Storage at 75 degrees. How at risk am I...

[skullnbones]

So the little 8 bottle wine cooler that I was using for storage just took a sh*t on me. Something happened to the controls and it will not maintain a constant temp anymore. I've seen it everywhere from 55 to 78 over the past couple of days. I've unplugged it and moved my stash to an old mini fridge I had planned on using but didn't because I can't get the temp in it lower than 75. Living in AZ I typically keep my house around 82 in the summer when I'm not home, anything lower and I face $300+ electric bills in the summer. I've got the mini fridge in a closet under my staircase which seems to be the coolest spot in my house. But I still don't like the idea of storing my collection at 75 degrees for a long period of time. I've got 2lbs. of KL in there and the rh has been steady at 67. One thought of mine was to turn the fridge (not thermoelectric) on to the warmest temp setting and add more KL as needed.

What are your thoughts?
How at risk am I for beetles?
What other damage can be caused from storing at 67rh/75*
What damage could a non thermoelectric refrigerator do?

 

[SurpriseMVP]

I face the same issues as you living in the West Valley 100 degrees today and expensive electric bills.
Yes you are at risk for beetles. Simple solution is to freeze.
Non Thermoelectric removes humidity. Think of the ice build up in your freezer. You'll end up with puddles of water in the bottom of the fridge.
I used to just keep cigars in a humidor until my collection reached a point where a beetle attack would devistate me. I know use 3 thermoelectric wine coolers. Not sure what long term higher temps do as far as aging. I'm far from an expert and just a enthusiast.

 

[StogieNinja]

I think you probably want to obtain a new wineador. Check Craigslist, they pop up relatively cheaply all the time.

At 75*, you're definitely at risk, but freezing properly should protect you against any kind of beetle issues.

That's the only real problem with storing at 75* as long as the relative rH is proper. The largest issue, provided you froze, would not be storing at a constant 75*, but rather any kind of temp swings.

It's actually entirely possible to use a non-thermoelectric unit as a wineador, but you have to have a lot more media in there to compensate. I know a number of guys who do it and it works just fine, but they tend to live in more mild climates,

If you mean you want to just put your entire wineador inside the fridge, as long as the wineador seals properly, you'll be able to maintain an appropriate internal rH, and if the fridge can be turned up high enough you could theoretically do that just fine.

My advice: Just get another thermometric wine cooler. All the benefits, none of the problems.

 

[danthebugman]

I don't know if it's a solution for you, but when the temps get warm I place my cigars in the closet where our central heating/ac unit is. We keep the house around 75-80, but inside the closet it stays around 65-70.

Dan

 

[Jaricon]

Thought of using an ETC (http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Controls-Digital-Thermostat-Control/dp/B00368D6JA/ref=pd_cp_hi_0) or the like to control the wonky settings of the fridges?
Using one of those would also help with the RH sucking of non thermoelectric units by keeping them from running quite as much.

PS The link was a quick grab. not best option or price

 

[Cigary43]

I have friends who live in Scottsdale and they talk about the same type of issue you have...temperature. It's the relative humidity that you really want to keep an eye on and cigars survive at temperatures as high as 80 but you need to bring the RH down to compensate for that much of a difference. Trying to cool off your whole house to compensate for keeping your cigars at just the right environment can be expensive and that is when wineadors are worth their weight in gold providing it's big enough to sustain your collection. One friend put his collection in one of his smaller bedrooms with a portable A/C to keep that room at 76 degrees and has a timer on it as well as temperature controls that will have it kick on if it gets higher than the specified environment. It didn't really cost him that much to run it...10,000BTU unit only raised his energy bill in the summer by $25 and that is totally worth it esp. when one cigar can run that much. KL was something else he used to help maintain the RH and it's been working like a dream for the last 2 years. Beads will work as well so whatever media one wants to use this can be a short term fix if you don't want to lay out that much cash for another wineador.

 

[Constantine]

I have friends who live in Scottsdale and they talk about the same type of issue you have...temperature. It's the relative humidity that you really want to keep an eye on and cigars survive at temperatures as high as 80 but you need to bring the RH down to compensate for that much of a difference. Trying to cool off your whole house to compensate for keeping your cigars at just the right environment can be expensive and that is when wineadors are worth their weight in gold providing it's big enough to sustain your collection. One friend put his collection in one of his smaller bedrooms with a portable A/C to keep that room at 76 degrees and has a timer on it as well as temperature controls that will have it kick on if it gets higher than the specified environment. It didn't really cost him that much to run it...10,000BTU unit only raised his energy bill in the summer by $25 and that is totally worth it esp. when one cigar can run that much. KL was something else he used to help maintain the RH and it's been working like a dream for the last 2 years. Beads will work as well so whatever media one wants to use this can be a short term fix if you don't want to lay out that much cash for another wineador.

The Cigary has spoken.

 

[Chief StrongLeaf]

temp swings are an issue, not only for hummi control, but mainly for consistency of the cellular structure of the tobacco its self. Expanding and contracting cant be good for long term storage...just a newbies thoughts but, it will probably ring true to your gut's intict? Not sure how this may effect taste or what not, but it cant be beneficial.
I looked and came up a bit short on my google skills a few months ago...most answers where from people in Alaska dealing with the reverse of this issue.
I chimed in giving my $.02, mainly shooting from the hip, to hopefully propel the conversation, not so much to act like I know the answer...am curious my self, as my apt. swings dramatically and can get up above 90. wouldn't hurt splurging for a thermo just for the peace of mind. Good luck, brother

 

[Jfire]

It was gods way of saying go to Craigslist and get a used 28ct Vinotemp for 100 bucks or less. Btw I am speculating but most smaller count winodors probably have less insulation around the shell so they kick on more and result in faster failure rates.

 

[Evan]

It breaks my heart, but I had a Vinotemp crap out on me. It was a used model from Craigslist, but aesthetically it was in great shape. I had it for roughly 8 months before it quit working. I emailed Vinotemp and they said I could buy a replacement control board for $50, but they weren't 100% sure if it would fix the problem. Not very reassuring.
Currently I have my eye on a Cuisinart model on Craigslist for the same price.
Not sure what the right move is.

I am in no way advising against Vinotemp, but I was very let down when mine stopped working. I know lots of people have them and are extremely happy, but I don't know if I'll go back to them.

 

[SurpriseMVP]

It breaks my heart, but I had a Vinotemp crap out on me. It was a used model from Craigslist, but aesthetically it was in great shape. I had it for roughly 8 months before it quit working. I emailed Vinotemp and they said I could buy a replacement control board for $50, but they weren't 100% sure if it would fix the problem. Not very reassuring.
Currently I have my eye on a Cuisinart model on Craigslist for the same price.
Not sure what the right move is.

I am in no way advising against Vinotemp, but I was very let down when mine stopped working. I know lots of people have them and are extremely happy, but I don't know if I'll go back to them.

Love my Cuisinarts. Good luck



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Constantine]

It breaks my heart, but I had a Vinotemp crap out on me. It was a used model from Craigslist, but aesthetically it was in great shape. I had it for roughly 8 months before it quit working. I emailed Vinotemp and they said I could buy a replacement control board for $50, but they weren't 100% sure if it would fix the problem. Not very reassuring.
Currently I have my eye on a Cuisinart model on Craigslist for the same price.
Not sure what the right move is.

I am in no way advising against Vinotemp, but I was very let down when mine stopped working. I know lots of people have them and are extremely happy, but I don't know if I'll go back to them.

Hmm, It could be anything that caused it to stop working. But If you still have it, I would try replacing the thermoelectric plate. They are actually pretty cheap on amazon and are moderately easy to replace. Here is a video, it may be a bit different on your model.

[video=youtube;KBhVS7GhCOM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBhVS7GhCOM[/video]

 

[skullnbones]

I have friends who live in Scottsdale and they talk about the same type of issue you have...temperature. It's the relative humidity that you really want to keep an eye on and cigars survive at temperatures as high as 80 but you need to bring the RH down to compensate for that much of a difference. Trying to cool off your whole house to compensate for keeping your cigars at just the right environment can be expensive and that is when wineadors are worth their weight in gold providing it's big enough to sustain your collection. One friend put his collection in one of his smaller bedrooms with a portable A/C to keep that room at 76 degrees and has a timer on it as well as temperature controls that will have it kick on if it gets higher than the specified environment. It didn't really cost him that much to run it...10,000BTU unit only raised his energy bill in the summer by $25 and that is totally worth it esp. when one cigar can run that much. KL was something else he used to help maintain the RH and it's been working like a dream for the last 2 years. Beads will work as well so whatever media one wants to use this can be a short term fix if you don't want to lay out that much cash for another wineador.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to freeze them just to make sure I don't have a beetle problem until I figure out a permanent solution. I've had my eye on craigslist for a while but there hasn't been much worth looking at.

Cigary, I like the idea of the portable A/C unit. The room I have my cigars in is only about 5x5 so it wouldn't take much to cool. Also, how far do you recommend I lower the rh to compensate for the temp? 63ish?

 

[Alwayslit]

The portable should be a good solution.

 

[Cigary43]

I have friends who live in Scottsdale and they talk about the same type of issue you have...temperature. It's the relative humidity that you really want to keep an eye on and cigars survive at temperatures as high as 80 but you need to bring the RH down to compensate for that much of a difference. Trying to cool off your whole house to compensate for keeping your cigars at just the right environment can be expensive and that is when wineadors are worth their weight in gold providing it's big enough to sustain your collection. One friend put his collection in one of his smaller bedrooms with a portable A/C to keep that room at 76 degrees and has a timer on it as well as temperature controls that will have it kick on if it gets higher than the specified environment. It didn't really cost him that much to run it...10,000BTU unit only raised his energy bill in the summer by $25 and that is totally worth it esp. when one cigar can run that much. KL was something else he used to help maintain the RH and it's been working like a dream for the last 2 years. Beads will work as well so whatever media one wants to use this can be a short term fix if you don't want to lay out that much cash for another wineador.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to freeze them just to make sure I don't have a beetle problem until I figure out a permanent solution. I've had my eye on craigslist for a while but there hasn't been much worth looking at.

Cigary, I like the idea of the portable A/C unit. The room I have my cigars in is only about 5x5 so it wouldn't take much to cool. Also, how far do you recommend I lower the rh to compensate for the temp? 63ish?

60 - 65 will be fine. I have a Danby Premiere 12K BTU that I use in our Master Bedroom during the summer. Even though we have zoned heating and cooling it's not smart to run the AC for just one room so I bought this one. Our MB is pretty large (600 sq. feet) and it keeps our bedroom nice and cool all night and our energy bill dropped like 60%. I did a lot of research on this brand and I can see why people like it...for the size you are talking about you would only need a small one...but the smallest size one is 9K BTU...you might want to put that in your bedroom and put your cigars in your closet. Might as well sleep nice and cool with a portable instead of running your regular AC...you will save a ton of money.

 

[StogieNinja]

I am in no way advising against Vinotemp, but I was very let down when mine stopped working. I know lots of people have them and are extremely happy, but I don't know if I'll go back to them.

I've heard this complaint across most thermoelectric wine coolers. They're all made with the cheapest parts available, and will eventually crap out. When is a total crap shoot. Vinotemp is more expensive, but not any better than other brands, AFAIK. I know they're notorious for crappy service, and charging you out the ying-yang for parts if something does break.

I'd never pay full price for one, but I got both of mine on Craigslist, and both so far work like a charm.

 

[Jfire]

2 things.
-Evans vinotemp was used from Craigslist and he's disappointed that it failed.
When was it built? How long was it used before being sold? How many hours of run time were on it?
And I've heard the very opposite about vinotemp and their longevity the last few years of being here. A few guys units here still run since 08 or earlier fwiw compared to other brands.

 

[Jfire]

Also for a 50 dollar repair 25s thread on rebuilding a vinotemp to a like new running unit cant be overlooked.