Quick question: I just set up my first coolidor and was wondering if mold has the potential of being an issue. I am unable to regulate the temperature below 76-78 degrees and was wondering if this would pose a problem with the mold. Due to my location in MS, we don't have basements and I simply cannot afford to keep the house temp at 70. Will this be an issue? What can I do to prevent mold in the coolidor? Thanks!
Coolidor Mold Prevention
- Thread starter stroke
- Start date
on a side-note, I started with a small "Igloo ice cube" cooler and it was horrible. I could only put the cigars in the bottom and beads on top. I may have put too much water in the beads, but they started leaking and got on a few cigars 
I quickly switched to the chest cooler which I stood up and I'm in the process of making shelves. As for now, the few tupperware containers I got to put in there kind of hold themselves up in there till I can get the shelves worked out.
I quickly switched to the chest cooler which I stood up and I'm in the process of making shelves. As for now, the few tupperware containers I got to put in there kind of hold themselves up in there till I can get the shelves worked out.Yeah I think you're right, 25. Just want to make sure I'm ok. I asked a reliable brother lately about the temp being over 70 and he brought up a valid point: he said "I highly doubt the cigars are kept at 70 in the warehouses they make them in in Nicaragua, so you should be ok." I gotta agree with him on that point.
You know, before I bought my digital hygrometers after Christmas, I was NEVER aware of what temperature my humidors were sitting at. Since having them, I'm now aware that the temperature averages around 75 or 76. I have tried moving them around a few times, but refuse to put them on a air conditioning vent. I have been über-worried about the temperature. It's most likely that they have always sat around that temperature during the summer, all these years. So, I think the thermometer has just made me more aware. But I still have been worried about it. However, I have never (knocking on wood, now) had any beetle issues. So, are Stroke and I alright with our temps getting up to that reach???
i think the idea is that the potential for beetle hatching is lowered when cigars are in a controlled environment. everyone with controlled environments are really just taking precautions against beetle hatching. whether your cigars contain larvae that will mature in temperatures above 70° is really unknown. though there are some numbers out there that suggest all cigars contain dormant larvae.
if you want to be safe and protect what could potentially be thousands of dollars worth of cigars, controlled environments are a good solution. they cost less than a box of tatuajes and will protect your box of tatuajes for some time.
Jfire
BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
It takes one cigar w beetles to f up your whole day. After 74 degrees F I would be somewhat worried. At least extremely cautious.
I learned from experience that if you keep them in bags, even as groups of cigars or boxes in ziploc bags it helps. I lost the cap to my distilled water and made the dumb mistake of using it to hydrate my beads. I didn't have any problem up till then. The ones in the boxes with cedar (like cubans) got hit the worst with mold. The ones in individual bags didn't get hit at all, and the ones that were bagged together didn't get much either. I am guessing its because mold spores are airborne.
Just to give you a little info on my situation for whatever value that would be to you. I've got four 120 qt coolers set up like this....
two coolers full of boxes & cabs tetrised as tight and full as I can get them
one cooler half full of boxes and about half of the remaining space with singles in baggies
one with four cedar trays of singles and then the rest of the space full of singles in baggies
All of them are running beads keeping the RH at 65%. We keep the inside of the house at about 74-75 deg which is plenty cool and comfortable here. To be honest I've never paid much attention to the temp on my hygros but after reading this thread I just checked out of curiosity. I've got one of these in my desktop and one of these in each cooler. All of them have been checked (RH wise) with a Boveda calibration pack. All of them are showing either 76 or 77 deg. Who knows if they are spot on accurate as far as temp goes. Not sure how the inside of the cooler could be warmer than the temp outside of them! They have been set up like this for the last 4-5 years and I have never had a problem with mold or beetles.
As far as the beads go, you don't need near as much distilled water as you would think to properly hydrate them. For 1/2 pound of beads you don't need but about 10-15 ml (about a tablespoons) and for 1 pound of beads you only need 25-30 ml (about two tablespoons) of water. I have all of my beads in nylon hose and have never had an instance where I added water and then had water leak out of the beads. I always re-hydrate them and put them right back in the cooler. How often you would need to re-hydrate them will largely be depended on how full your cooler is. When you get that many cigars and that much cedar (boxes) at a set RH, the environment really stays pretty stable. I only add water to my beads probably every 1 1/2 to 2 months
two coolers full of boxes & cabs tetrised as tight and full as I can get them
one cooler half full of boxes and about half of the remaining space with singles in baggies
one with four cedar trays of singles and then the rest of the space full of singles in baggies
All of them are running beads keeping the RH at 65%. We keep the inside of the house at about 74-75 deg which is plenty cool and comfortable here. To be honest I've never paid much attention to the temp on my hygros but after reading this thread I just checked out of curiosity. I've got one of these in my desktop and one of these in each cooler. All of them have been checked (RH wise) with a Boveda calibration pack. All of them are showing either 76 or 77 deg. Who knows if they are spot on accurate as far as temp goes. Not sure how the inside of the cooler could be warmer than the temp outside of them! They have been set up like this for the last 4-5 years and I have never had a problem with mold or beetles.
As far as the beads go, you don't need near as much distilled water as you would think to properly hydrate them. For 1/2 pound of beads you don't need but about 10-15 ml (about a tablespoons) and for 1 pound of beads you only need 25-30 ml (about two tablespoons) of water. I have all of my beads in nylon hose and have never had an instance where I added water and then had water leak out of the beads. I always re-hydrate them and put them right back in the cooler. How often you would need to re-hydrate them will largely be depended on how full your cooler is. When you get that many cigars and that much cedar (boxes) at a set RH, the environment really stays pretty stable. I only add water to my beads probably every 1 1/2 to 2 months
X 2 Yikes!
boomerd35
Living La Vida Smoka
I have 2 large dry boxes that seal up tighter than any humidor I've ever seen. And I also keep my house temp 74-75. The only mold issues I've ever had are with tubos and coffins (Liberty, etc). Those enclosures seem to increase the chances for mold.
How do you have the beads packaged? if they are in an open tupperaware container spray bottle is the best way to go. if you have them in the tubes or bags the best way i found is to dampen a rag (not dripping wet) with distilled water wrap it around the beads long enough for them to rehydrate, around 15 min for me. and bam your good to goHow do yall recharge your beads, with a spray bottle? I have something like the pic on here. I took the straw off and I drop the water on there. Maybe this is causing too much to come out?
I use a small fine tipped 2 ounce squirt bottle that I got from Heartfelt quite a while back. I was going to post a link but it looks like he discontinued those (they did tend to leak around the cap if squeezed to hard) with this fine tipped syringe. No more water than you actually need something small like this is all you need.
I use a similar set up in my 300 count humi. Bought a cheap spray bottle it it made hydrating the beads a lot easier. As far as temp, I had 4 180 quat colemans, two with 65% beads and two with Kitty Little beads (yeah, yeah). I live by the beach and it rarely get above 75 in the house. I had one out break when the temp got up to 80 in one cooledor. I started throwing a blue ice pak in them on hot days. Works great. Now I have a cabinet that has an external cooling system that I use on the few hot days. Biggest issue is fluctuations. Cigars hate rapids change. Good luck.