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Catfish: How to season or reaseason a humidor using Kitty Litter or Beads

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  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    No rush, you want a stable environment more then anything. You can always bring it up slowly
  • CLEsmokesCLEsmokes Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 19
    After reading this thread I made a little petsmart run. I want to upgrade the humidication in my humidor so I got a jug of the exquisicat crystals and I picked up a couple filter medium bags for fish tanks to put the KL in. I put roughly a pound between 3 of the bags, gave each a couple squirts of distilled water and put them in an empty box with a hydrometer. I was trying to get the Rh to stabilize at 65ish before I put them into my humidor but can't get it to climb. Is that the idea and I should just toss them in the humidor or should I keep adding water until I get the RH where I want it?
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    The empty box is not designed to hold rh so it won't. My experience putting them in a seasone humi is they need little or no water.
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    If you are only using what I sent you, you definately need more. However, you might've needed 2-3 sponges in there if it is large. Either way, as long as it is holding 60-61 consistently, that is not a bad thing and you can bring it up. I like 62 personally, so when I see mine hit 60-61, I don't do a thing until 59.
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    I added a bit more KL and some more empty cigar boxes to my humidor in the main part. It seems to be resting around 64%, I would like it a few more higher before I go and put my sticks in it. The holes I added seemed to help out a great deal. The top part that is seperate from the bottom, that one can't keep a consistent RH. It's been at 62% or 68% or 65%....keeps fluxng. I'm using KL in that area as well, maybe I have to see if I have any seal problems....
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    Add more to the top, how much do you have in there?
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    I have now ~4.5lbs (~2.25lbs each shelf, bottom and top) in the main cabinet, and about 1/2lbs in the separate top humidor part. Not concerned about the main cabinet, but the top I have the bowl pretty much filled up to the brim and it has trouble regulating a decent RH. I'll have to see what it sits at and might have to take a trip to home depot for some weather stripping.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    Holy crap...that might be too much, that's alot dude.... More then I have in my wineador... That could be why. Cut it down to 1lb and see what happens.
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    Ok, I cut all three containers in half, I'll report on what I get: imageimage
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    That looks good man, you might need a little more up top, but the top portion is very thin it looks like. You can do the dollar bill test as well for the seal.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    So is it the thin top part that is not holding consistent rh??
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
    catfishbluezz:
    If you are only using what I sent you, you definately need more. However, you might've needed 2-3 sponges in there if it is large. Either way, as long as it is holding 60-61 consistently, that is not a bad thing and you can bring it up. I like 62 personally, so when I see mine hit 60-61, I don't do a thing until 59.
    I prefer my smokes around 65rh.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    ddubridge:
    catfishbluezz:
    If you are only using what I sent you, you definately need more. However, you might've needed 2-3 sponges in there if it is large. Either way, as long as it is holding 60-61 consistently, that is not a bad thing and you can bring it up. I like 62 personally, so when I see mine hit 60-61, I don't do a thing until 59.
    I prefer my smokes around 65rh.
    Should be easy to raise it to that level slowly spraying the KL. This humi I jsut seasoned was dropping, sprayed it, and it went up to 65 and held
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
    62/64 this morning. Added humicare bead jars I had for some added help.
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    catfishbluezz:
    So is it the thin top part that is not holding consistent rh??
    The shallow top part with the small glass cup of KL is sitting around 60% now. The bottom cabinet part is sitting around 62%. I already had to weather strip the cabinet part to get it to keep a consistent RH, so I think I have to do the same for the top. This "humidor" right out of the box seems to be a horrible investment if you aren't willing to go the extra steps and fix the gaps. My meters are working, I re-calibrated them and also used other ones I have, all of them say pretty much the same thing. I'm going to go out and get more distilled water, weather stripping and charge this humidor in a big seasoning. Going to leave the cigar boxes inside and season them as well. I'm running out of options here lol.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    Also check internal rh of the boxes, that will tell you when they are ready. Sounds like you have a seal issue. There is no reason it should not be ready. The one I just seasoned has 1lb of KL and is rock solid
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    Ok, so I got back from Home Depot and just finished up this next little project on my humidor. As I stated I was only getting humidity in the 60%-62% range with a heavy amount of KL. Now I added some weather stripping to the mix. I know some people don't like to use it(looks fugly sometimes) but oh well lets try it and see. I'll check the humidity tomorrow around noon to see if it changed. I will say that as soon as I closed both the lid and door, and cleaned up my mess the humidity was rising right away. I really want to get this thing to work!: imageimageimageimageimage
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    Bro, if it is only 47rh in there, you need to put multiple sponges in there IMO. That's extremely dry
  • jeep edsonjeep edson Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 826
    wonder if the 47 is cause he had the door open for a long time weather stripping it.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    jeep edson:
    wonder if the 47 is cause he had the door open for a long time weather stripping it.
    Yeah, didn't think about that. That's also why i recommended checking rh in the boxes. That's more important really, as that where they will be stored.
  • DCarp2005DCarp2005 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 140
  • WaterDemonWaterDemon Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 269
    catfishbluezz:
    Bro, if it is only 47rh in there, you need to put multiple sponges in there IMO. That's extremely dry
    Yea it was 47% because the doors were open while weather stripping. I checked everything and now I'm sitting at 63% in the cabinet part and 58% on the top part....I'll let it sit a little longer, but I'm slowly losing faith in this kitty litter product. O.o Should I take the Kitty Litter out and put the water w/ the sponges in there again and start back from scratch?
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    WaterDemon:
    catfishbluezz:
    Bro, if it is only 47rh in there, you need to put multiple sponges in there IMO. That's extremely dry
    Yea it was 47% because the doors were open while weather stripping. I checked everything and now I'm sitting at 63% in the cabinet part and 58% on the top part....I'll let it sit a little longer, but I'm slowly losing faith in this kitty litter product. O.o Should I take the Kitty Litter out and put the water w/ the sponges in there again and start back from scratch?
    yeah, that's what I would do. What kind did you get??? I'd be really surprised honestly. There are thousands of guys that use it and have reported no issues.
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,993
    Nice drew! The extra rh helped I bet from the gel. When I sent you that, I figured it was for a smaller humi, along with the other beads. Keep us updated
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
    catfishbluezz:
    Nice drew! The extra rh helped I bet from the gel. When I sent you that, I figured it was for a smaller humi, along with the other beads. Keep us updated
    will do. Headed to the pet store this weekend to pick up more KL. I'll probably move the gel back into the smaller humi.
  • ehehatehehat Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,534
  • ddubridgeddubridge Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,949
    ddubridge:
    catfishbluezz:
    Nice drew! The extra rh helped I bet from the gel. When I sent you that, I figured it was for a smaller humi, along with the other beads. Keep us updated
    will do. Headed to the pet store this weekend to pick up more KL. I'll probably move the gel back into the smaller humi.
    sick with a cold this weekend so I didnt make it to the pet store. Both top and bottom holding strong at 64rh. Happy with the process and results.
  • JDHJDH Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,107
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