Did my humidor quit on me?
- Thread starter Pipefighter572
- Start date
As said it's due to the winter, Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air so during the winter the relative humidity is lower. So when you turn on the heater the air warms up and is able to absorb more moisture so it absorbs it from the surroundings this is the reason why dry skin is such a problem during the winter. Solution has already been said add an extra boveda pack and you should be good. that's why i like to reseason my desktop humi at the start of winter has helped then again im in California doesn't get that cold here during the winters but my mom loves to crank the heater.
Update on my situation....
Winter has finally come to middle Tennessee and is not letting up on my desktop humidor. I have a total of 5 large 69 boveda in there( and one of the little ones). It's still reading 61-63 Rh. That's not the end of the world from what I gather, but the last 3 I have got out of there have cracked while smoking. Tonight my Tennessee waltz suffered a 3/4 inch split while sitting in the garage. This is unacceptable. Looks like I'll be getting a cooler this weekend.
Winter has finally come to middle Tennessee and is not letting up on my desktop humidor. I have a total of 5 large 69 boveda in there( and one of the little ones). It's still reading 61-63 Rh. That's not the end of the world from what I gather, but the last 3 I have got out of there have cracked while smoking. Tonight my Tennessee waltz suffered a 3/4 inch split while sitting in the garage. This is unacceptable. Looks like I'll be getting a cooler this weekend.
Yeah, I am in the same boat. When the rh of the air is so low (mine is 20-30% in the house currently), my wooden humidors seem to lose moisture faster than boveda can release it. Boveda is great, but I suspect they are one of the slowest releasers (is that a word?) of moisture and just can't keep up. If you have a lot of extra bovedas you could probably get to a point of equilibrium, but for me I added some "water beads" I found on amazon in to the mix in a couple of places in mine. These are 1 way humidification, and wouldn't be great in a Tupperware or cooler kind of container where they would probably lead to way too much moisture, but they seem to help stabilize the 2 wooden humidors I have.
I did have a few of the little jars of beads in there, humi care, I believe...but I took them out for a couple of days and left them on the counter when I put the extra boveda in there. When I went to put them back in, I noticed that one of them had a little spot of mildew growing in it...... Never again. I threw them all away and ordered more boveda
I have heard the tales of mold or mildew on the propylene glycol gel or whatever the beads I bought are made of and know it's a risk, but I have them contained in some food storage containers in the boxes so if I do get any growth on them my cigars are not at risk. Plus I will replace them if I see anything growing too. I paid about $7 for the dry beads and the Amazon comments talked about that quantity making multiple 5 gallon buckets worth once hydrated, so I can pitch them if they go bad.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Wood humidors do what they do....they don't seal like tupperware so there is a small exchange as wood is porous...so in the winter there is a propensity for RH to be lower as dry air seeps into the humidor. If it's been over a couple of years I'd reseason it...just because it's preventive maintenance to do so...just like putting fresh batteries in your hygro once a year...or putting fresh batteries in your alarms, thermostats, etc.
Update on the wood humidor
Since the winter months are over here and the heat is pretty much turned off, I decided to give the wood humidor another shot,thinking I could get it back in shape to use for the next 9 months. I reseasoned it and threw in three 69% boveda packs for a few days. I then put about 50 yard gars in there and let it sit for a day...the next day it was sitting at 63%. So I put another 69 boveda in there. Two days later it was reading 62%.... What the hell? So I let her eat another 69 boveda, a little jar of humicare beads and a shot glass of dw. So five 69% boveda, a jar of beads and a shot glass of dw after 5 days only has it reading at 65%. 65% is what I am aiming for but if it takes that much humidity to get it there then I'm pretty sure this thing is toast. At least I will have a nice box for cutters and lighters.
Since the winter months are over here and the heat is pretty much turned off, I decided to give the wood humidor another shot,thinking I could get it back in shape to use for the next 9 months. I reseasoned it and threw in three 69% boveda packs for a few days. I then put about 50 yard gars in there and let it sit for a day...the next day it was sitting at 63%. So I put another 69 boveda in there. Two days later it was reading 62%.... What the hell? So I let her eat another 69 boveda, a little jar of humicare beads and a shot glass of dw. So five 69% boveda, a jar of beads and a shot glass of dw after 5 days only has it reading at 65%. 65% is what I am aiming for but if it takes that much humidity to get it there then I'm pretty sure this thing is toast. At least I will have a nice box for cutters and lighters.
Try putting a flashlight in the humidor and turning off the lights. I bought a bad sealed humidor and did that and found a weak spot in the seal. Bought some thin weather stripping and put it near the bad spot and from there it was good.