Question..

coachjamie

I have a 20ct humidor that I purchased brand new about a month ago. I let it season for about 1 week before I put anything in it. I did not trust the analog hygro that it came with after a couple of weeks so I went and purchased a digital one. I did the salt test with it and it tested out good at 75% after letting it sit overnight in the container.


So I noticed that my temperture is staying pretty much where it is in my house. I live in FL and it has been in the 80's lately. My house inside has been around 75 or so during the day when we are not home. I put it in the coolest place in the house, my closet but it still stays around 73-75 degrees. Is this going to be a problem with it at that temp?


Also, I did the dollar bill test with my humi and it seemed to be tight everywhere I put it. I had the humidifier that came with the humi in it with distilled water. It was staying down around 63%. So I went and got a Xikar unit that says it is good for up to 50 cigars and has the crystals that turn to gel. I also got the Xikar solution to fill it with. I put it in on Monday. It was up around 68% at first. I just checked it after I got home from work and it is at 63%. So I am confused,lol. I also have around 14 cigars in it at the moment.

txjayhawk

If the cigars seem fine when you smoke them meaning they dont crack, they have a nice draw (not tight and not easy) they should be fine. Most guys on here keep their RH around 63-65 (I personally keep my cabinet from 68-65). Alot will also tell you to ditch whatever humidification system you are using for beads (they do work pretty dang good). As long as the cigars are smoking good and nothing is happening to them then you really have nothing to worry about.

Goldy

Where did you keep your cigars when you were seasoning the humi? I would guess that your sticks are absorbing the humidity right now and that is why your RH is only at 63% even though you have a good seal. I say give it a week and see what happens, after a week you might want to think about beads.

coachjamie

I did not have the cigars yet when I was seasoning them. I have had the cigars in the humi for 3 weeks now though.

bigharpoon

It sounds like the new humidifier put a lot of moisture into the air directly after you installed it and now the humi is absorbing the moisture out of the air. Those are good products, it should level out after a while. Try not to open it too much while it settles as that lets a ton of moisture out.

ironhorse

is that the propolyne glycol (sp) xicar solution? most of the gel type humidifiers you should use ONLY distilled water. that PG solution is for the foam pucks. That could be your issue.

coachjamie

yes the Xikar solution. The Xikar humidifier that I got recommended that you only use the Xikar solution. It said any other solution may ruin the crystals.

cholmes8310

coachjamie:

yes the Xikar solution. The Xikar humidifier that I got recommended that you only use the Xikar solution. It said any other solution may ruin the crystals.

Add more solution to the gel or put the puck back in as well. I had the same problem. My gel said it was preloaded, but wasn't doing much. The wood is probably still dry, and is sucking the moisture out of it. Either add back the puck so the gel and wood draw moisture from it, or just add some more solution to the gel initially.

I did this, and my humi came up from 57% to 68%. My gel actually started reabsorbing the excess moisture and was about to overflow, so I removed it for a night to let it dry out a little.

letsgowithbob

Hey Jamie, I don't know if this is your problem or not, I would guess not. I have noticed a lot of people are doing their "salt tests" in about 12-16 hours. Whenever I do the salt tests on my hygrometers, I always leave them for a minimum of 36 hours. And usually try to leave them in for 48 hours. It really helps to wait a little longer to get the actual humidity level. Hope everything goes well with your humi.