Humidor question

ShawnJ

I got my first humidor today (was an early birthday present from my wife). It's a smaller one - fits maybe 25 cigars. Anyway, I filled the humidifier with distilled water and shook it out real good - just made sure the sponge is nice and damp. Then I put the hygrometer on, closed the lid and have been waiting. So far, the hygrometer is still reading zero. I know it's supposed to be 70% humidity. So, does it just take a while, or do I have the hygrometer in wrong?

rwheelwright

Is it digital or Analog? The analogs sometimes have a rubber seal around it. It should NOT read zero. It should at least read 30, 40, 50?

ShawnJ

It's analog. No rubber seal as far as I can see - though there was a piece of something (maybe rubber) over the face when I bought it. I peeled it off before putting it in the humidor. It's not really reading zero - it's not reading anything. The needle is just at the bottom and not doing anything. The hygrometer is stuck to the inside of the humidor on a sticky thing with velcro. Could it be that I'm covering the back of the hygrometer and it can't read anything?

rwheelwright

THe ones I have have holes on the side. I would dump it and get a digital. WOn't hurt. It could just be broken. I have found that even after calibrating an analog, they can be like 10 - 15% off. Even the digitals are off but usually only by a few %

kaspera79

ShawnJ:

It's analog. No rubber seal as far as I can see - though there was a piece of something (maybe rubber) over the face when I bought it. I peeled it off before putting it in the humidor. It's not really reading zero - it's not reading anything. The needle is just at the bottom and not doing anything. The hygrometer is stuck to the inside of the humidor on a sticky thing with velcro. Could it be that I'm covering the back of the hygrometer and it can't read anything?

Now with a little more info this may help.. I had an analog hygrometer that had a similar issue. On the back there may be some holes, 4 or 5. Most are to measure the humidity . One hole (center) should have a recessed plastic dial with a slot, get a small screwdriver and start it on the way toward 40 or 50. The needle or wheel may just be "stuck" Be gentle, Hope this works.

ShawnJ

Thanks for all the info guys. Kaspera - I think that may have done the trick. I used a small screw driver to get the needle up to 40 and then, by itself, it ended up going up to 55. I put the water in the humidifier probably about eight hours ago or so.

rwheelwright

kaspera79:

ShawnJ:

It's analog. No rubber seal as far as I can see - though there was a piece of something (maybe rubber) over the face when I bought it. I peeled it off before putting it in the humidor. It's not really reading zero - it's not reading anything. The needle is just at the bottom and not doing anything. The hygrometer is stuck to the inside of the humidor on a sticky thing with velcro. Could it be that I'm covering the back of the hygrometer and it can't read anything?

Now with a little more info this may help.. I had an analog hygrometer that had a similar issue. On the back there may be some holes, 4 or 5. Most are to measure the humidity . One hole (center) should have a recessed plastic dial with a slot, get a small screwdriver and start it on the way toward 40 or 50. The needle or wheel may just be "stuck" Be gentle, Hope this works.

Never had that happen before. Gotta remember that!

kaspera79

ShawnJ:

Thanks for all the info guys. Kaspera - I think that may have done the trick. I used a small screw driver to get the needle up to 40 and then, by itself, it ended up going up to 55. I put the water in the humidifier probably about eight hours ago or so.

I think it just needed a bump start.. But now it's not exact, because you don't know what the room humidity ( starting point ) was. Digital is far more precise.

ShawnJ

I may look into getting a digital one. I live in Florida so it's pretty humid here to begin with. As it is now, when do you think it will be safe to add cigars into the humidor?

rwheelwright

Well, that's the thing. YOu want an accurate reading on your hygro so that you know when the humidor is around the 65-70% mark. Have you calibrated the hygro yet? There is a salt test that you should do to calibrate it.

I stole this from another site.

So here’s what you’ll need to perform this simple experiment: (1) Distilled water (purchased from any grocery store) (2) Coffee stirrer (or other thin, clean object with which to stir) (3) Bottle cap (Snapple bottle caps work perfectly) (4) Empty wide-mouth jar with lid (like an old mayonnaise jar) (5) Tablespoon of plain table salt (I suggest Mortons – it’s made in Chicago) (6) Your hygrometer (duh) Place the tablespoon of salt within the bottle cap and slowly add distilled water to the salt while stirring with the coffee stirrer. Only add just enough water to moisten the salt so that it becomes a thick paste. Do not add enough water to dissolve the salt! Place the bottle cap with salt gently into your wide-mouth jar and add your hygrometer. Make certain the sensor is exposed and is not blocked by the sides of the jar. Seal the jar so there are no leaks and put it in a place out of direct sunlight and with a stable, cool temperature (like your closet). Leave the setup undisturbed for a minimum of eight hours. After that, check the reading on the hygrometer through the glass jar – it should read on or near 75 percent relative humidity. Due to the salt paste reacting with the confined air, the ambient relative humidity within the jar will be exactly 75 percent. Most inexpensive hygrometers are only accurate to within 3 percent, so do not be surprised if yours reads 72 or 78 percent. Whatever it reads plus or minus our 75 percent benchmark is the amount of error of your hygrometer. If your hygrometer has an adjustment potentiometer then, by all means, try to tweak it to exactly 75 percent relative humidity. You should repeat the salt calibration test after making any adjustments. If your hygrometer can’t be adjusted but the reading is close, then my advice is to not worry about it; just remember that your hygrometer is X percent off – either high or low. If the reading is grossly in error and you are unable to adjust it, you need to replace it. Once you confirm your hygrometer’s accuracy and maintain a relative humidity of about 65 percent in your humidor, your cigars will age properly and be in peak condition when you’re ready to partake in their delicious flavors. Happy smoking

ShawnJ

Wow...I think I'll just buy a digital one tomorrow. lol When I bought the humidor today, the guy at the cigar store walked me though it and just said "should take about a day". Another question : how often do I put more distilled water in the humidifier and how long will the humidifier last? It's one of the cheap black plastic ones.

kaspera79

Look at that Speedy McWheelie, I was off hunting down the details and you type like 200 words per minute. Thanks for doing the lifting on that one.

rwheelwright

kaspera79:

Look at that Speedy McWheelie, I was off hunting down the details and you type like 200 words per minute. Thanks for doing the lifting on that one.

Yeah, I was supposed to be working on homework and was to busy ready this site and facebook. I have no life!

ShawnJ

Hey guys, I got a digital hygrometer this morning and put it in as soon as I got it home. For some reason...it's still reading 55%. I tried adding more water to the sponge a few hours ago, and it's still 55%. What's going on?

bass8844

depending on the humidor, seasoning can take a while. Usually overnight is good, but it can take several days. If the humidor still doesn't hold any humidity, you could have a seal problem.