Cooler Advice

Ok so I have reached my overflow limit and need more space so instead of getting a cabinet I'm being cheap and going coolerdor. This shall be my first coolerdor. I'm eying a 150qt cooler. With that I am planning on humidifying with cat litter, thanks catfish!. Looking for advice as far as little tips and tricks you guys have found to keep your coolers in tip top condition. Things like should I weather strip the inside lip of the lid? Is at 150qt too big? How much litter? How should I store said litter? Do I need a fan(s)? etc

Sorry for so many questions I just want to do this right. Appreciate all the help!

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

taythegibs

it seems to be more of an art than a science to the coolers, mine is a 70qt sitting steady at about 69% humidity with half a pound of beads (split into two tupperware containers that i drilled hole into the top of) and every so often i run a small computer fan. i didnt use any weather stripping and if you get a name brand cooler you shouldnt have to.

ENFIDL

taythegibs:
it seems to be more of an art than a science to the coolers, mine is a 70qt sitting steady at about 69% humidity with half a pound of beads (split into two tupperware containers that i drilled hole into the top of) and every so often i run a small computer fan. i didnt use any weather stripping and if you get a name brand cooler you shouldnt have to.

Cool thanks. I know some guys on here have used the weather stripping when they did there's but I wasn't sure if it was necessary or just a peace of mind sort of deal

Roberto99

I have 3 humidors and am thinking about doing the same thing. Our winters here have a rH in the range of 20-30% and I experience moisture loss with my humidors in the winter. I was thinking an airtight cooler might fix that.

Vision

Roberto99:
I have 3 humidors and am thinking about doing the same thing. Our winters here have a rH in the range of 20-30% and I experience moisture loss with my humidors in the winter. I was thinking an airtight cooler might fix that.

Just found one of my Humi at 60....Thinking the same thing.

Lee.mcglynn

Honestly if you do it right you don't need to many beads. I use boveda and a small thing of beads and it holds steady for me. But it is trial and error!! I have two fans in mine on a timer and they work well! I also bought a corded hygrometer and drilled a hole in the cooler to put the probe in so I can check temp and humidity without opening it. Just make sure everything is seasoned before you put it in or you will have some issues!!

jgibv

ENFIDL:
Things like should I weather strip the inside lip of the lid?

Probably not necessary, especially if it's a new, plastic cooler. Those things have fantastic seals ...
They're so good that I'd suggest you open it at least 1/week to get some fresh air in.

ENFIDL:
Is at 150qt too big?

LOL

ENFIDL:
How much litter?

Check out heartfelt's bead calculator ... http://heartfeltindustries.com/calculator.asp ... that's a good place to start, you can probably use less though --- and using more won't hurt.

ENFIDL:
How should I store said litter?

Panty hose or tupperware/cigar boxes without lids work well.

ENFIDL:
Do I need a fan(s)?

Will you be opening it often and rotating the cigars (1/month or more?) If not, yes get fans.

But, FWIW - I open mine up and "rearrange" about once/month and haven't had a problem. I think as long as you're opening the lid to get in "fresh air" and are rotating the boxes with relation to your humidity sources, you'll be fine.

Teege

I use a cooler and do not use weather stripping and as far as size going big to start with is better than wishing you had gone bigger later.... I cant help with the litter both Todd and I used beads in our coolers

Poker Slob

I have a 165 qt. with 3 half pound bags of beads. I open the hatch on top every couple of weeks, and it works perfect. Which is nice, because that is where I store my boxes.

jliu

mister enfidl. ni hao. I've got two igloo 150 qt coolers from wal mart. works great. I have 65rh heartfelt beads in every corner via mesh bags and tupperwares (roughly 1 lbs). The coolers are pretty filled upholds humidity really well (right around 63 - 65 rh). I got a bit anal and tested with the same digital hygrometer all quadrants of the cooler and all states 63 - 65 rh. Aside from the beads, I have cedar sheets lined up around the inside perimeter. my coolers are in one of the closets downstairs. i can snap some pics of it if it'll help ya. just ask and it's done.

ENFIDL

Thanks for all the advice guys. Got the cooler and the exquisicat kitty litter. Waiting on the plastic smell to die down right now. Really glad I went with the 150 qt. That thing is a beast!

ENFIDL

jliu:
mister enfidl. ni hao. i can snap some pics of it if it'll help ya. just ask and it's done.

I'd like some pics, Brett Favre style!

kingjk729

ENFIDL:
Thanks for all the advice guys. Got the cooler and the exquisicat kitty litter. Waiting on the plastic smell to die down right now. Really glad I went with the 150 qt. That thing is a beast!

Hey E glad that back and around ..... I missed you ...... Maybe not as much as Carlos but I still missed you. If you want to speed the plastic smell removal up go and buy a news paper ...... Ball a bunch of it up and fill the cooler .... Use regular newspaper not the colored adds ...... This will completely remove all odors ..... Works great on old smelly shoes too throw some paper in the shoes and a then into a box and some more paper and after a day or so all lingering odors are gone.

ENFIDL

kingjk729:
ENFIDL:
Thanks for all the advice guys. Got the cooler and the exquisicat kitty litter. Waiting on the plastic smell to die down right now. Really glad I went with the 150 qt. That thing is a beast!

Hey E glad that back and around ..... I missed you ...... Maybe not as much as Carlos but I still missed you. If you want to speed the plastic smell removal up go and buy a news paper ...... Ball a bunch of it up and fill the cooler .... Use regular newspaper not the colored adds ...... This will completely remove all odors ..... Works great on old smelly shoes too throw some paper in the shoes and a then into a box and some more paper and after a day or so all lingering odors are gone.

I have some in there but it hasn't gotten it done yet. I'll have to add more. And trust me brother I've missed you greatly. My loins have ached.....

Rain

How is this going?

ENFIDL

Got it stocked up last night. Having issues uploading pics right now. Thanks photobucket. Here's a link to the pick I instagrammed last night http://instagram.com/p/Tj5DZ9A-Ye/

Rain

..jealous!

ENFIDL

Rain:
..jealous!

That's only da cooler. Gonna have to get some new pics of the newly reorganized aging and smoking humidors. I got a lot of hate last time I did that...lol

jliu

hey dude. hope you ate some delicious panda express for Christmas. so I just finished up another stankin cooler. so here it goes dewd. A note..... before the first pic was achieved, I had to wash the cooler with fragrance free soap. after that, I hosed the cooler down with distilled water. Some say you have to put newspaper to get out the "plastic" smell but I don't think it's needed at all.

first pic is me putting in my beads. Notice how I place my beads evenly along the perimeter. I also took some duct tape and covered up the drain area. you can try to find a drain plug but you don't need to. tape will do just fine. For the beads I used a combo of mesh bags (lots use pantyhose) and tupperwares. I just cut my toenails. do you like it?

Next is a pic of the finished product. notice I have cedar sheets lined up against the inner walls. I do that as cedar sheets help with regulating humidity. you will also notice I have a fan in there. it's entirely optional. some believe a fan will help more evenly distribute humidity. i disagree as I have tested the humidity in all areas of the cooler without using a fan. I wasted money and bought a fan a few months ago so i figure might as well use it b/c I can't use it on myself. do you like my wood floor?

ENFIDL

My panda express brings all the boys to the yard! Juinn you need to just send me your setup so that mine won't be lonely. Yep sounds great, k thanks! lol

catfishbluezz

SLB=ghey

jliu

ENFIDL:
My panda express brings all the boys to the yard! Juinn you need to just send me your setup so that mine won't be lonely. Yep sounds great, k thanks! lol

U LONG TIME. haha, this is one of mi aging coolers. I just checked and it's holding rock solid at 64rh based off of a recent recalibrated digital humi dawg. word.

KingoftheCove

I posted my cooler set-up a year ago I think - you can find it via search probably.
I know the litter you're using is "odorless".....but those blue-greenies in there made me nervous, which is why I went with Ultra Pet Cat Litter Pearls (Original) Crystal Clear, the 7-Pound Package.

Another thing I noticed was with the larger, all plastic coolers, (anything over 70qt) from Igloo or Coleman, the QC on production/manufacturing falls a bit short. Not all lids "fit" the same.
I checked many, and some had good seals all around (the dollar test) while others had a bad side, or two, with some others even worse, all within the same brand/size configuration.

A gasket does really help to tighten up any air gaps.
Old cigar boxes is a great way to organize your singles/fivers, etc., and get some spanish cedar in there to help with RH regulation.
Finally, use the Heartfelt calculator to determine how many pounds of beads you "need", and then double that amount. There are dozens of ways to store the beads. Having a lot in there helps bring the RH back quickly after you left it open for a few minutes trying to dig out that My Father No. 4 you had buried in there.....

jeep edson

damn june bug. you a cuban whore:)