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Humidor Humidity issues

dinugsdinugs Posts: 7
in Cigar 101
Hello, I am somewhat new to cigars. i have been smoking them off and on for a few years., But just last year i got a 50 count humidor and have been using it since. However, if i leave the cigars in my humidor long enough they become too dry.

I have seasoned it. I have calibrated the hygrometer. All of the above. ( i use only distilled water.

I notice that i have to recharge humidifier every day. and it will go from about 65 to 72 through out the day. WHY cant i get it to stay at 72??? or even 70?

This has been an issue for a while and have stopped purchasing cigars because of it. Thanks in advance. :)

Comments

  • macs-smokesmacs-smokes Posts: 587 ✭
    Welcome to the forum. The first thing you will be asked is if you are using the green foam crap. Ditch it and switch to kitty litter or 100% silica. Heartfelt beads are same stuff. Catfishbluzz wrote it and its in cigar 101.
  • dinugsdinugs Posts: 7
    Yes i was using the green foam crap the whole time. i have a crystal humidifier. should i use that instead? Is that the only problem?
  • KingoftheCoveKingoftheCove Posts: 937 ✭✭✭
    dinugs:
    Yes i was using the green foam crap the whole time. i have a crystal humidifier. should i use that instead? Is that the only problem?
    Can't speculate as to if that's your only problem.
    If you're happy with your 50ct humi, and a part-time occasional cigar smoker.......then buy this and be done with your problem:

    (oops.....competitor reference)..................buy a tube of beads from Heartfelt....do the math for what size you need, and get one bigger

    It's probably more than enough for your 50ct......but with beads.....more is better.

    If, on the other hand, you find yourself getting into the hobby more, then buy a cooler now, read a few threads and learn about silica, storage, and humidification and more on this web site...............have a cigar!

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,736 ✭✭✭✭✭


    Welcome to the forum. I'm gonna take a guess and say you're humidor doesn't have very many cigars in it. Am I right? A humidor that 75% full or better is much easier to keep properly humidified. It's just like a refrigerator that's full. When you open the door. all the cold air escapes from an empty fridge. If the fridge is full of stuff, all that stuff holds the temp and the fridge can recover it's temperature quicker from the door being open.

    Same concept with your humidor. If all your cigars are sitting in there properly humidified and the wood is properly humidified too then whatever humidification device you are using doesn't have to work as hard to maintain the proper humidity. Also, "proper humidity" is personal preference. I, and a lot of other guys like our humidity around 65 to 68%.

    If I'm right about you only having a dozen or so cigars in your 50 count humidor, I would advise that you bag up your cigars and re-season the humidor if you think it's getting dried out. I would also advise that you study up on how to use Silica Kitty Litter to humidify your stash. You won't need much (probably a cup full) but a bag or jug of kitty litter would be cheap (around $8) and you could even use it in tandem with your crystal humidifier.

    And if you don't have one already, get a xikar digital hygrometer. $20 online with shipping included. These are super easy to calibrate compared with the HygroSet brand and much more trustworthy than analog hygrometers.
  • CigaryCigary Posts: 630 ✭
    50 count humidors by their very nature are not made well....most aren't but that doesn't mean that there aren't good ones. The difference between the good and bad is the pricing and how it's made by...that's how you know. For your issues I think the rest of the guys have given you great advice and having a small humidor can often be difficult to maintain your RH...it will be the media type that will give you your best plan and I also advocate KL or beads. I also advocate buying a bigger humidor...at least a 200 count one because this hobby gets you right by the short hairs and tugs at you every day.
  • dinugsdinugs Posts: 7
    Yeah i re seasoned it because i currently have NO cigars in it. I am about to get a box (by tomorrow) . So i just wanted to make sure it was working properly before i put cigars in there.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    You have a seasoning issue. Read my thread, buy some beads, and all will be well with the world. The the meantime, put the cigars in a tupperware with the crystals and they will be fine.
  • FNAFNA Posts: 55
    "50 count humidors by their very nature are not made well"

    What is the nature of 50 count humidors that makes this true?

    Do you know what the most popular size of humidor is?
  • dinugsdinugs Posts: 7
    Bob Luken:




    You know what is funny, now that i have using the crystal humidifier, it sits at about 74 humidity. is that too much? Seeing hot it is really dry here? still empty too though.

    Welcome to the forum. I'm gonna take a guess and say you're humidor doesn't have very many cigars in it. Am I right? A humidor that 75% full or better is much easier to keep properly humidified. It's just like a refrigerator that's full. When you open the door. all the cold air escapes from an empty fridge. If the fridge is full of stuff, all that stuff holds the temp and the fridge can recover it's temperature quicker from the door being open.



    Same concept with your humidor. If all your cigars are sitting in there properly humidified and the wood is properly humidified too then whatever humidification device you are using doesn't have to work as hard to maintain the proper humidity. Also, "proper humidity" is personal preference. I, and a lot of other guys like our humidity around 65 to 68%.



    If I'm right about you only having a dozen or so cigars in your 50 count humidor, I would advise that you bag up your cigars and re-season the humidor if you think it's getting dried out. I would also advise that you study up on how to use Silica Kitty Litter to humidify your stash. You won't need much (probably a cup full) but a bag or jug of kitty litter would be cheap (around $8) and you could even use it in tandem with your crystal humidifier.



    And if you don't have one already, get a xikar digital hygrometer. $20 online with shipping included. These are super easy to calibrate compared with the HygroSet brand
    and much more trustworthy than analog hygrometers.
  • SasquatchSasquatch Posts: 307 ✭✭✭
    Welcome to the forums. Everybody has given you good advice already, but I'll add my 2 cents. The easiest approach for a small humidor/tupperdor would be to buy a Boveda pack or two from your B&M. They usually run around $3-4 per pack and last approx a month. No muss, no fuss, just smoke & enjoy
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    74%RH is too high in my opinion. But since you have no cigars in there it's not too big of a deal unless you over humidify the wood over a longer period of time. Take your crystal humidifier out for a day and see what happens. And, are you using a xikar digital hygrometer yet? Digital hygrometers are more acurate than analogs.
  • dinugsdinugs Posts: 7
    Bob Luken:
    74%RH is too high in my opinion. But since you have no cigars in there it's not too big of a deal unless you over humidify the wood over a longer period of time. Take your crystal humidifier out for a day and see what happens. And, are you using a xikar digital hygrometer yet? Digital hygrometers are more acurate than analogs.


    Yes i am using a digital one. I am using the salt test again to make sure it is not off ( since i have not done it in a while ). I mean it is really dry where i am, and i would be fine with a little more humidity as long as mold does not grow here. Because last time i had some cigars in there, they lasted about5 months and were too dry.

    Also, i have looked all over this forum, and google for tips and advice regarding everything related to humidors. It is just nice to talk to someone about this.
  • Roberto99Roberto99 Posts: 1,077 ✭
    I'm thinking a humidor should hold humidity for at least a few days before slowly dropping and those foam pucks tend to over humidify so if I read correctly that you have to add water daily to your puck, my guess is that you have a leak or the humidor isn't well made or both. It's hard to tell from just descriptions over the internet.

    My experience is that I had a 50 ct that I purchased with a new customer sampler. I struggled with it for a long time. Eventually I learned about better humidification options and it improved but didnt fix the problem. Finally I bought a new humidor for space reasons and quickly realized that my original 50 ct just couldn't hold the humidity like the nice new one I got. So being lazy I put the 50ct humidor inside a cooler and it fixed the problem completely. Really, unless you want to have a fancy humidor on your bar or desk, they are being replaced with coolers and wine refrigerators for cigar storage.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Roberto brought up something that You should check on. Your seal could be letting humidity in and out. Try the dollar bill test. (google it) I've heard you can beef up a drafty seal with masking tape. Just make sure it doesn't give off a strong glue odor.
  • RhamlinRhamlin Posts: 9,033 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bob Luken:
    Roberto brought up something that You should check on. Your seal could be letting humidity in and out. Try the dollar bill test. (google it) I've heard you can beef up a drafty seal with masking tape. Just make sure it doesn't give off a strong glue odor.
    Definately do the dollar bill test and maybe even the flashlight test to make sure you got no gaps. Also those foam pucks eventually get hard and won't absorb as much water as they did in the beginning.
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