cuban cedar humidor

[defetis]

so i bought this humidor about 2 weeks ago, its nothing fancy, its a 20-25 cigar humidor i bought off ebay. I followed all the steps that the pros advised me to do, but im still having problems keeping my humidor between 70-75%. I keep putting more distilled water in the sponges, life daily to keep up the humidity, ive even taken everything out of the box and wiped it down with a sponge of distilled water, that works for a day then im filling the sponge again. any tips?

joel

 

[xRanger]

Definately sounds like a bad seal. You could try some thin weather stripping around the lid to hold it tighter possibly.

Bill

 

[Fpkjr]

Are you sure your Hydrometer is reading correctly? Have you salt tested it?
The main issue right now is making sure your Hygrometer is calibrated

Get everything out of the box, it needs to hold at the desired RH for a few days before you put cigars in it.

What steps did the "Pros" tell you to take to properly season the humidor?
F

 

[NullSmurf]

You can confirm a seal problem by sealing it with the blue masking tape you can get from Home Whatever. It makes a good air seal and is easily removed without residue. Leave it sealed for 24 hours, then look. It also helps to know how true your hygrometer is.

 

[cigarsarge]

Place a small flashlight...turned on... inside the humi. Close the lid. If you see light where it should be sealed... The seal is bad.

 

[N2Advnture]

Place a small flashlight...turned on... inside the humi. Close the lid. If you see light where it should be sealed... The seal is bad.

Good advice here. :thumbs:

The "dollar bill" trick also works well.

Close the lid with 1/2 a dollor bill inside and the other 1/2 outside. Try to pull the dollar bill out to see how tight the seal is. Do this on all sides.

If the seal is good, calibrate your hygrometer (buy a digital if you are using an analog).

Also, the use of humidity beads or the Humidi-Puck are the most simple ways to regulate relative humidity with little to no effort!

Hope this helps.
~Mark

 

[defetis]

goodness, you guys are awesome with advice, i really apreciate it. I tried the flashlight trick, and the dollar bill trick, the seals are definately tight. The pros, explained to me to do the following. The first thing i did when i got my box, was i took a sponge, got it damp in distilled water, and wiped down the cedar on the inside of the box, then i damped the sponger again in distilled water, put it in an open plastic baggy, inside the humidor and left it for 24 hours, then repeated this step another 2 times. When that was done my hyrometer was reading exactly 75%. So i then soaked the sponge in distilled water, then mounted it in my box. These steps worked great for the first few days. Honestly im a little worried about my sponges that came with the box. I have two for some reason. One is black, like a normal humidifier ive seen in other boxes, then i also have a smaller one with a golden plate on top of the humidifier. They both have sponges in them...i dont know, ill keep trying things

 

[N2Advnture]

goodness, you guys are awesome with advice, i really apreciate it. I tried the flashlight trick, and the dollar bill trick, the seals are definately tight. The pros, explained to me to do the following. The first thing i did when i got my box, was i took a sponge, got it damp in distilled water, and wiped down the cedar on the inside of the box, then i damped the sponger again in distilled water, put it in an open plastic baggy, inside the humidor and left it for 24 hours, then repeated this step another 2 times. When that was done my hyrometer was reading exactly 75%. So i then soaked the sponge in distilled water, then mounted it in my box. These steps worked great for the first few days. Honestly im a little worried about my sponges that came with the box. I have two for some reason. One is black, like a normal humidifier ive seen in other boxes, then i also have a smaller one with a golden plate on top of the humidifier. They both have sponges in them...i dont know, ill keep trying things

If that's the case (seals are good) DITCH the sponge and get the Humidi-Puck or humidi-beads! :thumbs:

~Mark

 

[Brickhouse]

defetis,

Save yourself the trouble now and visit cigarmony.com and grab your first Humidipuck

You won't regret that advice, I promise.

 

[preembargo]

First you need to make sure your hygrometer is reading accurately. You can do a search for 'salt test' to tell how to check it yourself, you can also take it to your local B&M and ask if you can set it next to theirs while you have a smoke. After you finish your smoke compare the readings.

Also, if you're checking it everyday then each time you open the lid you're letting humidity out. Once you’ve calibrated your hygrometer, try leaving your humidor closed for a few days and then check it.

 

[Xav]

I dont keep my humi between 70-75, I keep mine lower than that. I guess it is just what you like, but personally I find my cigars burn better at a lower RH

 

[alexgtp]

65%-68% rh is what you would want. 75% way to wet!

 

[bshep714]

I shoot for 65% for everyday smokes. My ISOMs seem to prefer closer to 60%. Whenever my humidor reaches 70% I can count on draw and burn problems.