I want to make a coolidor

This is where I was afraid it would go ??? My little desktop humi for about 50 cigars just won't do it. I want to order more cigars and store them correctly. A bigger humidor would be nice, but right now that's too big of an investment, if a coolidor can do it!

Ok, so I have some questions that maybe you, my dear CPassers, can answer
I would like to hear any stories you have.

Do I need cedar wood inside the coolidor?
Can I use a regular humidifier (or several) in it, or does it have to be one of those electronic humidifiers?
What exactly do these Climmax beads do? Do I need them? If not, what substitutes are there?
Any pointers?



P.S. I googled "coolidor" and read about everything I could find. Surprisingly bad results.

You don't need to put cedar in the coolidor. The cedar from the boxes that are being stored is sufficient.

For humidification you can use a regular humidification device. My recommendation is to go with the Climmax Beads. Better regulation of humidity for a longer period of time, especially for a cooler.

When you purchase your cooler, wipe the inside with a clean, damp sponge. This will get rid of the plastic smell. Let it air dry.

Once that's done, put in your cigars and whatever you will use for humidification, close the lid, light up a cigar and relax.

Yeah, what Shadow said :thumbs:

Yep,just like Shadow said, it is that easy.

You don't have to line the sides with cedar. If you get a larger cooler, that will hold whole boxes, that is enough cedar to help control the humidity.

The Climmax beads are a lot easier, IMHO, to use. I think they control the humidity beter than using a foam device.

But, a foam type humidifier does work perfectly well in a cooler. Which you can make for next to nothing.

Would a half pound of beads work?

Shadow said:

You don't need to put cedar in the coolidor. The cedar from the boxes that are being stored is sufficient.

For humidification you can use a regular humidification device. My recommendation is to go with the Climmax Beads. Better regulation of humidity for a longer period of time, especially for a cooler.

When you purchase your cooler, wipe the inside with a clean, damp sponge. This will get rid of the plastic smell. Let it air dry.

Once that's done, put in your cigars and whatever you will use for humidification, close the lid, light up a cigar and relax.

Click to expand...

So the Climmax beads are in their humidifiers? Or how does that work Additional questions:

Do I use both a humidifier and the beads? I don't think I can buy those beads in Finland.
Maybe I can order by mail.

Do I need more than one humidifier? One regular sized seems awfully small for a coolidor for 150+ cigars.

Other than that, thank you very much for the advice Shadow.

gregor22 said:

Would a half pound of beads work?

Click to expand...

I bought one of these at Wal-Mart for $13.

http://www.igloocoolers.com/products/fsichest/ice_cube.html

1/2 pound of beads is perfect! Humidity sits at a rock-solid 65%. :thumbs:

Wow! 13 bucks, that's a damn good deal. I doubt a box will cost me more than 25 bucks or so (converted from euros). So, can I make a humidifier myself? I read the thread with the tragedy with a whole coolidor of cigars gone bad due to water. I mean, is some special kind of sponge enough?

I'm just excited that I found the possibility called coolidor gonna save me lots of money. Afterall, I'm not gonna smoke the humidor, I smoke what's inside it. Although a nice humidor looks sexy

the only thing to worry about is the temperature. That is what I am struggling with as I am in MD, have central air and it is more than comfortable here but the cooler is a bit warmer

hungsolo said:

gregor22 said:

Would a half pound of beads work?

Click to expand...

I bought one of these at Wal-Mart for $13.

http://www.igloocoolers.com/products/fsichest/ice_cube.html

1/2 pound of beads is perfect! Humidity sits at a rock-solid 65%. :thumbs:

Click to expand...

Gee I wonder how you decided on that particular cooler. Isn't it great when you have a bud to split a pound of Climmax beads with? Cool new Avatar there.

Buy a pound of Climmax from bargainhumidors. Vern used to hang around here and would give members of this forum a deal, but from what I have heard he has been busy due to the success of his great product.

Its this simple to get your coolidor set up:

Buy a 48 qt humidor the one Hungsolo and I have from WalMart ROCKS!
Buy a pound of Beads from bargainhumidors (sell the other half or save for the future)
Buy a few O-Cello or other brand ANTIMICROBIAL sponges
Go to a local cigar shop and ask for empty cigar boxes. They may give them to you or sell them for a buck or two.
Buy a pair of panty hose or swipe a pair from your wife
Radio Shack or other inexpensive digital hygrometer

Leave the cooler out in the sun for a day with the lid open if it has any plastic odor.

Place empty cigar boxes into cooler

Place Climmax beads into the toe of the panty hose cut off excess and tie off open end

Place panty hose bead sack into coolidor

Moisten the sponges thoroughly and place them near the beads close the lid of the cooler and wait a few days

Calibrate the hygrometer via salt test to see if it is off by a percent or two

Place hygrometer in cooler with sponges and empty boxes. When humidity reaches 66% remove the sponges. Add additional water if necessary.

Add cigars to Cooler and enjoy long lasting super accurate humidification. Place moistened sponge back into cooler overnight to recharge the beads once the hygrometer drops to a 63% reading. I have to recharge mine monthly.

Matt

All of the above advice is very solid. The only exception I would say is to not try to check a digital hygrometer via the salt test. Those tests are great for a regular (dial type) one, but not recommended for digital components.

I would also suggest you get the biggest cooler you can reasonably find room for, I bought the 48Q and it is FULL after only about 3 months! Of course, I can always buy another and just label this one and use for long term aging!
Oh the humanity!

I think you will really like the beads, even if it does take a little while to get them.
Lemon, if you have any difficulties getting the company to ship the beads overseas, just post back here and I or someone else here will be glad to help you.
You might want to check with Vern directly too, he would probably be willing to ship them to you.
Good luck, let the games begin!
John V.

Thank you very much :love: A guide doesn't get much more complete than that Matt
I will go on the prowl for a big cooler then. Thanks camaroon also. I'll see if I can get the beads shipped directly.

camaroon4me said:

Those tests are great for a regular (dial type) one, but not recommended for digital components.

Click to expand...

Curious as to why? Is there some research on that?

If the reason is because of the corosive nature of salt I would be hard pressed to believe it would have such a damaging effect on a digital unit during such a short period of time for the test. (10-12 hrs) I can only speak from my own experience of testing my digitals every 6 months or so with the salt test for the past few years. If someone has had a different experience I'd be interested in hearing about it as I'm sure others will too.

What advantage does a digital hygrometer have over a regular one?

Consistency mostly.

Just because its digital does not mean its correct. Test it for accuracy. After a period of time you won't worry about what they read as you will be able to tell from the feel and smoke of your cigars.

BTW, analog hygrometer are not consistent and for the most part useless. Can you get one to measure humidity accurately? Yes....... but its not worth buying the other 99 to find the one.

If you look at the specs on most digitals you have a +/- margin of error. The tighter that +/- range the more the cost. Most of the $15-$20 digitals are in the +/- 3 to 5% range so if its anywhere in that range its considered ok by the manufacturer.

Allofus123 said:

camaroon4me said:

Those tests are great for a regular (dial type) one, but not recommended for digital components.

Click to expand...

Curious as to why? Is there some research on that?

If the reason is because of the corosive nature of salt I would be hard pressed to believe it would have such a damaging effect on a digital unit during such a short period of time for the test. (10-12 hrs) I can only speak from my own experience of testing my digitals every 6 months or so with the salt test for the past few years. If someone has had a different experience I'd be interested in hearing about it as I'm sure others will too.

Click to expand...

While I agree that it most likely should not kill a digital appliance to be subjected to a salty atmosphere for a short amount of time, I base my reply simply on the instructions received with the units that I have purchased. I have two of the caliber ll type digitals, and they both came with specific instructions "do not submit to salt testing".
I cant say that I have any experience with damaging a digital, due to the fact that I have never performed such tests on my units.

Maybe it's like most manufacturers instructions it's just THEIR OPINION :lookup: on how the things are supposed to be used!

Like most men, I usually do not use the instructions. Then again, I guess I'm not that concerned if my hygrometer is off by a point or two. I can say however that using the Climmax Beads has controlled the RH in my coolerdor pretty much rock solid!

Just for sh*ts and giggles, I contacted Western Cigar to inquire as to why they say what they do, I will post their response when/if I receive it.

John V.

camaroon4me said:

Like most men, I usually do not use the instructions.

Just for sh*ts and giggles, I contacted Western Cigar to inquire as to why they say what they do, I will post their response when/if I receive it.

Click to expand...

Laughing @ Camey Who needs those stupid instructions anyway? :sign:

It'll be interesting to here their response. Wonder if their response will be based on actual research and testing or more of just a "because we said so". Time will tell...thanks for inquiring.

While you're talking, how do I know I've calibrated my hygrometer correctly? I did it with salt in a sealed container, and it stablilized at 75, but how do I know it really IS 75? What if it's 10 degrees off, and stabilized there (65)?

When salt and water (NaCl and H2O), are in a saturated solution at equilibrium, the resultant humidity is 75%. This gives a reliable reference point to calibrate a hygrometer.





From the CigarNexus Ultimate Cigar Storage Manifesto:

The Salt Calibration Test procedures are...

Materials required: Tablespoon of Plain Table Salt (NaCl)
Two Ziplock-style baggies
Bottle Cap or other suitable small container
Swizzle Stick or other such item to stir with
Distilled Water
Your Hygrometer


Place the tablespoon of salt on the bottle cap. The wide mouth ones that are used on individual serving juice or tea bottles are ideal.

Slowly add distilled water to the salt while blending with the swizzle stick. You want to add just enough water to moisten the salt so that it begins to meld into a thick paste. Do not add enough water to dissolve the salt!

Place the bottle cap with salt gently into the first ziplock bag and then add you hygrometer. Make certain the sensor is exposed and free of being block by the bag.

Seal the bag while capturing some air inside of it. Then place into the second bag and seal again. The double bags are needed to ensure that you really have a good seal as the test will not work if there are any leaks.

Then place the bag in a place that is free of direct sunlight and is of a stable temperature.

Leave undisturbed for a minimum of 8 hours.

Check the reading on the hygrometer through the transparent baggies and it should read on or near 75% RH.

Remember most small inexpensive hygrometers are only accurate to within 3% so do not be surprised if it reads 72% or 78% RH. It is exactly 75% RH within the confines of the bag due to the salt paste reacting with the air, and what your hygrometer reads differently is the amount of error.

What to do about off-reading depends on the circumstances. If your hygrometer has an adjustment potentiometer then by all means try to tweak it to exactly 75%. You should repeat the Salt Calibration Test again after making any adjustments. If your hygrometer doesn't have the ability to be adjusted and the reading is close then don't worry about it ­ just remember that your hygrometer is X% off either high or low.

If the reading is grossly in error and you are unable to adjust it, then I suggest you replace it.

And finally, let me say that hygrometers are not really necessary. You will find over time that you will gain the experience to be able to judge the relative humidity within your humidor by simply touching and smoking your cigars.


The complete Manifesto: CigarNexus Ultimate Cigar Storage Manifesto

Great info. Learning stuff all the time here. That link there, wow! <continues reading> :thumbs: