Many of the experienced brothers here recommend an RH of 62-65%. I use kitty litter in my winador and it works amazing. It holds it at 69% and I add a spritz of water about 4 times per year. It is incredibly stable and worry free. I assume that this is the natural RH that this KL wants to stay at. My cigars smoke fine and I have no complaints but if I wanted to lower my RH I'm not sure how to do it if I want to stick with KL. Any ideas?
How to lower RH when using KL ?
- Thread starter Bruce T.
- Start date
Then why change it? Other brothers do things for their personal preference. Those things may not be the same as what your palate might prefer. Try getting a hold of a small 62, and 65 boveda packs. Experiment with those on a couple cigars, and see if you actually like them better at those lower RHs before upending your current system.
As far as getting KL to those lower levels, I’m really not sure. I would probably put some fresh KL in a sealed container with a hygrometer and see where it’s at. Then slowly add DW until I got it where I wanted. Then replace the old KL with the new stuff in your humi. That has to be easier than trying to lower your current KL in your humidor, and since KL is dirt cheap, not a big loss.
I've dumped my silica ( crystal) KL on a paper plate. I Microwave ( an amount that covers the bottom of the plate , 12 oz? ) for 60 seconds. Take it out and stir it with a clean spoon.
It may feel cold to the touch, but use the spoon because the minute you disturb it steam will evap off. This is the moisture escaping. Stir until it cools down. Replace back in humidor.
In my personal experience, fresh or retreated silica KL holds RH at 65% every time. .. If you do not add distilled water.
It may feel cold to the touch, but use the spoon because the minute you disturb it steam will evap off. This is the moisture escaping. Stir until it cools down. Replace back in humidor.
In my personal experience, fresh or retreated silica KL holds RH at 65% every time. .. If you do not add distilled water.
In response....
Why change if I'm happy? That's very true. I guess I just want to find out what I might be missing. I assumed that my KL would always try to equalize at 69% but maybe I just have to dry it out like you guys suggested. I'll try the ideas put and see what happens. Thanks.
Why change if I'm happy? That's very true. I guess I just want to find out what I might be missing. I assumed that my KL would always try to equalize at 69% but maybe I just have to dry it out like you guys suggested. I'll try the ideas put and see what happens. Thanks.
I use KL as a sort of buffer. Have about a dozen 65% Bovedas scattered throughout my wineador, and a tray of KL at the very bottom. I keep an eye on the bovedas and when I notice them looking a little flat, I spray some DW on the KL and that's it. The KL recharges the bovedas for me, and my RH stays about 65-66 even in the few days after spraying.
Had the same bovedas in there for a year, and they look/feel new.
Had the same bovedas in there for a year, and they look/feel new.
It sounds like a good idea but it does reinforce my belief that KL has a natural RH environment of around 69%. That is why the KL is recharging your Bovedas. If the KL kept the environment at 65% like the Bovedas then they would not be releasing moisture into the air for the Bovedas to absorb. That doesn't mean it's not a good idea. It does give a long life to the Bovedas. I would think that if you had too much KL then the Bovedas would not be able to absorb fast enough and the RH would creep up. I'm just guessing at this.
You may be correct, as I don't consider myself an expert.
But my thought is that KL doesn't have a fixed point... It just moves to an equilibrium with its environment.
My environment is 65. When I spray the KL it is briefly higher. Say 70. It releases that moisture because it's now more wet than its surroundings. Eventually it gets back down to 65 as it fills the bovedas, and they keep it at 65. I have enough bovedas to absorb as fast as it releases, and good circulation, so my rh doesn't spike.
I think what the KL is doing for me is providing a simple way to charge my bovedas without rotating them in/out. It also provides a nice bit of surface area to release rh to level out spikes from opening and closing the door.
For your setup, you have your environment dialed in at 69, and you occasionally add water keep it that way.
But, maybe not. I'm guessing too.
Rupe
Suburban robot that monitors reality -BOM Feb.'13
From my experience, Kitty litter is around 60% right out of the bag.
If your RH gets a little high, my suggestion is to just add a little bit of KL from the bag and mix it together with the stuff that is currently in your humidor. This has worked for me in the past to bring the overall RH down in my coolers.
If your RH gets a little high, my suggestion is to just add a little bit of KL from the bag and mix it together with the stuff that is currently in your humidor. This has worked for me in the past to bring the overall RH down in my coolers.