Vino Storage Conundrum

[KPP]

So, my drawers from Chasidor arrived today....and they look awesome. As virtually everyone has said, they were undoubtedly worth the wait (i'll post a pic of the finished product here at some point).


My dilemma is......the Vino held more boxes without 4 double drawers in it (not a surprise), and it was full. I've got about 4 boxes or so in a tupperdor that I wasn't using, but had to leave some of the boxes in my Vino w/ the new shelves/drawers installed. I've got 2 dishes of distilled water sitting in the drawer on the top and the drawer on the bottom to season the wood...but I had to leave another 5 or so boxes in there as I have nowhere else to put em'.

Will that be an issue? I've got my 1 lb of beads in my tupperdor, and I also left my other 1 lb of beads in the Vino w/ the 2 dishes of distilled water.

I suppose another question would be, will the beads be the thing absorbing all the moisture, or will the cedar get what it needs simultaneously, along with the beads??


Any and all advice (including witty repartee) is welcomed.

 

[Jfire]

The beads in the vino should keep the boxes humidified in there. Is that the question?

 

[KPP]

The beads in the vino should keep the boxes humidified in there. Is that the question?

yeah....in essence.

I guess I'm concerned about having cigars in my Vino along w/ 2 dishes of distilled water. Seemed a bit "off" as my capacity issues were coming to fruition before my eyes....and while I was putting them in there figured I should ask the experts.

 

[PLUSH]

both the beads and the cedar from the new drawers will absorb the water, the beads more quickly, you'll be fine. You should expect some lower rh off they bat but in the end it will stabilize, not to worry.

 

[KPP]

both the beads and the cedar from the new drawers will absorb the water, the beads more quickly, you'll be fine. You should expect some lower rh off they bat but in the end it will stabilize, not to worry.

Thanks....I had a hunch that might be the case, but I didn't want to take chances w/ the smokes I had to leave in there.


Next question is how long should it take for the 4 double drawers and 2 cedar shelves to become seasoned??

A couple weeks, a month? I know there's no exact timeframe per se, but thought some of you who've done this before myself, might have a decent idea.

 

[Headbanger]

Don't worry about them being seasoned too much. The beads will do there thing, keep an eye more closely on those and add water when needed. Slow and steady is the best.

 

[PLUSH]

If you want you can also speed up the process like you would a small desktop humi. Get a sponge and wipe them down with distilled water. Then put your hygro up there to see where you are at after a couple of days. If you have enough beads in there it should regulate nicely.

 

[pfm721]

I didn't season the drawers and everything turned out fine with just the beads in there. Kept an eye on the hygro when drawers added and put a dish with distilled water in there any time humidty got low. Almost never have to add water now.

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

If you want you can also speed up the process like you would a small desktop humi. Get a sponge and wipe them down with distilled water. Then put your hygro up there to see where you are at after a couple of days. If you have enough beads in there it should regulate nicely.

I'm definately in agreement with Brian on this one.

 

[Jfire]

I misted all my drawers when they came in. Went like this. Mist let sit a few mins. Repeat. After a few mistings I was satisfied let the drawers dry a little on the surface and stocked them. Vino regulated in less then a day.

 

[bodia]

I did the light sponge wipe on mine, but also had tubes of 65% beads for each drawer. I let them sit for a week before I put my sticks in. Probably could have done it sooner though. I also have 1 lb of beads in the wine cooler, and left 2 small dishes of DW in the cooler for about a month. Haven't had to touch the bead tubes since I put them in, which was about 6 weeks ago.

 

[giantstogie]

Well maybe i am waiting to long. I have had my drawers for 3 weeks and i have not put sticks in it yet. i had 3 cups of distilled water and 2 1/2 pounds of beads it it. the problem i am having is the top is right on 65% the bottom is at 74%. I have used a brovida pack and calibrated my hydros and even swithched the hydros top to bottom and still have the problem. I just put a computer fan in the bottom late yesterday on a timer and will have to see what difference that makes. I am running the edgestar all the time at its warmest setting. I am ordering the temp controller today.

 

[giantstogie]

Ok just checked the edgestar. I forgot that I unplugged it last night. It is sitting at 73% top and bottom and 72 degrees. Oh yeah, I have got six drawers in it.

 

[gentimmy]

I wanna see pictures of your setup!

 

[earnold25]

from ChasDen himself:

All the cedar I use is stored in a downstairs utility room with a RH of around 60%.
I keep the wood in there at all times until it is time to cut it. I do this for several reasons.
A) I want it to be as close to its intended moisture content so it doesn’t shrink or swell too much.
B) Hopefully this lessens the seasoning time needed.

Although the trays are not wrapped in an airtight wrapper, they are wrapped up pretty good. So they should be pretty close to the moisture content we are looking for. I would suggest you only wipe them down with damp rag or sponge of distilled water. Your trays are slotted and have no tops so there will be plenty of air flow around the wood. Place them in the cooler and if needed add some extra moisture to be absorbed by the trays and beads.

Just watch it over the first week and remove the added moisture when things stabilize.

Chas

 

[PLUSH]

Ok just checked the edgestar. I forgot that I unplugged it last night. It is sitting at 73% top and bottom and 72 degrees. Oh yeah, I have got six drawers in it.

This is an issue with these, at least on my new Avanti, my older one did not have this problem. I think it has to do with a change in the technology. Rh in higher from the condensation, I have a 1 1/2 beads down there. Rh would be 75+ on the bottom and 65% at top. This is why I am using the top part of on old Hydra fan to keep the air moving up.

 

[veeref]

Well maybe i am waiting to long. I have had my drawers for 3 weeks and i have not put sticks in it yet. i had 3 cups of distilled water and 2 1/2 pounds of beads it it. the problem i am having is the top is right on 65% the bottom is at 74%. I have used a brovida pack and calibrated my hydros and even swithched the hydros top to bottom and still have the problem. I just put a computer fan in the bottom late yesterday on a timer and will have to see what difference that makes. I am running the edgestar all the time at its warmest setting. I am ordering the temp controller today.

3 weeks seems like plenty. I think you can load it up!