Shilala Bead Group Buy

[blancohawke]

What is the most effective way to re-charge the beads? I currently have three 8 oz bags of beads and with the Edgestar unplugged my RH is around 78%. However when I plug in the unit the RH drops to 59%

What do I do? Since it is winter I do not leave the unit plugged in, however being in South Florida I am concerned about the low RH once I have to leave the Edgestar running.

I have tried to recharge the beads by placing several sponges soacked with distilled water in various contaners so the beads would recharge but again once I plug the unit in the rh drops to 59%

 

[CigarNut]

Do you have the drain plugged? If not, plug the drain and then put the beads in. It will take a while (sometimes up to two weeks) to reach equilibrum and stabilize.

 

[blancohawke]

Do you have the drain plugged? If not, plug the drain and then put the beads in. It will take a while (sometimes up to two weeks) to reach equilibrum and stabilize.

I have plugged the drain with tape just to experiment and the condensation leaks out of the back exterior of the cooler onto the floor.

The thing is the cooler holds rh at 78% when cooler is not plugged in so I dont see how the drain is the problem. The rh drops to 59% when the cooler is plugged in thats my problem so I dont know if i need more beads since the cooler temp is dropping rh.

Perhaps I need to install a ETC so the cooler does not run as much

I had the cooler turned onto warmest setting and the temp was only at 75 degrees which is fine except the rh dropped significantly to 59%

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[CigarNut]

Plug the drain with a rubber stopper or some putty. Put a flat plastic tray on the bottom up against the back to collect any condensation and then let it go for a bit. Your RH may spike or drop, but any humidor needs some time to reach equilibrum. As long as the drain is open you are letting outside air into your humidor and it will be difficult to maintain an RH.

Cigars are resiliant and this won't harm them in the long term as long as the temp does not get above the low 70's where beetles can become a problem.

 

[PLUSH]

I was moving my stock around thus moving my bags. One broke! Beads everywhere. I just picked it up and it came apart at the seam. Anyone else have this issue? Now to figure out what to do.

 

[dpricenator]

pantyhose

 

[CigarNut]

I'm sorry to hear that -- If you package it all up in a ziplock bag and send it back to me I will replace it.

I've tried hard to make sure that the bags are sealed well; it looks like I still have some work to do...

I was moving my stock around thus moving my bags. One broke! Beads everywhere. I just picked it up and it came apart at the seam. Anyone else have this issue? Now to figure out what to do.

 

[PLUSH]

It looks like you are using some kind of heat seal? I threw the bag away and just put them in some dishes right now. I will look for something to put them in as I know this is not the most efficient. Pantyhose are ok, but I would like something that looks nicer. Have you though about putting them in some kind of tubes?
maybe something like this?

http://www.wiremesh-py.com/old/wire-mesh-html/mesh-tubes-cylinders.html

they would certainly look cool.

 

[CigarNut]

Thank you for the suggestion; I have sent them an email asking for more information.

Both I and my predecessor have looked at different kinds of packaging. The beads are really small (< 1mm) so it is difficult to find something that will work. For example, the holes in panty hose are too large and the beads will leak out.

Most of the wire mesh solutions are much more expensive and sealing the ends on the tubes is also problematic (costly to do right) and the beads are already expensive enough.

I do use a (new) machine to "weld" the fabric. I recently switched to a more industrial sealer and things seem to be much better. Like I said, if you return the beads that you have I will give you another bag.

 

[Jwrussell]

Nut, I'm curious. Considering the way these seem to work, if I'm putting them in a high RH environment, even if they come preconditioned to 65%, won't the set-point change if it takes something like a week for them to bring everything into equilibrium? I mean, your instructions for raising the set-point are basically that exact situation, no?

 

[Angry Bill]

Panty hose, the fish filter bags used for aquariums works well too. But I haven't had any problems with mine..

 

[CigarNut]

Nut, I'm curious. Considering the way these seem to work, if I'm putting them in a high RH environment, even if they come preconditioned to 65%, won't the set-point change if it takes something like a week for them to bring everything into equilibrium? I mean, your instructions for raising the set-point are basically that exact situation, no?

It depends on the amount of beads and how much space you are trying to maintain. The HCM beads have a pretty high capacity for holding moisture. If you have seen the pictures, each bead is effectively a tiny sponge.

Putting a 2 or a 4 ounce bag in a largish humidor (say 20x18x12 inches) that is at 70% RH will certainly raise the RH of the beads, whereas putting a couple of 8 ounce bags in the same space would be fine.

Even at that, though if you used the 2 or 4 ounce bag for that space, reduced the RH of the beads when they got too high, they would eventually bring the RH of the humidor down. It would just take a long longer and the smaller amount of beads would not have as much capacity to buffer changes when adding new, wet cigars, or opening the humi alot.

 

[CigarNut]

Panty hose, the fish filter bags used for aquariums works well too. But I haven't had any problems with mine..

These bags will not work for HCM beads -- the beads are too small and the holes in these bags are too big...

 

[Jwrussell]

So in other words, if I'm understanding correctly, so long as you use the correct amount of beads for the space and the humidity isn't excessive (not sure what that would be: set-point + X% RH?), the beads shouldn't change their set-point.

I've always used the silica-type beads, so I'm not used to this "re-settable" RH% set-point.

 

[iCraig]

That's the understanding I'm getting from it.

I just ordered 8oz today for a new cooler and it seems that it's more or less "plug and play" (excuse the techy analogy). It'll work out the humidity itself.

 

[Jwrussell]

...it seems that it's more or less "plug and play" (excuse the techy analogy). It'll work out the humidity itself.

Well, that's where we differ I guess. To me it doesn't seem so plug 'n play to me since, if not handled correctly, you could change the RH of the beads to something you didn't actually want. That's why I'm trying to clarify the whole thing in my head. We deal with so many variables when trying to settle RH issues (is the Hygro calibrated, is the seal tight, is the temp stead, etc., etc., etc.) that I'm worried about adding another (did the set-point of your beads change?).

 

[iCraig]

Well, that's where we differ I guess. To me it doesn't seem so plug 'n play to me since, if not handled correctly, you could change the RH of the beads to something you didn't actually want. That's why I'm trying to clarify the whole thing in my head. We deal with so many variables when trying to settle RH issues (is the Hygro calibrated, is the seal tight, is the temp stead, etc., etc., etc.) that I'm worried about adding another (did the set-point of your beads change?).

Definitely a good point. Guess I'm just trusting them to do their job. We'll see when I get them in though.

 

[CigarNut]

Well, that's where we differ I guess. To me it doesn't seem so plug 'n play to me since, if not handled correctly, you could change the RH of the beads to something you didn't actually want. That's why I'm trying to clarify the whole thing in my head. We deal with so many variables when trying to settle RH issues (is the Hygro calibrated, is the seal tight, is the temp stead, etc., etc., etc.) that I'm worried about adding another (did the set-point of your beads change?).

HCM beads do not have a fixed set point. They come preset to 65%, but you can set them as high or low as you want.

Yes the RH of the beads can change over time. This is something that is easily checked -- just put the beads in a ZipLock with a hygrometer. You want the beads to absorb moisture from your wet cigars and you want them to give off moisture should your humidor become a little dry, say from frequent opening and closing or loose seals. While the HCM beads have a great capacity, that capacity is not infinte. The better your humidor seals, the longer the beads will last without needing to be recharged.

If you find that your HCM beads have changed -- your hygrometer showing that the RH of your humidor has changed -- you can reset them back to 65% or any RH that you desire. Changing the RH of the beads takes a little time, but it is not difficult to do.

HCM beads are not for everyone -- no product is -- if it fits your needs, great. Otherwise, there are many other choices out there for you, including such fine products as Heartfelt and Boveda.

 

[Jwrussell]

Thanks for the responses! I just wanted to get my head wrapped around how they worked. Didn't want it to come across as if I was criticizing.

 

[jebloom22]

Like others here, I also want to make the switch from the crystals/pg solution, but I'm still not convinced which is most practical. If there isn't a poll already, maybe I need to make one to see what people are most happy with between HCM/Shilala beads and Heartfelt beads. Can anyone identify the pros and cons of each in one place? I get the impression that they aren't the same.