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Lesser of two evils...

Shootr

Shootr

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Messages
150
Sorry, no new cigar art to bore you with.

My wine-a-dor is giving me fits. When it's plugged in, the highest temp it will go is 66F. In dry Arizona, today RH is 12. House temp is 78F. I've tried everything passive to get the RH up to around 70 but it hovers from 60 at the top to 65 at the bottom. Using 4 calibrated temp/RH sensors.

I start getting cracked wrappers at this setting.

About 50-75 cigars at a time in there with wood slat shelves. 2 of the giant 68 Boveda. Tried a sponge and doesn't seem to help either.

When unplugged, the temp goes to 78F, and RH between 70 and 80. Cigars are much better - burn well, no cracks.

Apparently not enough circulation from the cooling units.

Is the only thing to worry about at the higher temps bugs?

Would an Oasis stir up the air in there or should I look into a little fan?

This weekend I'm going to open it up and see if there is a pot on the control board that will let me raise the max temp. If I can find a DC power wire, maybe put a computer fan in there too.

Anyways - just wondering what the clan thinks.

20220614_101303-01.jpeg
 
I have 3 boxes on order so that should help.

I forgot to mention, I'm just using the left side currently.

Thermoelectric.
 
Wineadors can be a pain in that way, in that they really aren’t happy about running at the higher temp, and ambient temp fluctuations can sometimes make them fluctuate inside.

Mine is in the basement so it’s already pretty cold, I literally leave it unplugged and it seems to do best that way. But it’s also much smaller than yours, so ambient might not affect it as much.
 
My wineador never gets plugged in either and there are about 2 pounds of Silica beads which hold it rock solid at 65-68% ... highly recommended. 👍

Ps ...I'd say it's only about every 3 months that they need any additional "charging".
 
I tried an electronic humidifier (Cigar Oasis I think in mid-2018) in my wineador but it was over humidifying. When the cooling kicks in, the cooling plate would suck all of the humidity out of the air. This would cause the humidifier to kick in. I noticed that the bottoms of some of the boxes were wet. I had to pull everything out and dry it off as best I could. It took a while for the humidity to come back down.

I have settled on about a pound of 70% beads and a pile of 69% Bovedas. This holds the humidity around 70% for quite a while. When I notice it starting to go too low I put a rocks glass with about 1.5" of water and a sponge inside. This will rehydrate the Bovedas. I have a PC style fan that is connected to a timer that someone else on here recommended. I'd have to check to see how I have it set but it runs for about 10 minutes every half hour. The fan is mounted horizontally at the back to one of the Spanish cedar planks I am using as shelves, roughly half way up. I believe it is blowing down where I have humidity sheets to soak up any moisture that drips off the cooling plate.


Most wine coolers have a maximum temp setting of around 65F. Mine seems to run several degrees above wherever I set it. I leave mine on year around but it doesn't run in the winter since my down stairs stays at about 62F. In the summer it's 78F so cooling is a must.

I stopped sweating temperature and humidity quite a few years ago. As long as the temp stays below 68F and the humidity around 70%, I'm good. I can smoke right out of the wineador in a pinch but they smoke much better if I dry box them for several days to a week. That's my test.
 
LarryH said:
I tried an electronic humidifier (Cigar Oasis I think in mid-2018) in my wineador but it was over humidifying. When the cooling kicks in, the cooling plate would suck all of the humidity out of the air. This would cause the humidifier to kick in. I noticed that the bottoms of some of the boxes were wet. I had to pull everything out and dry it off as best I could. It took a while for the humidity to come back down.

I have settled on about a pound of 70% beads and a pile of 69% Bovedas. This holds the humidity around 70% for quite a while. When I notice it starting to go too low I put a rocks glass with about 1.5" of water and a sponge inside. This will rehydrate the Bovedas. I have a PC style fan that is connected to a timer that someone else on here recommended. I'd have to check to see how I have it set but it runs for about 10 minutes every half hour. The fan is mounted horizontally at the back to one of the Spanish cedar planks I am using as shelves, roughly half way up. I believe it is blowing down where I have humidity sheets to soak up any moisture that drips off the cooling plate.


Most wine coolers have a maximum temp setting of around 65F. Mine seems to run several degrees above wherever I set it. I leave mine on year around but it doesn't run in the winter since my down stairs stays at about 62F. In the summer it's 78F so cooling is a must.

I stopped sweating temperature and humidity quite a few years ago. As long as the temp stays below 68F and the humidity around 70%, I'm good. I can smoke right out of the wineador in a pinch but they smoke much better if I dry box them for several days to a week. That's my test.
Click to expand...
Where the hell have you been Larry!
 
Shootr, I can't fully comment on the temp and Rh in your coolidor (and see that it looks to be under control right now, congrats) but will say in 30 years of collecting/storing cigars that having everything in one spot is a big risk when it comes to a tobacco beetle infestation.

I recommend 1.) buying tubos or storing in boxes that seal - not dress boxes or SLB, but ones such as Sir Winston or Opus.

Also recommended is either freezing each box at below 0 Farenheit for a few days (like ISOM does before shipping) or each box received put in a separate ziploc with humidification and allow to be really hot for a week to see if anything pops out, like a quarantine, before allowing into the main humidor.

For freezing I put each box in a ziploc, no humidification, into the fridge for 2 days, then into the freezer for 3 days, and then back into the fridge for 2 and then in the ziploc put in a 65% and a few days swap that out for a 69% - all bovada packs I'm talking here. I keep all my aging smokes @ 69%.

The trick is to have a string freezer that goes sub zero farenheit when put on high. Rubbermaid makes a freezer/cooler thermometer so you can check your fridge.

Anything not just below zero only kills adult beetles, but you need sub zero to kill the eggs.

Just my two cents, lost a lot of cigars during covid times because of high temps.
 
Shootr said:
Update - all is right with the world again. 1lb of beads with a little muffin fan and things have already evened out to 70RH top to bottom at 66F.

Grassy ass for all the help - appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Update for those that are bored...


The beads work spectacularly - almost too well.

I had some on the top shelf and some on the bottom with a fan to circulate. The RH started to crawl up to 72-75 on the top shelves. I pulled the top container of beads to see how it goes.


It's PERFECT! With just the bottom beads all but the very top shelf are at 69-70rh.the top shelf has dropped to 63-65RH.

So it's like I have a dry box in the wine-a-dor. I put a few up there at a time and they smoke great, while the rest hang out in, what I think, are lovely blissful conditions.
 
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