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Humidity problems

K

Korean&Proud

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
178
I just bought a desktop humidor and have only been able to keep the humidity at 61-64%. I cant get it any higher, Ive filled that sponge with distilled water and wiped down the inside of the box with the saem water btu cant get a rise out of it (haha no jokes). I dont want my sticks to dry out seeing how much ive spent on them so any info would be greatly appreciated, and if this problem has already been posted than please direct me to it. thanks again guys.

K&P
 
how good is the seal on the humi? If it is not tight, you'l get leakage thru it and the RH will not stay good.

a few ways to test- go into a dark room and put a flashlight inside, and close the lid. Look and see if you can see any light peeking thru the seal. Or, take a dollar bill, and put it half in and half out of the humi, and close the door. Pull it out- it shold not come out easily. If the seal is not decent enough, there are ways to improve it, like adding foam weatherstriping or felt on the seal. I had this problem, and used some adhesive backed felt I got from a local arts and crafts store. It will take some triming and work, but it can help immensely.

a humi lid should have a 'whoosh' when you close it... it is like closing on a cushion of air. If it just slams shut it might be too loose.

Also, how long has it been sitting? It may take some time to rise enough... but with a sponge inside it shold be going quite a bit over 64%. When I did that to mine it was up over 80%...
 
how full you keep it also plays a part in how good its going to work.
 
its only got room for maybe another 2-3 cigars at most. and it does seem to have a good seal, Ive only had it for like three days now so well see if it comes up, ill see what I can do about that felt though, maybe it'll add just a nice touch even if not needed. the celophane should'nt affect it though, should it? thanks alot you guys.

K&P
 
Worth adding is that my desktop wouldn't hold humidity at all for about a month and a half. Seemed I could get 80% or 58% but nothing I could "live with". Son of a gun....time healed this one completely and now it's stable as can be between 63-68%. Maybe that's what yours will require as well....time to fully stabilize.

My $00.02 and Good Luck - B.B.S.
 
MilesMingusMonk said:
Have you done the salt test on your hygrometer?
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no I have not, It seemed fairly accurate when she pulled it open at the store and I just went with it. maybe i should do that just to second guess it. thanks MM and Science.

K&P
 
I agree with the time issue also, it took me a week of toying to get my humi to pump at 65%.
 
Korean&Proud said:
so is 65% good enough to keep cigars for extended periods of time or too low?

K&P
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I suppose like many things personal preferance matters some, but I think my gars smoke and store better at 65% than they do at 70%. Some folks swear by storing at 70% but I have found that with 65% beads my humi is solid as can be between 63-67% and the cigars smoke great. I add H20 to the beads when the humidity dips below 63% for two or more days in a row (about every month and a half).

Regards - B.B.S.
 
Depends on how you like your smokes. Personally I like a drier smoke, so I keep mine in the mid 60s, but I have heard keeping your smokes anywhere from very dry at 60% to very moist at 72% is ok, experiment and see how you like em at each rh.
 
MilesMingusMonk said:
Have you done the salt test on your hygrometer?
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Definitely salt test the hygrometer and make note of the difference. Some hygros are off by as much as 10%. Some will mention that they are accurate to 1% (like mine) but that is usally at 45-55 degrees. Once the temperature rises some hygros will be far less accurate. My hygro is off by 4%.

Also you should never put water in direct contact with the wood. When you wipe down the sides you risk warping the wood and further damage your seal.

Good luck!
 
All good advice above....

BTW, if the hygrometer you have is one of those dial type you can throw it away...they're useless for accuracy. Most digitals units are consistant enough to get a close enough reading. Check for accuracy by doing a salt test or buying a humi bag and using it to check.
 
I have an analog hygrometer that came with it nad was accurate while in the store so I know thats not the problem. its starting to balance out at 67% now and everything going well, I think it was just the initial build up of the moisture stage that had it low. thanks for all the help you guys.

K&P
 
Korean&Proud said:
I have an analog hygrometer that came with it nad was accurate while in the store so I know thats not the problem.
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Amazing! You knew the RH in the store...??... :D

All new hygros should be salt tested. Even expensive ones are known to have absolute value calibration issues. It's really worth the peace of mind, IMHO, to know < for sure > that your measurements are accurate.

FWIW - good luck.....B.B.S.
 
Korean&Proud said:
I have an analog hygrometer that came with it nad was accurate while in the store so I know thats not the problem.
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We'll lead you to the water but won't force you to drink it..... Good Luck!
 
BlindedByScience said:
Korean&Proud said:
I have an analog hygrometer that came with it nad was accurate while in the store so I know thats not the problem.
Click to expand...
Amazing! You knew the RH in the store...??... :D

All new hygros should be salt tested. Even expensive ones are known to have absolute value calibration issues. It's really worth the peace of mind, IMHO, to know < for sure > that your measurements are accurate.

FWIW - good luck.....B.B.S.
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I hope i didnt piss yall off by saying that but the owner of the store was a good friend of mine and he kept the store's humi's at a constant 70%rh. so I put my gauge in there and than smoked a 1992 rocky patel and at the end of my smoke it read damn close to 70%. thats all. didnt mean to offend you guys. thanks for all the info but I think It just needed time because today it leveled off at a steady 68%. thanks for all of your help.

K&P
 
Korean&Proud said:
I hope i didnt piss yall off by saying that but......
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We'd rather be pissed off than pissed on..... at least some of us anyway. :)

We'll offer advice to those that ask. What people do with that advice is up to them. If you feel your analog dial is the cats meow then its the cats meow. I would never recommend one to anybody.

No offense taken nor meant. :thumbs:
 
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