Humidor help

khyers

Recently the humidity in my humidor dropped to 58% - 60%. I think it is because it has become very cold and dry in my area (just outside philly). Last weekend it warmed up and was rainy and the humidity rose to around 64% - 65% but dropped again Monday when the rain stopped and the temp dropped to around 20 degrees. I have forced air heat and keep the house around 68 degrees The humidor is a 75% stocked 100 count humidor: http://www.cigarsinternational.com/prodDisp.asp?item=M-PR100&cat=10 I use one crystal gel jar for humidification. What do I do, will a second jar for humidification help?

undulac

There really isn't anything you can do this time a year unless you get more beads/gel for the humi. If you use those, there really isn't a way to put too much in to an extent. Also, my humi always drops to about 60% this time a year and the more beads/pillows I put in really won't make the much of a difference and they're still fine. The humiidity may cause you cigar burn a little quicker, but won't hurt them. If it keeps dropping and gets below 55%, you may want to put them in a zip lock back or tupperware with a tight seal for the winter. Just keep an eye on the % because it could get to about 75%. Open the lid or unlock the bag every few days for a few minutes just to circulate the air.

The Sniper

Well, there are a few things you can do my friend. And just to let you know, you arent the only one to deal with issues like this. Here in Missouri, I fight to keep my humidity DOWN all summer, then turn around and fight to keep it UP all winter. (PS: let the witty one-liners about ol Sniper fighting to keep it up begin... NOW! LOL)

First, yes - adding more humidification will definitely help, especially if you've got the space in your humi. However, if you're like 90% of us schmoes on here, you probably cant spare a bunch of room. So here's some other ideas I have picked up...

- When you get online cigar orders, toss the humidification pillows in your humi... depending on the size of your humi, could be worth 2 or 3 RH points.

- You mentioned you are using a crystal gel jar... what are you using to refill it? 70/70 solution will tend to bring your RH a bit lower believe it or not. Through the winter months, use distilled water instead. That could also buy you a point or two.

- Where in your house do you keep your humi? Make sure its not A) near any heating vents or near any exterior walls. Either will drag your RH down.

Other than that, the best advice I can give you is an active humidification system - which is sort of overkill for a humidor your size IMHO. Of course, you could justify an active system by purchasing a much larger humidor... which you're going to need soon anyway, right? :-D

Good luck, hope some of this helps.

khyers

Thanks for the help guys. I added a second jar of the crystal gel stuff. As for the the other recommendations I have no place that is both - a. not near a cold wall or b. near a vent. so I put it in the bottom of my entertainment center which has a closing glass door (can still see the humidity reading). I'm figuring that the additional door will stop the dry air from blowing across the humidor. again thanks for the info.

laker1963

khyers:

Thanks for the help guys. I added a second jar of the crystal gel stuff. As for the the other recommendations I have no place that is both - a. not near a cold wall or b. near a vent. so I put it in the bottom of my entertainment center which has a closing glass door (can still see the humidity reading). I'm figuring that the additional door will stop the dry air from blowing across the humidor. again thanks for the info.

Good idea. In fact if you have any humi pillows lying around (we all do) then you could place them in an open top container put this container beside your humi and try to create a micro environment behind the doors of the entertainment center. Even just a bowl of distilled water will help raise the RH and the glass doors will help keep your humi in its own little world of RH happiness.

christian1971

I too am having low humidity issues---surprise. Not! I've got a humidor that currently holds 60 cigars. I added 3 desktop bovedas 65%.Humidor can hold 100 cigars
It worked well for a good week and then dropped to around 56%. Sometimes even a bit less. Rather than dishing out more hard earned cash, I thought I would add a small glass of distilled H2O. Now the humidity is rising. Currently at 63%. I will check again tonight to see where it is at. With temps in the house from the 60s to 70s I'll see how the humidity fluctuates. I figure I will have to make adjustments according to the seasons. I will eventually need new bovedas and go to 70%. From there I will see if distilled water is needed. In the summer I may not need the distilled water and just rely on my boveda packs since it will be humid in the house.If I can keep it within acceptable range I will be happy!!! My stogies will certainly be better off in my humidor then sitting in a desk. That's why I try not to go overboard on my purchases in case things go haywire. I don't plan to have my cigars sit for months on end. Just have to make sure not to open the humi too often and replace the bovedas every 2 months and the glass of H2O every few days. I've stopped screaming in frustration. Just get it near the acceptable range and smoke.

khyers

I added a bowl of water to the cabinet I have the humidor in, I'll see how that works. I did have another thought but I am worried it could cause more problems then good. I have a fish tank set up in one of my bedrooms, The humidity of that room has to be higher than the rest of the house (I add a gallon of distilled water weekly). my concern is, would I be exposing my humidifier to contaminants (algae, mold bacteria)? Anyone have any thoughts?

christian1971

I would avoid the aquarium. I would rather use a humidifier. Since I added that cup of water, my humidor has risen to 64% and been stable. So the water is helping. My cigars are also a bit more spongy.

kuzi16

the room humidifier is a good idea. its good for your health too.

i have beads in my humidor and i use about twice the amount suggested by heartfelt. i have them over charged. something like 95% of them are clear. my RH is at 68%. i live in ohio with forced air heating. the RH in my house is in the neighborhood of 20%. Keeping the humidor humidity up can be done. its just finding the combination that does the trick.

Goldy

khyers:

I added a bowl of water to the cabinet I have the humidor in, I'll see how that works. I did have another thought but I am worried it could cause more problems then good. I have a fish tank set up in one of my bedrooms, The humidity of that room has to be higher than the rest of the house (I add a gallon of distilled water weekly). my concern is, would I be exposing my humidifier to contaminants (algae, mold bacteria)? Anyone have any thoughts?

I dont see a problem putting it in the fish room. Your aquarium is acting like a room humidifier so I say give it a go.

Also, just remember that with things like bovida packs unless you have the worlds tighest seal will often run lower than their number. For example, I prefer my sticks at 66-69% so I bought 70% beads because I know my humidor isn't space shuttle tight and will probably lose a couple points here and there. My humi sits at 67% in the winter and 69% in the summer.