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Novel question about humidification

xmacroxmacro Posts: 3,402 ✭
in Cigar 101
I just got another humidor, a 100 count and after watching the humidity move around, it got me thinking - assuming I use heartfelt beads to humidify, and assuming they slowly release water vapor to adjust the humidity - is water vapor heavier than air or lighter? If it's lighter, then the humidification unit would be better off on the bottom so the moisture rises into the cigars above, but if it's heavier, it should be put on the top so the moisture filters down

So does anyone know the physics behind this?

Comments

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    if your humidor has more than one tray then i put a few beads on each tray. if its only one tray deep it wont make much of a difference.


    humid air is heavier BTW
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • Jetmech_63Jetmech_63 Posts: 3,451 ✭✭✭
    Humidity is heavier than air. I have 2 boveda packs in the bottom and 2 jars in the top shelf of my 300. Works just fine. Given time though in an enclosed area, such as a humi, the humidity will even out and equally saturate the air. Humidity moving around could be improper seasoning, temp swings, how often you peek, how full it is or just your devices trying to reach a happy balance. I never get consistent (+/- 1%) until about 2 weeks after seasoning.
  • Jetmech_63Jetmech_63 Posts: 3,451 ✭✭✭
    Damn Kooz, beat me too it!
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    Jetmech_63:
    Damn Kooz, beat me too it!
    quick on the type.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • nightmaremike31nightmaremike31 Posts: 718 ✭✭✭
    Um...
    kuzi16:
    if your humidor has more than one tray then i put a few beads on each tray. if its only one tray deep it wont make much of a difference.


    humid air is heavier BTW

    A quick physics and chemistry lesson
    Jack Williams, USATODAY.com:
    The water molecules, which replace nitrogen or oxygen, have a molecular weight of 18. (One oxygen atom with atomic weight of 16, and two hudrogen atoms each with atomic weight of 1). This is lighter than both nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, replacing nitrogen and oxygen with water vapor decreases the weight of the air in the cubic foot; that is, it's density decreases.
    Wait a minute, you might say, "I know water's heavier than air." True, liquid water is heavier, or more dense, than air. But, the water that makes the air humid isn't liquid. It's water vapor, which is a gas that is lighter than nitrogen or oxygen
  • xmacroxmacro Posts: 3,402 ✭

    Jack Williams, USATODAY.com:
    The water molecules, which replace nitrogen or oxygen, have a molecular weight of 18. (One oxygen atom with atomic weight of 16, and two hudrogen atoms each with atomic weight of 1). This is lighter than both nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, replacing nitrogen and oxygen with water vapor decreases the weight of the air in the cubic foot; that is, it's density decreases.
    Wait a minute, you might say, "I know water's heavier than air." True, liquid water is heavier, or more dense, than air. But, the water that makes the air humid isn't liquid. It's water vapor, which is a gas that is lighter than nitrogen or oxygen
    I was thinking of that, but then I remembered that oxygen has 2 open spots on its valence shell, meaning you'll never find oxygen by itself in the wild - it always bonds to something. Most often, it's another oxygen atom. The result is that most of the air is actually O2, with an atomic weight of 32, which is heavier than H2O - but then oxygen is a gas which is lighter than liquid water but water vapor is a gas . . . . and I got really confused :p

    kuzi16:
    if your humidor has more than one tray then i put a few beads on each tray. if its only one tray deep it wont make much of a difference.


    humid air is heavier BTW
    Thanks - my new humidor is only 1 tray deep, so I should be ok (and I feel better placing my humidifier on top) :)

    Jetmech_63:
    ....Humidity moving around could be improper seasoning, temp swings, how often you peek, how full it is or just your devices trying to reach a happy balance. I never get consistent (+/- 1%) until about 2 weeks after seasoning.
    Ah, thanks I just got a shipment in from UPS and after putting them into the humidor, my hygrometers went a bit nuts - I had 2 digital, 2 analog (yeah, I know it's a lot - they're from discarded, cheaper humi's) - and the digitals/analogs were just wild in their readings

    After salt-testing all of them, one read 66%, but another one 2 inches away read 61% - it was just nuts. So I let everything sit for 24 hrs and when I opened it back up, they all read 65% - seems I just needed to let things equal out a bit after putting in the new smokes

    Thanks for everything guys :)

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    nightmaremike31:
    Um...
    kuzi16:
    if your humidor has more than one tray then i put a few beads on each tray. if its only one tray deep it wont make much of a difference.


    humid air is heavier BTW

    A quick physics and chemistry lesson
    Jack Williams, USATODAY.com:
    The water molecules, which replace nitrogen or oxygen, have a molecular weight of 18. (One oxygen atom with atomic weight of 16, and two hudrogen atoms each with atomic weight of 1). This is lighter than both nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, replacing nitrogen and oxygen with water vapor decreases the weight of the air in the cubic foot; that is, it's density decreases.
    Wait a minute, you might say, "I know water's heavier than air." True, liquid water is heavier, or more dense, than air. But, the water that makes the air humid isn't liquid. It's water vapor, which is a gas that is lighter than nitrogen or oxygen
    nice.

    still, if you have a bit on each level you should be fine. in an area that small and that sealed and that has beads, for our means, its all the same top to bottom.


    if you had a 20ft humidor though...
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • nightmaremike31nightmaremike31 Posts: 718 ✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    nightmaremike31:
    Um...
    kuzi16:
    if your humidor has more than one tray then i put a few beads on each tray. if its only one tray deep it wont make much of a difference.


    humid air is heavier BTW

    A quick physics and chemistry lesson
    Jack Williams, USATODAY.com:
    The water molecules, which replace nitrogen or oxygen, have a molecular weight of 18. (One oxygen atom with atomic weight of 16, and two hudrogen atoms each with atomic weight of 1). This is lighter than both nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, replacing nitrogen and oxygen with water vapor decreases the weight of the air in the cubic foot; that is, it's density decreases.
    Wait a minute, you might say, "I know water's heavier than air." True, liquid water is heavier, or more dense, than air. But, the water that makes the air humid isn't liquid. It's water vapor, which is a gas that is lighter than nitrogen or oxygen
    nice.

    still, if you have a bit on each level you should be fine. in an area that small and that sealed and that has beads, for our means, its all the same top to bottom.


    if you had a 20ft humidor though...

    ooooo, walk in humidor... (drooling)

    I agree with kuzi though, our humi's aren't neccesarily large enough for it to make a significant diference. I'm not ashamed to say that mine isn't big.

    Who wouldn't want a larger unit though?
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    nightmaremike31:
    Who wouldn't want a larger unit though?
    I just got an email about that...:)
  • FourtotheflushFourtotheflush Posts: 2,555 ✭
    HA!
  • forgetfulrobotforgetfulrobot Posts: 40
    j0z3r:
    nightmaremike31:
    Who wouldn't want a larger unit though?
    I just got an email about that...:)
    Me too I'm still confused though, do I put the pill in the humidifier or under the cigars? I really hope it works because I just ordered 50 more cigars.
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