When I put an ice pack in coolidor, RH plummets

[11is1louder]

I'm going to apologize in advance because I'm pretty sure this issue has been talked about before

I'm new at this coolidor thing. I have a small 28 qt cooler with 3 cedar trays inside. I can keep the RH prefect, between 65%-70% by using dry kitty litter. The problem is that the temp is high, often between 75-80 degrees. When I put an ice pack inside to keep the temp down the RH falls to the 50's! What do I need to do??

 

[Burning Man]

I had the same problem and I found two different solutions thanks to a previous thread that I couldn't locate.
1. I took the fan out of my cooler and the RH didn't drop as much. A brother here stated that you get condensation around the ice pack when you have a fan inside so taking it out solved the problem. I have Heartfelt beads which recover quickly so this worked for me but may not work for you as I don't know if you have a fan or how well the kitty litter does with a cooling agent.
2. I put the icepack on top of the cooler and placed a towel over the top and everything has been perfect since. I didn't want to sacrifice the air circulation provided by the fan so this was the easiest fix.
Hope this helps.
eace:

 

[ATL]

I have two coolers, one with heartfelt and one with kitty litter. Both are perfect because I keep them in the basement. Where are you keeping yours?

 

[11is1louder]

I live in a second story apt in southern cali, and it's starting to get in the 90's daily and when I'm not home I normally do not keep the AC on.

 

[ATL]

I live in a second story apt in southern cali, and it's starting to get in the 90's daily and when I'm not home I normally do not keep the AC on.

There's your problem. An icepack causes the humidity in the cooler to condensate. Can you close the vents in the apartment and keep one open in the room with the thermostat and then place the cooler in there? That way your not paying to keep the whole place cool. Or you could always invest in a wine fridge, just get the right type. I think it the thermoelectirc model, I think. A lot of guys with your problem have had great success with those and they can be had on the cheap lately.

 

[Zedman05]

Anything that cools, also takes humidity out of the air. I have never had this problem as I have a cold basement, but as far as others have posted, ice bags on the outside is a better option if possible.

 

[ATL]

http://www.compactappliance.com/EdgeStar-TWR282S-28-Bottle-Deluxe-Ultra-Capacity-Free-Standing-Wine-Cooler/TWR282SSD,default,pd.html

Here's your best bet. Jump on it while it lasts.

 

[Headbanger]

If the concern is to avoid cigar beetles hatching I suggest freezing the cigars to kill the potential beetle eggs and then no worries about the temps. Do some searches here to be sure freezing the smokes correctly.