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Beads Question

S

sticksnstones

Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
239
Got some Heartfealt 65% beads this weekend (ordered Thursday p.m., arrived Saturday morning!). Here's my question. I stuck some in my main desktop humidor, which had been running around 58%, and the humidity actually dropped to around 55% before recovering a bit to about where it had been. Almost 2 days later and it still hasn't climbed to where it's supposed to be.

So is this normal and, if so, how long should it take for the humidity to settle at 65%? Thanks - oh, incidentally I am sure I have enough beads and that they are sufficiently hydrated w/ distilled water.
 
Maybe the humi itself is dried out after prolonged low rh and needs to be re-seasoned.
 
Don't think so because it only dipped low recently - typical winter low-humidity story. After fooling with this for several years I finally decided to get the beads. Just puzzled why it hasn't equalized. The humidor seems to hold RH well and is fully stocked.
 
^ That's the first thing I'm thinking...

Secondly, how many times a day are you opening it to check the RH? Opening too much won't let the humidor stabilize. Also, you might wanna look into wetting your beads a bit more until the RH goes up, then go from there... At least that's what I do, but I also have a 120 qt. cooler with a lot of space that I do that in.
 
If the seal is ok, just put a shot glass full of distilled water in there and leave it alone for a few days.
 
Leave it alone for a few days! Can you do that?

I have opened it a few times to take a peek at the hygro, but only briefly. If it continues, I'll try the overwetting or shot glass suggestions. Thanks for the help - you guys have helped calm my fears.
 
Yep. Salt tested it about 1 month ago. It was 5% off (analog), which I've factored into the before/after readings.
 
bfreebern said:
If the seal is ok, just put a shot glass full of distilled water in there and leave it alone for a few days.
Click to expand...

Best advice.

I just got a 65% tube myself and had a hard time getting it above 58%. I put the shot glass in there for a day and a half and its been consistently at 63% ever since. The hard part is gonna be not opening the humi to take a peak at the levels.... Good luck!
 
sticksnstones said:
Yep. Salt tested it about 1 month ago. It was 5% off (analog), which I've factored into the before/after readings.
Click to expand...

Do you have a digital hygrometer to test with? The RH might be fine, analogs can be that bad.
 
This is a story I hear a lot. Its why I suggest crystal gel instead of beads in desktops. Beads are sometimes more trouble unless you have a cabinet or coolerdor.

Did you fill the beads per the specs that heartfelt gives out? You probably need more water. The specs heartfelt gives out are great for maintenance but if you try to season your humidor based on that it won't work very well. Give the beads some more water and wait.
 
I've followed all the specs. And have had zero trouble with seal or hygro (factoring in the 5% deviation - which has been consistent) and the humi holds RH very well unless it's winter and the ambient air turns very dry.
So I'm kinda mystified. I'll add more distilled water to the beads and see if that does the trick.
Digital hygros are in my future; just haven't taken that plunge yet.
 
You are suffering from the Bill Clinton syndrome. I suggest you read up on this and you'll find some of the answers you are looking for.
 
I gotta admit, I have no idea what that means.

As to reading, I've done a fair amount of diving into threads here and elsewhere - including Heartfelt's website. And I feel I've ruled out the usual suspects. If it were a seal or that the humidor wasn't properly seasoned (for example), why would the drop in RH show up AFTER the beads went in and not before. It was low, but at least steady beforehand.
Anyway, I'll sit with it and hope things stabilize.
Thx.
 
Look for Bill Clinton as a user in the humidor section. Although he did have a melt down in the thread there were many good suggestions, answers and dialog about this issue.

Let me ask you another set of questions. How close is your humidor to your heating source? Do you have cigars in there now? Have you tried using a dollar to check the seal? Can you hear the humidor seal when you close it? A slight swoosh sound should be heard. All these were discussed in that thread.
 
Anthony is saying to stop worrying too much and enjoy the hobby. Keeping it simple, is always the best approach. Fill a shot glass with distilled water, put it in the humidor and leave it alone for a couple days.

Don't put water directly on the beads.
 
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