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Need some guidance and advice on my Wineador/ Cigarcooler setup

CigarSeeker

CigarSeeker

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
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53
Just need an advice and opinions of the experts that "have been there done that" ..

My current setup is a Whynter CHC-251S. It's pretty much a wine cooler with shelves and drawers. To maintain humidity I use (2) Xikar crystal humidifiers that I fill up with PG solution. I maintain humidity at 67 but I'm getting tired of filling those things up and humidity sometimes doesn't seem so stable.. Maybe because I keep adding boxes? Lol ... I was looking and found the Hydra Personal Series humidifier .. Looks like it has decent reviews. Would this be a better method or way to go? I appreciate any help and advice you can give me.. Cheers.

My Whynter CHC-251S



Xikar crystal humidifier



Hydra Personal series electric humidifier

 
Go with a couple pounds of beads if you want low tech. Same concept as you Xikar stuff but cheaper and easier to maintain.

Edit: and yes, adding new boxes can mess with the units stability for a while.
 
MichaelD said:
Go with a couple pounds of beads if you want low tech. Same concept as you Xikar stuff but cheaper and easier to maintain.

Edit: and yes, adding new boxes can mess with the units stability for a while.
Click to expand...
With the beads, do I need to add PG solution to them? Or distelled water?
 
I think the general consensus is to just add distilled water. The beads have already been impregnated with salts to reach the specific rh% you choose.
 
Minor thread hijack: the hygrometer that is on your glass door, is it attached to the shelf or to the glass? If to the glass, is it adjustable and accurate? I've been looking for a unit that can attach to glass. There isn't enough of a gap between my draws and the glass to put anything in between and I want a backup hygrometer that is readable without having to open the door to my humidor.

edit: fixed typo that was pointed out below.
 
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MichaelD said:
Minor thread hijack: the hydrometer that is on your glass door, is it attached to the shelf or to the glass? If to the glass, is it adjustable and accurate? I've been looking for a unit that can attach to glass. There isn't enough of a gap between my drawers and the glass to put anything in between and I want a backup hydrometer that is readable without having to open the door to my humidor.
Click to expand...

Thread jack of your thread jack.....one of my cigar forum pet peeves: hygrometer , not hydrometer.
 
MichaelD said:
Minor thread hijack: the hydrometer that is on your glass door, is it attached to the shelf or to the glass? If to the glass, is it adjustable and accurate? I've been looking for a unit that can attach to glass. There isn't enou of a gap between my draws and the glass to put anything in between and I want a backup hydrometer that is readable without having to open the door to my humidor.
Click to expand...

Attached to that shelf not glass. I used the boveda calibration kit, it's been working fine so far.
 
CigarSeeker said:
I thought by using PG it avoids possible mold issues?
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I hope that you aren't using 100% of the PG solution every time you rehydrate your crystals. If you are going to be using the PG solution, then the correct way to do it is to add a few drops of it to distilled water and then add it to your crystals. The PG solution should be used about every 4-6 months because too much of it can clot your humidifier. I personally do not use it and never had an issue with mold, try to keep your humidity under 69% and you should be fine (I keep mines around 67%-68% for winter and 65% for summer).
 
whylieineedacigar said:
I hope that you aren't using 100% of the PG solution every time you rehydrate your crystals. If you are going to be using the PG solution, then the correct way to do it is to add a few drops of it to distilled water and then add it to your crystals. The PG solution should be used about every 4-6 months because too much of it can clot your humidifier. I personally do not use it and never had an issue with mold, try to keep your humidity under 69% and you should be fine (I keep mines around 67%-68% for winter and 65% for summer).
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No, I use Xikar Pre-mixed solution.
 
CigarSeeker said:
No, I use Xikar Pre-mixed solution.
Click to expand...

Ok, you should be fine then but distilled water is much cheaper. If you're worried about mold then add a few drops of Nano Silver Colloidal Silver to a gallon of water (a tip from CigSid) which I use myself. Also, make sure to open your wineador for a few seconds once or twice a week so that the air can circulate and this will also help with preventing mold.
 
whylieineedacigar said:
Ok, you should be fine then but distilled water is much cheaper. If you're worried about mold then add a few drops of Nano Silver Colloidal Silver to a gallon of water (a tip from CigSid) which I use myself. Also, make sure to open your wineador for a few seconds once or twice a week so that the air can circulate and this will also help with preventing mold.
Click to expand...

My wineador has a built in fan, also thinking of adding an additional fan in there. However, I do open it couple of times a week to get sticks out to enjoy.
 
MichaelD said:
Minor thread hijack: the hydrometer that is on your glass door, is it attached to the shelf or to the glass? If to the glass, is it adjustable and accurate? I've been looking for a unit that can attach to glass. There isn't enou of a gap between my draws and the glass to put anything in between and I want a backup hydrometer that is readable without having to open the door to my humidor.
Click to expand...
Check this out.. its analog and somewhat largebut might work for you.
http://www.amazon.com/4-5-Inch-Suct...000HU8AT6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
 
To provide a differing opinion,

If the humidity in your house is quite low (like in mine) the Hydra unit can save you a heck of a lot of time on refilling or re-humidifying the space. For me, half the battle was circulation (as I packed my wineador with as many boxes as would fit) so the Hydra unit having a fan helped maintain humidity throughout my case evenly.

But again, mine is far more of an uphill battle based on region than many others. I've yet to own my wineador anytime other than the winter when the air humidity is around 20%, so my opinion may change down the line. But even with all entry/exit points sealed (drain pipe) and a great seal around the edge, and 2 lbs of heartfelt beads on the bottom of my unit, I couldn't get the humidity to hold well enough. Open and close the door once, it'd drop like a rock and wouldn't come up again for 8-12 hours to anything above 50%.

Climate makes a huge difference on your option. Some people are trying to get the humidity to drop. Others are fighting desperately to get it to rise.

But as a user of that Hydra unit, I don't have anything bad to say about it. Works like a charm for me with distilled water.
 
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