Wade, have you thought off insulating the wires and connectors?
Damnit, Sap/Grease In Humidor?
- Thread starter Volusianator
- Start date
Is there any chance it's dielectric grease? That's most commonly used with high voltage applications like spark plugs, but can also be used as a lubricant when assembling electrical components.
Mark
Mark
The sticky substance is sap from spanish cedar. The source can be the cedar used in building the humidor or from cigar boxes that are made from cedar. It goes airborne & tends to collect on hard shiny surfaces like wires, plastic connectors, & metal surfaces. ie you will want to check the bearing surfaces of the ball bearing roller slides.
The solution is to clean affected parts with denatured alcohol--rubbing alcohol-lightly sand the wood surfaces after cleaning. If the slides are affected use a low or no odor lubricant like vaseline or a light weight oil.
Occasionally even the inside of a connector will accumulate sap,which in once instance caused a short--time for a replacement part. Never seen it accumulate on the inside of a control. The discoloration of the clear wire is from sap--it "dyes" the clear wire & makes it look like it has been "heated" from overload.
If the cedar used in building is the source, It usually bleeds out once or twice & that's it. If the source is cigar boxes, cleaning up will work until you get another few boxes with high sap content.
We rough cut cedar & sticker it for a period before using it. This tends to minimize/eliminate cedar bleeding out in most but not all cases. Once a humidor is out for a period of time & filled with boxes from various sources, it becomes difficult to pin point the source.
Cheers,
Bob Staebell
The solution is to clean affected parts with denatured alcohol--rubbing alcohol-lightly sand the wood surfaces after cleaning. If the slides are affected use a low or no odor lubricant like vaseline or a light weight oil.
Occasionally even the inside of a connector will accumulate sap,which in once instance caused a short--time for a replacement part. Never seen it accumulate on the inside of a control. The discoloration of the clear wire is from sap--it "dyes" the clear wire & makes it look like it has been "heated" from overload.
If the cedar used in building is the source, It usually bleeds out once or twice & that's it. If the source is cigar boxes, cleaning up will work until you get another few boxes with high sap content.
We rough cut cedar & sticker it for a period before using it. This tends to minimize/eliminate cedar bleeding out in most but not all cases. Once a humidor is out for a period of time & filled with boxes from various sources, it becomes difficult to pin point the source.
Cheers,
Bob Staebell
Volusianator
BoM Nov '07 & Jan '09
Hey Bob,
Thanks for stopping by, I had no idea you were even a member here. As always I trust your judgment completely and appreciate your expertise. I was pretty certain that the wires were not under to much load as Ron had set my mind at ease with that and I'd inspected all the wiring after the system had run a cycle and the wires were still cool to the touch.
I'll get to cleaning those bleeding areas and see what happens as far as it's return. Bob, you are a true craftsman and your work inspired me to do my own humidor. Thanks for all the conversations we had during construction, I do appreciate it, smoke a good one!
Wade
Thanks for stopping by, I had no idea you were even a member here. As always I trust your judgment completely and appreciate your expertise. I was pretty certain that the wires were not under to much load as Ron had set my mind at ease with that and I'd inspected all the wiring after the system had run a cycle and the wires were still cool to the touch.
I'll get to cleaning those bleeding areas and see what happens as far as it's return. Bob, you are a true craftsman and your work inspired me to do my own humidor. Thanks for all the conversations we had during construction, I do appreciate it, smoke a good one!
Wade
Bigger is always better but with the low voltage I doubt it would solve the problem.
Edited after reading Bob's response.
Volusianator
BoM Nov '07 & Jan '09
Naw, good thinkin', but it's in the basement, always at 63-66 degrees.
Volusianator
BoM Nov '07 & Jan '09
Agreed, Bob's thread put my mind at ease.
My cigars smoke great...final conclusion! :rofl::dunno:
Wade,
I saw this post and thought I'd comment. All wires I have seen on our Accummonitor systems in use look exactly like yours. The older the darker. I personally think it is a mixture of vaporized sap and oils from the cigars. I have to agree with White Lightning and say that I think the discoloration is coming more from cigars oils. The giveaway is the cello looking similar to the color of the wire. We have some systems that are installed in cabinets that don't have Spanish Cedar in them but are mahongany lined/shelves and they look the same color.
Temperature is definitely not the problem. The Accumonitor system is low voltage with low amp draw. We had a electrical engineer approve our wire size and we've never had an issue with overheating. We have had some problems with the connectors coming loose but I think it is just the nature of the small molex connectors. The will get caught on something(shelf etc.) and be pulled loose. The twist at the base of the connector is done by my wiring guy and has nothing to do with heat.
The release of sap is a complete mystery to me. I've heard all kind of causes/cures but have concluded it happens based on various circumstances. Moisture and temp I'm sure will cause wood to bleed as well as cutting or drilling the wood which opens up new areas of sap. The thicker the wood the more available sap to ooze.
My conclusion is it's going to get a little nasty inside with all the oils and sap being moved around with the fans/humidifiers. I actually think it's a testament to how good the circulation is in our cabinets. All the wires will look exactly the same color meaning what ever it is it is being distributed evenly
I saw this post and thought I'd comment. All wires I have seen on our Accummonitor systems in use look exactly like yours. The older the darker. I personally think it is a mixture of vaporized sap and oils from the cigars. I have to agree with White Lightning and say that I think the discoloration is coming more from cigars oils. The giveaway is the cello looking similar to the color of the wire. We have some systems that are installed in cabinets that don't have Spanish Cedar in them but are mahongany lined/shelves and they look the same color.
Temperature is definitely not the problem. The Accumonitor system is low voltage with low amp draw. We had a electrical engineer approve our wire size and we've never had an issue with overheating. We have had some problems with the connectors coming loose but I think it is just the nature of the small molex connectors. The will get caught on something(shelf etc.) and be pulled loose. The twist at the base of the connector is done by my wiring guy and has nothing to do with heat.
The release of sap is a complete mystery to me. I've heard all kind of causes/cures but have concluded it happens based on various circumstances. Moisture and temp I'm sure will cause wood to bleed as well as cutting or drilling the wood which opens up new areas of sap. The thicker the wood the more available sap to ooze.
My conclusion is it's going to get a little nasty inside with all the oils and sap being moved around with the fans/humidifiers. I actually think it's a testament to how good the circulation is in our cabinets. All the wires will look exactly the same color meaning what ever it is it is being distributed evenly
Volusianator
BoM Nov '07 & Jan '09
Well, the cedar is 3/8 thick on the walls and ceiling, and 3/4 on the floor! So I guess that would help explain it as well.
:halfgrinw I built that cabinet!
Matt, thanks for chiming in, I am much more comfortable after reading all the explanations and Ron had gotten me comfy on the fact that the wires were not overheating. The humidor maintains a rock steady 65%rh on top and 64% on the bottom, so I'm digging things now!