Emerson 8-Bottle wine coller.

[hoshnasi]

I was ifted one of these coolers on X-mas. Since I don't like white wines and never chill my reds it wasn't that useful. However then I stumbled upon this board and the idea of turning it into a humi. Fastforward to today and I have a cooler that when turned off holds the rh steady. When on, the highest temp I can set is 67 degree F, which is fine. However it turns on alot and the rh drops to the 50's. Searching online didn't yield much in determining it the cooler was a condensor or thermo electric either.

Anyoen have an ideas what to do with this thing? Can I make it hold rh better? Or just leave it off? Thanks!

 

[tkoepp]

I was ifted one of these coolers on X-mas. Since I don't like white wines and never chill my reds it wasn't that useful. However then I stumbled upon this board and the idea of turning it into a humi. Fastforward to today and I have a cooler that when turned off holds the rh steady. When on, the highest temp I can set is 67 degree F, which is fine. However it turns on alot and the rh drops to the 50's. Searching online didn't yield much in determining it the cooler was a condensor or thermo electric either.

Anyoen have an ideas what to do with this thing? Can I make it hold rh better? Or just leave it off? Thanks!

It sounds like you have a condenser unit, and the cold air that comes out is very dry. I would suggest leaving it off until the hot part of the summer (when you really need it). Severe fluctuations in humidity can cause problems such as the wrappers splitting and improper aging.

 

[hoshnasi]

It sounds like you have a condenser unit,

That was pretty much my fear. Is there anything that can be done about it? I think I might need to go pick up another one when I move then. I think we're in for a warm summer.

 

[BlueyHK]

I would also be interested to hear from people that use these units for their cigars. I have a 150 stick humidor and it maintains RH at 72% which is okay. My problem is that I am currently living in Singapore and the temperature is always above 27 degrees celsius (approx 80 F). I was thinking about purchasing a small wine cooler to store my humidor in. I have seen some that keep RH between 65 - 75.

Anyone else doing this?

 

[Shooter]

Search for wine coolers. Many good threads on this board.

 

[DKAudio]

I used one as my last humi (forced to sell) and it worked great. I am planning on doing the same thing once I get money again. The best ones use a peltier device, no compressor, it is all low voltage electronics. They use a massive heatsink and suck heat out of one end thus resulting in a very cool piece of metal. That is how some of them can heat and cool, flip a switch and the polarity changes. Now the side that previously got cold will now get warm and vice versa.

 

[CigarStone]

The cooler likely does have a condenser which produces dry air. It’s what makes your defroster work in your car.

If your home is going to be very hot in the summer you may have to simply find the coolest place in the house that does not have temperature swings (out of the sunlight). I don’t think high temperatures are too bad for your sticks. RH swings are very bad. Maybe a FOG can help with the high temperature issues.

Good luck

Edited for content............

 

[DKAudio]

I never feel comfortable and actually start to get worried when the temperature reaches >75

 

[CigarStone]

Isn't the temperature in Cuba, Honduras, and the Dominican usually 80-85 or so?

 

[DKAudio]

True, I was always told larvae can hatch at 75+

 

[LilBastage]

I have a condenser unit and I keep all cigars in boxes to buffer them from the RH swings. The RH recovers so quickly in mine, I don't really worry too much about it. The fridge you have is quite a bit smaller, so that may or may not be an option.

My cigars all smoke better and feel better after I moved them into the wine cooler. It only cycles a coupe of times a day in the hottest part of the year here (not very hot for very long), so where you live may really effect the performance of the unit more than the weather here does.

More info can be found in the threads that Fuscat and I were involved in back last spring and summer.

Good luck to you. I'm sure you'll get something worked out.

 

[davew0670]

I also use a wine cooler. The temp where I live gets way too hot to keep the house at 70. I used vipers beads and just the fan part of a cigar oasis. My rh ranges between 63 and 67 and temp never goes above 67. Works like a champ and dont see myself changing anything for quite a while.

 

[hoshnasi]

Just to give an update. I'm pretty much leaving this thing unpluged till I move and get a good termo. Then I'll put this 8 bottle back into use as an actual wine cooler.

Now that I think about it, I never drink white wine and laugh as chilled reds... Oh well.

 

[SamuraiJack]

My understanding is that the Emerson 8 bottle wine cooler is thermoelectric. Do all thermoelectric dry air? Or do only some thermoelectrics have a "condenser"?