Home› Cigar 101

Humidity problems

JakeALPHAJakeALPHA Posts: 4 ✭
in Cigar 101
when i got this humidor about 3 months ago i did everything necessary to season it. it came with a analog hygrometer and i did the salt text and got it calibrated. This humidor is a 40-50 count and i am currently only using a 2oz jar of Xikar crystals. So, with all that being said, my hygrometer had been reading a constant 70. i just got a bunch of cigars and my humi is loaded to the max. along with the sticks i ordered, i got a Xikar digital hygrometer. i placed the hygrometer in my humidor and its reading at 55%!! I'm wondering what went wrong? is is so slow because i got a lot of sticks through the mail that may have been really dry, or do i just not have enough humidification in my humi? Xikar swears that these crystals will maintain a 70% humidity. i already know that analog hygrometers are junk, but even after getting it calibrated its still that far off? would it be a good idea for me to wipe the humidor down with some solution since its so freaking dry? 

I really appreciate any feedback or advice anyone can give me.. thanks men!
Tagged:

Comments

  • CharlieHeisCharlieHeis Posts: 8,533 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Give it a few days before you get too worried about it. It should come up slowly. 
    Has the digital hygro been salt tested?
    Also, look into Boveda packs. They are a two way humidification source. 
  • Usaf06Usaf06 Posts: 11,313 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agree with the boveda packs. When you fill your humi it causes drastic changes if it's not well established. It will come back up slowly but you may need to add a boveda or two to give it a kick start
    "I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form."
    -- Winston Churchill

    "LET'S GO FRANCIS"     Peter

  • onestrangeoneonestrangeone Posts: 2,441 ✭✭✭✭✭

     + 1 to what Charlie said. it is possible that the analog is that far off, depending on where you ordered your last batch of smokes from they might be really dry, there is a company that starts with a 'T' that has been known to send out some extremely dry cigars from time to time.

    Good luck and let us know what you figure out.

  • JakeALPHAJakeALPHA Posts: 4 ✭
    onestrangeone said:

     + 1 to what Charlie said. it is possible that the analog is that far off, depending on where you ordered your last batch of smokes from they might be really dry, there is a company that starts with a 'T' that has been known to send out some extremely dry cigars from time to time.

    Good luck and let us know what you figure out.

    Thank you! So i guess i have to wait until i get my Boveda's in the mail and let them get my humidity up until i get to enjoy another smoke again... that may be a couple of weeks right? (including how long it takes to ship, and how long the bovedas take to get my humidity back to normal)

    I think its a good idea to add that all the new "Dry" sticks also came with another humidor. the sticks were shipped INSIDE of the unseasoned humidor. immediately after opening my package i put them in my original humi... so i suppose that the unseasoned humidor that the sticks were shipped in took a lot of the humidity out of the stick, thus making my current humidor humidity to drop.... i think this is making a lot more since now. would you agree?
  • onestrangeoneonestrangeone Posts: 2,441 ✭✭✭✭✭

     55% rh is not unsmokeable, I keep my ageing humi's close to 70% but the ones I smoke out of are anywhere from 63 - 67% and if one drops to 59-60 for a few days it's not a big deal,

    If your  humi's are at 55 and you ordered 69 rh Boveda's you might want to bring the rh up slowly so that none of your cigars crack, check your digital (salt test) add a shot glass of distilled water to the humi and just keep an eye on it until the boveda come in.    

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,750 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Welcome to the forum Jake. There's a lot of helpful guys here. I second all the advice you've received so far. Keep us posted on your progress. 

    Bovedas are the easiest way to regulate humidity. And, if you wish, you can use them in combination with other products. I suggest you salt test the digital hygrometer even if it's the type that doesn't calibrate and even if they claim it's supposed to be accurate right out of the box. It may not read exactly right and at least you'll know how far off you might be. (And if it's bad enough you can return it.) Another good idea is to know the relative humidity of the room where you keep your humidor in order to know if your humidor is up against some extremely dry conditions. (A $10 weather thermo/hygro from walmart will keep you informed.) Dry winter (indoor) air can be devastating to your desktop humidor's ability to regulate it's interior humidity. A room humidifier might help. Or add more bovedas. Sometime there are quite a few solutions to the same problem. 

    Good luck, Keep us posted. 
Sign In or Register to comment.