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Sterile water

HanibalHanibal Posts: 13
in General Discussion
I am in Kabul Afghanistan and I cannot obtain distilled water on the base here. I stopped by the medical clinic and asked for some but all they had was sterile water for wound irrigation and other medical use.

A quick web search of distilled vs. sterile water indicates they are not necessarily the same.

Does anyone know or have an opinion if medical grade sterile water is also distilled or otherwise safe to use in my humidor?

I have a 20 ct humidor with one section of black ice gel humidification in it but because it is so dry here my hygrometer has dropped from 70% to 60%. I rechecked/recalibrated the hygrometer the other day using the salt test in a zip lock bag and it was solid at 75%...back in the box it drops to 60% in a couple of hours. I will be on the lookout for some masking tape to put on the lip of the humidor to see if I can get a better seal but if that doesnt work I will have my wife send me a tupperware container to use.

Right now I just want to establish that I have the right fluid to recharge the humidty media in the box.

Thanks in advance for any help.

-H

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    kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    For short term storage it will work so long as there is no smell to it. In the long term, however, there are still minerals in there that could clog your humidifier over time. I would switch to distilled asap and when you do I would get a new humidification device as well. Keep in mind that getting a maw humidification device is playing it very safe.
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    Amos_UmwhatAmos_Umwhat Posts: 8,474 ✭✭✭✭✭
    In my opinion sterile water should be safe, at least for now. Much safer than letting those cigars dry out. I'm not sure what the electrolyte content would be, never thought about it, and that may be the significant difference. At any rate, I'd use it until you can determine for sure, or get some "cigar-juice" sent to you. I think I'd put that 20ct in a tupperware container, too. Your environment is probably too much for its intended purpose.
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    HanibalHanibal Posts: 13
    Thanks all. I was able to research the manufacturer on the bottle the clinic gave me:

    Aqualite System
    Sterile Water for Irrigation USP 1000ml

    Their product information web page cites that it is both sterile and distilled so all is good.

    Now if I can only get my CAO Black 20ct humidor back up to around 70% humidity, life for my sticks will be good.

    Thanks again for the responses.

    -H
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    Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,123 ✭✭✭✭✭
    How about a shot glass (or something similar) inside your humi with a little bit of that water in it to try and raise the humidity temporarily? As long as there's little chance that the humi would be moved or bumped where the water could spill, I'd give that a try.
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    chrisloldschrislolds Posts: 434 ✭✭
    How hard is it for civi's to send cigars to military in Kabul? How long do they take to get there and do they arrive in good condition? And is it crazy expensive?
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    bandyt09bandyt09 Posts: 4,335 ✭✭✭✭✭
    chrislolds:
    How hard is it for civi's to send cigars to military in Kabul? How long do they take to get there and do they arrive in good condition? And is it crazy expensive?
    Just get the APO, a medium USPS flat rate box (get the APO one and shipping is $12.95), takes maybe a month based on my experience and they arrive in good shape as long as you include water pillows or Boveda packs.
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    RainRain Posts: 8,958 ✭✭✭
    PM me your medic's contact info.Part of my unit is around there as well, I'll send out some feelers.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,917 ✭
    bandyt09:
    chrislolds:
    How hard is it for civi's to send cigars to military in Kabul? How long do they take to get there and do they arrive in good condition? And is it crazy expensive?
    Just get the APO, a medium USPS flat rate box (get the APO one and shipping is $12.95), takes maybe a month based on my experience and they arrive in good shape as long as you include water pillows or Boveda packs.
    You also have to fill out an additional form 2976-A APO/EPO I believe. You can fill this out online prior to walking in the P.O. :)
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    HanibalHanibal Posts: 13
    Took everything out and rubbed the inside down with the sterile/distilled water in an attempt to reseaon the humidor. The extra moisture shot the RH up to about 85%. I was concerend about the temp and humidity combo as it was a bit warm in my office yesterday and I did not want to chance the possibility of beattles incubating so I proped the box open a little so the humidity would come down a bit and then closed it all the way for the night. This morning the RH was about 65%. I moistened the cedar overlap and that helped make the seal of the box a bit tighter and the RH this evening is reading 68%.

    I may have to touch up the overlap with damp towel every few days but that labor beats having dried out cigars to smoke.

    Thanks again for all the responses.
    -H
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