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How to - Wine Fridge Humidor

Has there ever been a how to forum?

I'm interested in comparing the cost of a traditional humi to the cost of converting a wine cooler into a humidor . If the cost is very comparable and the process of converting one is relatively simple then it seems to me that the wine cooler is the no brainer.

Would this one work?
http://www.diguniverse.com/HOME-ACCESSORIES/KITCHEN-AND-HOUSEWARES/DHHVUE06ABB.html


Thoughts please

ps I haven't discovered the search function yet if anyone can also point me in the right direction there. hopefully this isn't a constant repeat question
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Comments

  • Garen BGaren B Posts: 977
    It's not a very common question, but you see one or two threads a month about them. I have absolutely zero experience with making my own wine fridge humi, but there are threads out there of guys that did it.

    The search function is on the upper right of the page, right under the Inbox, Personalize and other links.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Hey that guy, first off in most cases its probably cheaper to have a wine fridge than a humidor of the equivalent size. The only requirement of the wine fridge is that it needs to be thermo-electric, not compressor, cooled. The one in the link you attached qualifies, but a six bottle is not very big most guys have 12 - 20 bottle fridges. Vinotemp seems to be the brand of choice.

    Other than that all you really need is a cigar oasis and/or a whole lot of beads(I'd recommend a combination of both). Spanish cedar is a good idea but not required. If you plan on storing a lot of boxes in there then I'd say adding additional cedar wouldn't be necessary at all but if you are going to be holding mostly loose cigars I'd add some spanish cedar in some form. You could 2 side tape it to the wall of door or use it to make the shelving.
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    I've seen some pictures on here and it seems most people with wine fridge humidors have the cigars in cedar trays or boxes. Are the boxes from other humidors or homemade? Here is a link to show what I've seen.


    http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/2/37455/ShowThread.aspx
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    I think if someone would take the time to do a step by step with pictures, even if it's not much of a process, it would make a good sticky for rooks!
  • betasynnbetasynn Posts: 1,249
    Someone has; I mean, it isn't too difficult, and if I had the space (but I don't, since I usually live in a dorm) I would make one. Currently, I'm stuck with my two 120 counts.
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/hsh/1174463564.html Here's one I found on craigslist. It holds 9 bottles of wine - what would a fridge this size hold in cigars out of curiosity?
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    0 That Guy 0:
    I think if someone would take the time to do a step by step with pictures, even if it's not much of a process, it would make a good sticky for rooks!
    Hey that guy, I just noticed you were from the 'Noke. I spent 5 years in Franklin County, I love it up there and still visit often. Have you been to the new Milan?

    Anyways, there really isn't a process. Buy thermo-electric fridge, put in humidification, once it reaches your desired RH put in cigars. ANything other than that is purely preference.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    0 That Guy 0:
    http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/hsh/1174463564.html Here's one I found on craigslist. It holds 9 bottles of wine - what would a fridge this size hold in cigars out of curiosity?
    Well first you need to make sure it is thermo-electric, looks like it is but no telling for sure. Second, if I had to guess I'd say a 9 bottle would hold roughly 250 loose cigars. I have no idea how many boxes and the box size really comes into play then.
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    Madurofan whats up man! I am born and raised here in the Noke. I have been to the new Milan brothers but it is also the only cigar shop I have been to so I can't base it on anything. It's nice though, hardwood floors, leather chairs, fairly large walk in humidor, and the guy I met was extremely helpful and nice. We talked for over an hour about his visit to Rocky Patel's place in Honduras.

    I do see that the process isn't much at all regarding wineodors but I am still curious what the specific one in the craigslist link would hold as far as cigar count is concerned? I've found a few more on craigslist I'm pursuing, one is a 24 bottle and ones a 42 bottle.
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    http://charlotte.craigslist.org/hsh/1174614322.html Here's another I'm looking at - which would you choose and why?
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    David and Renee own Milan, Poochie is the only other worker there I believe. Poochie is a big black guy always smoking a pipe. I'm sure it was David you spoke with, he is a great guy. His wife Renee may know even more than he does, lol. Have the opened their club upstairs yet?

    I'd shoot for the 12-24 bottle range, 9 is going to be kind of small and usually the larger ones like the 42 bottle will not be thermo-electric. Feel free to message me with any that you find I'd be glad to take a look.

    I personally have a 48 bottle wine fridge that is not thermo electric but what I'm doing is I have my coolerdor and humidors inside of the wine fridge.

    I am curious as to why you want a wine fridge in Roanoke? They only reason to go with a wine fridge is because you can't keep the temperature of your humidor below 75 degrees. In the summer time down here in Virginia Beach I just can't get my house below 78 - 80 sometimes. That shouldn't be a problem for you in the noke though and a coolerdor would be a much cheaper route.
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    OK now I'm lost. I was getting a wine fridge so that I would never have to worry about temps. Your right that the temp doesn't get too terribly hot in the summer here in Noke but another reason I was looking at these was because everyone seems to start with a 50 count up to 150 count desktop humidor and then realizes the need for a bigger one soon there after. I was trying to avoid that problem all together and get something big enough that I could keep 3-400 cigars in right off the bat in hopes that I'll never have to upgrade to anything else. Not to mention they look really nice.

    What exactly is a coolerdor and how do they work? So much to learn..............
  • 0 That Guy 00 That Guy 0 Posts: 188
    Oh yea, about Milan.....I had no idea they were trying to open a bar/lounge/club upstairs so I will have to ask about that and your right it must have been David I spoke with. There was also a woman working in there as well a big black guy that stopped in for a second so I may have seen the whole crew in my one visit. They also have their chocolate lab chillin on the hardwoods which I thought was pretty neat. All in all a really nice shop without having a comparison to anything else yet.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Yea that lab is a cool dog.

    OK on to the coolerdor. This is a much cheaper solution and there have been quite a few how to's written on here about these. Let me see if I can find the one I wrote.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Coolerdor how to.

    http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/ShowThread.aspx?PostID=35843#35843

    Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions on it. Shoot me a PM if you want my number to talk it through or anything. I've built a few coolerdors and tupperdors.
  • vankleekkwvankleekkw Posts: 404
    I have the 28 bottle version from Vinotemp - If you can find this one, get it becasue of how many people have made custom drawers and shelves for it. You can usually pick it up for $150 or cheaper.

    Put a piece of electrical tape over the drain hole to seal off the unit.

    Get 1/2 - 1 pound of beads from www.heartfelt.com Put the majority on the bottom and put a little bit up top. Either use a small tupperware containor, or get some nylons as they will hold the beads pretty well

    I just store my sicks in boxes, but have a line on a guy making drawers. Pm me if you want, but the drawers are about $25.00 - $30.00 a piece.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    van you know Target just clearanced all theirs out, I wonder if they quit making them. You remember G8trbone from CL, he paid like $60 for his Vinotemp, the 28 bottle.
  • vankleekkwvankleekkw Posts: 404
    Yep, I got mine last year for $100. I think that they cleared them out because not many people store 28 bottles of wine like people who store 1000's of cigars.
  • BigginBiggin Posts: 52
    I realize that what I'm about to ask has very little to do with actual wine fridge humidors, but I'm going to ask anyway while I'm thinking about it.

    I buddy of mine picked up some cigars for me and had to wait a couple of day to get them to me.  He put them in his fridge during that time.  Does this in any way help maintain proper humidity?  I realize it's a wacky  temporary fix, but I am having problems getting my humidor to maintain the right humidity level, so I figured I'd ask.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Biggin:
    I realize that what I'm about to ask has very little to do with actual wine fridge humidors, but I'm going to ask anyway while I'm thinking about it.

    I buddy of mine picked up some cigars for me and had to wait a couple of day to get them to me.  He put them in his fridge during that time.  Does this in any way help maintain proper humidity?  I realize it's a wacky  temporary fix, but I am having problems getting my humidor to maintain the right humidity level, so I figured I'd ask.
    No this is not a fix if anything it will do more damage than good. Typically cooler air is less humid. Just stick your hygro in the fridge and watch.
  • niz33niz33 Posts: 83
    0 That Guy 0:
    Has there ever been a how to forum?

    I'm interested in comparing the cost of a traditional humi to the cost of converting a wine cooler into a humidor . If the cost is very comparable and the process of converting one is relatively simple then it seems to me that the wine cooler is the no brainer.

    Would this one work?
    http://www.diguniverse.com/HOME-ACCESSORIES/KITCHEN-AND-HOUSEWARES/DHHVUE06ABB.html


    Thoughts please

    ps I haven't discovered the search function yet if anyone can also point me in the right direction there. hopefully this isn't a constant repeat question
    Ok so I have just started with my Wine Fridge Humidor so I'm not done with it. Once I have completed my little project I will make a post on a how to guide. This is just a picture as it is right now. image
  • kent1146kent1146 Posts: 86
    0 That Guy 0:
    OK now I'm lost. I was getting a wine fridge so that I would never have to worry about temps. Your right that the temp doesn't get too terribly hot in the summer here in Noke but another reason I was looking at these was because everyone seems to start with a 50 count up to 150 count desktop humidor and then realizes the need for a bigger one soon there after. I was trying to avoid that problem all together and get something big enough that I could keep 3-400 cigars in right off the bat in hopes that I'll never have to upgrade to anything else. Not to mention they look really nice.

    What exactly is a coolerdor and how do they work? So much to learn..............


    Ok, so there are a lot of things going on in this thread.  I'm hoping that I can break things down for you a bit.


    A coolerdor is a big drink cooler that has been converted for use to store cigars.  For a nice guide on building one, look here: Link

    -  They are very inexpensive, considering the holding capacity of the units.
    -  There is no temperature control on coolerdors.... only humidity control.



    Sample of a Completed Coolerdor:

    image





    A wineador is a wine cooler that has been assigned for use to store cigars.  -

    -  As a general rule, you want a thermo-electric unit isntead of a compressor unit.  It is worth Googling the model # of the unit you're interested in to verify that it's thermo-electric.
    -  In general, every 10 bottles-of-wine capacity of the wine cooler equals about 100 to 125 cigars.  For your needs, look for a 28-bottle unit.
    -  Make sure that the temp can reach up to the mid 60's.  Most units can go to 65 degrees without issue.
    -  A wineador will provide both temperature and humidity control - important if your indoor temps exceed 70 degrees in the summer.
    -  A wineador will be a little more expensive than a coolerdor, but is still very inexpensive considering the amount of storage space you get.
    -  You can find a great deal on used wine coolers on craigslist or ebay.



    Sample of a Completed Wineador:

    image



    To answer some other questions:

    1.  Whatever you go with, you will need humidification for the wine/coolerdor.  Most people buy Heartfelt beads, and put them in either mesh bags or plastic containers directly in the wine/coolerdor.
    2.  Many people store their cigars in old cigar boxes for the spanish cedar.  Your local brick and mortar store should have plenty of these boxes to either give you, or sell to you for a cheap price.
    3.  Some people forego the cigar box route, and build custom Spanish cedar shelves and drawers for their cigars.
    Hope this helped.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Kent are those your setups?
  • kent1146kent1146 Posts: 86
    madurofan:
    Kent are those your setups?


    Hah, no.  I'd love to have those setups... especially that coolerdor.  That thing looks sweet.

    Here is my setup.  Converted Haier 12-bottle wine cooler (in a 2x6 bottle configuration).  Took out the shelves, picked up some empty cigar boxes from my local B&M, and threw some heartfelt beads in the back.

    image
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Your setup is not too shabby either buddy. Looks nice to me. You need to get that RH up though 62%! LOL unless you're one of those damned dry smokers.
  • bbc020bbc020 Posts: 1,422
    madurofan:
    Your setup is not too shabby either buddy. Looks nice to me. You need to get that RH up though 62%! LOL unless you're one of those damned dry smokers.
    Maybe it's an uncalibrate-able digi...and it reads 3-4% lower.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    bbc020:
    madurofan:
    Your setup is not too shabby either buddy. Looks nice to me. You need to get that RH up though 62%! LOL unless you're one of those damned dry smokers.
    Maybe it's an uncalibrate-able digi...and it reads 3-4% lower.
    Could be, you know I had to talk a little shmack tho.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    bbc020:
    madurofan:
    Your setup is not too shabby either buddy. Looks nice to me. You need to get that RH up though 62%! LOL unless you're one of those damned dry smokers.
    Maybe it's an uncalibrate-able digi...and it reads 3-4% lower.
    my digital reads 61% at all times.

    its really at 65%. i have 65% beads
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    bbc020:
    madurofan:
    Your setup is not too shabby either buddy. Looks nice to me. You need to get that RH up though 62%! LOL unless you're one of those damned dry smokers.
    Maybe it's an uncalibrate-able digi...and it reads 3-4% lower.
    my digital reads 61% at all times.

    its really at 65%. i have 65% beads
    Kuz check out my post on the heartfelt sheets, I really want your opinion.
  • kent1146kent1146 Posts: 86
    Ah, no, the humidity gets to 69% and stays there.  The only reason it's at 62% in the pic is because I opened the door right before taking the pic.  I can't resist opening one of the boxes and taking a nice long whiff of the cedar and tobacco when I look at that.
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