can be used for Wineidors? What experiences have you had to support other viewpoints?
forty
Some of the discussions that puzzled me at first surrounded the almost universal belief that only TE coolers make suitable winedors. My intention here is not to start a flame war but open up the topic for examination. Using a combination of Johnson Controls for temperature control, cigar oasis xl, and heartfelt humidity beads I put together a compressor based wineidor that holds steady numbers. The wine cooler is a 34 bottle with Frigidaire branding.
Living in south Texas, a TE cooler has limited application where the ambient temperature will often be greater than 20 degrees of my desired setting. Using the compressor based system, the wineidor could be setup in a garage or outbuilding and still maintain acceptable temperatures during the hot summer months.
To measure the temperature and humidity levels I'm using a remote read thermometer/hygrometer from Meade Instruments along with 3 additional digital hygrometers placed throughout the cabinet. I don't have the instrumentation to scientifically monitor the levels on a constant basis. However, through casual observation and by relying on the High/Low recording function of the Meade device it appears that temperature and humidity levels stay within 3 points +/- of 67/67. More importantly, the cigars are smoking well, and I've not seen signs of humidity related damage thus far.
I would like to hear experiences from my BOTL. Why is there such a strong belief that only TE coolers can be used for Wineidors? What experiences have you had to support other viewpoints?
forty
) to bring DOWN the relative humidity levels and temperature faster than thermoelectric; I would throw in a pound or two of humi beads to stabilize