moldy beads

[interscape]

Great, 2 in bound packages of smokes and have managed to grow mold in my beads. What have I done wrong?

 

[The Volusianator]

Not sure, but they look pretty wet!

 

[denverdog]

Not sure, but they look pretty wet!

My thought as well. Seems like it could have something to do with it. Viper?

 

[grateful1]

Not sure, but they look pretty wet!

x2



Did you have them sitting in water?

Are they moldy - or do they just appear DARK. I notice when the beads are really moist - they take on a dark color.

 

[interscape]

There was a little water in the bottom of this dish. It is mold. you can see it start to creep onto the dish. Is UV bad for cigars?

Yes viper. 70%

 

[N2Advnture]

Toss them and get new RH Beads

They should only be 50-60% saturated, not 100%

Hope this helps
~Mark

 

[Mark Twain]

Some questions:
1) did you use distilled water?
2) was the bowl you kept them in clean? (ie did it have food in it prior to the beads)?
3) How often did you check them?
4)How much did you humidfy them?

 

[drew_goring]

Looks like you severely over saturated you beads. You do not want standing water. You just want 60% of the beads to be clear like they all are right now, and 40% to be white like they all are when you first received them. These are Viper's beads, correct? Check his site. I believe that he has a how-to on it.

 

[interscape]

Some questions:
1) did you use distilled water?
2) was the bowl you kept them in clean? (ie did it have food in it prior to the beads)?
3) How often did you check them?
4)How much did you humidfy them?

1) distilled only from my own bottle (not used for anything else)
2) used bowl. It was clean
3) twice a week. I open the humidor lid every day.
4) I add water as soon as I notice the humitity drop.

I add water right to the dish. I think this is my issue.

 

[CasaSoho]

Some questions:
1) did you use distilled water?
2) was the bowl you kept them in clean? (ie did it have food in it prior to the beads)?
3) How often did you check them?
4)How much did you humidfy them?

1) distilled only from my own bottle (not used for anything else)
2) used bowl. It was clean
3) twice a week. I open the humidor lid every day.
4) I add water as soon as I notice the humitity drop.

I add water right to the dish. I think this is my issue.

With the humidity dropping while the beads are that wet is it possible your humidor may have a seal issue?

 

[bfreebern]

I add water right to the dish. I think this is my issue.

Yep, that's the issue. The beads are sitting in water not absorbed.

You'd be better served by putting the distilled water in a 2 liter cap and letting it sit with your beads. Once they've come back to the humidity you like, remove the cap. Either that or you can fill a spray bottle w/ distilled water and srapy the beads.

 

[Wurm]

And to fix the mold problem put the beads in a metal bowl and put them on the heater (or use a hair dryer) until they are complete dry.

And taken right from vipers site...


Thank you for purchasing Heartfelt Humidification beads. We feel that these are the best humidification beads on the market.

Humidification beads were first developed for the art and museum industry and are used extensively by that industry for the stable storage of priceless artifacts and art. The manufacturer I purchase the beads from also supplies places such as the Smithsonian and The National Archives.

Question that are often asked; “Are humidification beads the same as ordinary desiccant silica gel?” Definitely NOT! Humidification beads give off water vapor, as well as absorb it, to maintain a specific RH which is ideal for a cigars particular need. This is not the case with silica gel which can only absorb water then must be dried out after it is saturated. By nature silica gel is not meant to control humidity, only lower it. Humidification beads are the premier product for precise control in terms of performance, cost effectiveness, and simplicity.

One good point to remember is humidification beads have an indefinite life span. There is nothing to wear out and all that is needed to maintain them is either the addition of distilled water or the drying out of the beads if they become water logged.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!

You may have noticed that every time I mention the fluid that is added to the beads I say “distilled water”. This is extremely important; anything other than distilled water will ultimately ruin the beads. All the impurities in tap water will be drawn in by the beads and remain there. Ultimately the beads will get plugged up and not work anymore. The same is true with any type of humidifier solution (also known as 50/50 solution) this will also ruin the beads in the long run.

“How much do I need for my ______?”

Here are some quantities for various containers.
5 cubic feet requires 1 pound of humidification beads.
1/3 pound of beads per 50 quarts (coolerdors)

Calculating the cubic area of your humi:
Measure the depth, width and height of you humi (example is 24” depth, 36” wide and 48” height)
Multiply the three; 24x36x48=41472 cubic inches
Divide 41472 by 1728 (number of cubic inches in a cubic foot) 41472/1728= 24 cubic feet
Divide the cubic feet by 5 (number of cubic feet per pound) 24/5 = 4.8
You would need 4.8 pounds of humidification beads for this humi.

“How do I add distilled water to the beads when they get dry?”

There are a number of ways to do this. You can just pour distilled water on the beads. A lot of folks do it this way but the beads can fracture when it is done this way. One thing to remember, fracturing will not affect the efficiency of the beads or ruin them in any way, they will still do their job.

My 1/2 ounce humi tube takes 1-2 teaspoons of distilled water,

The 1 ounce humi tube takes 2-3 teaspoons of distilled water,

The 2 ounce humi tube takes 3-4 teaspoons of distilled water,

The four ounce humi tube takes 4-5 teaspoons of distilled water,

½ pound takes approximately 1-1 ½ tablespoons,

1 pound takes approximately 3-4 tablespoons.

You can put a container of distilled water, like a bowl, next to the beads and let them absorb the distilled water in this way. When they have absorbed all they can remove the bowl. This method is effective but takes a while for the beads to absorb the water.

The method I use and prefer is using a spray bottle. I purchased an inexpensive spray bottle at the grocery store and filled it with distilled water. When the beads need water I just spray them until they have absorbed enough distilled water. This method will work well if you have the beads in a bag or dish.

" If my beads are going white, should I add distilled water until they are all clear? "

The optimal is to have about 60% to 70% of the beads clear. Don't try to get them all clear because if you do they cannot absorb any sudden rise in humidity in your humi.

“What do I put the beads in?”

A great variety of containers are possible. You can use a Heartfelt drawstring mesh bag, Heartfelt Humi Tubes, place the beads in a shot glass or small dish, put them is a leftover container with holes drilled in the lid, nylon stockings (be careful stealing them from your wife or significant other) or any other container. The main point of whatever container you choose is to have the greatest amount of surface area as possible. If possible the beads should be no more than 1 to 1 ½ inches deep, this way they will work the best.

“How can I tell when the beads need water?”

This is very easy. The color of the beads is the dead give away. When they are full of distilled water they are pretty much clear and when they are completely dried out they are a bright white. Believe me you will be able to tell the difference

 

[The Volusianator]

Either that or you can fill a spray bottle w/ distilled water and srapy the beads.

What's "srapy"? :sign:

 

[Mrepp]

Hmm Off subject but I’m wondering if anyone’s had beads go bad after awhile, mine are going on 3 years old now and they don’t seem to charge / discharge as well as they used too?

 

[NullSmurf]

I would ditch the bowl. Even saturated, the beads will not drip. With the low ambient RH in Colorado, I recharge my beads to near 100%. That is, I soak them to charge them. I put the charged bead bags on a paper towl for about half an hour to catch liquid not absorbed, then put them back in my cabinet.

 

[bfreebern]

Either that or you can fill a spray bottle w/ distilled water and srapy the beads.

What's "srapy"? :sign:

Get back to your woody.

 

[interscape]

Well they just took a 2 hour soak in 40% hydrogen peroxide and near distilled water (99% total disolved solids removed) then rinsed for another hour and are currently bleaching in the AZ sun. They are turning white pretty quickly so I assume they are "working".

would ditch the bowl. Even saturated, the beads will not drip. With the low ambient RH in Colorado, I recharge my beads to near 100%. That is, I soak them to charge them. I put the charged bead bags on a paper towl for about half an hour to catch liquid not absorbed, then put them back in my cabinet.

I did this a once but the got the wood wet. So they were over saturated?

Hmm Off subject but I’m wondering if anyone’s had beads go bad after awhile, mine are going on 3 years old now and they don’t seem to charge / discharge as well as they used too?

This is the reason for using distilled water correct? So the pores dont plug up?

 

[bfreebern]

Keep the container and charge them from the instructions listed by Viper.

 

[grateful1]

Well they just took a 2 hour soak in 40% hydrogen peroxide and near distilled water (99% total disolved solids removed) then rinsed for another hour and are currently bleaching in the AZ sun. They are turning white pretty quickly so I assume they are "working".

would ditch the bowl. Even saturated, the beads will not drip. With the low ambient RH in Colorado, I recharge my beads to near 100%. That is, I soak them to charge them. I put the charged bead bags on a paper towl for about half an hour to catch liquid not absorbed, then put them back in my cabinet.

I did this a once but the got the wood wet. So they were over saturated?

Hmm Off subject but I'm wondering if anyone's had beads go bad after awhile, mine are going on 3 years old now and they don't seem to charge / discharge as well as they used too?

This is the reason for using distilled water correct? So the pores dont plug up?

I put a piece of cedar <thin liner> from a box, under the bead bag....works just fine!



Not only the pores...but tap water has bacteria and minerals that aid in producing mold.

 

[Shooter]

Moldy beads that sucks... Sounds like you are doind the right thing, by drying them and setting them out in the sun. I wouldn't introduce them back into my humi until I new for sure they were mold free..

Also seems mold loves to grow at or above 70% I would try to go for lower...