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Newbie with humidor issues

AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
Hi all, I had my first cigar a few weeks ago and fell in love.  Since then I purchased the chalet glasstop desktop humidor 50 count, drymistat and the hygroset hygrometer. I did thenjoy salt test 3 times to make sure I didn't screw up.  First time I got 75% then 74% then 73%. I tried to calibrate but the number didn't change second and third time. So I figured it around where it should be.  To season the humidor,  I used distilled water with the included humidifier and drymistat tube. It's been 3 days (Sunday night). After placing my hygrometer inside the reading I'm getting 71degrees and 65 percent. Oddly enough the included analog hygrometer reads 64%. My room is usually air conditioned at 65-68 degrees.  I found out about the boveda packs too late and that's why I didn't use it. Is there anything else I should be doing? I can't help but feel like I messed up somewhere. I only opened the humidor today to put in digital hygrometer. Please advise

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  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    I didn't use the shot glass method because i was scared i'd spill it.  with the boveda packs do i take out the drymistat? Right now i took out the green foam humidifier and have 2 drymistat tubes in there (each tube good for 25 cigars and it's 50 count humidor?) I didn't trust the analog hygrometer but it's reading almost the same as my digital hygrometer. I never bothered calibrating it because i got the digital one. And its too late now as it would leave a open hole in humidor....
  • PatrickbrickPatrickbrick Posts: 7,722 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I prefer to keep all humidifiers out until the seasoning is complete.  It sounds to me as though it's fine, 65% is where I keep the vast majority of my collection.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".  Winston Churchill.
    MOW badge received.
  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Thanks for the input everyone.  I'll check it again on Saturday.  If humidity is not consistent, I'll take out the drymistat tubes and throw in some boveda packs
  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    So i  had taken out one of the drymistat tubes and put in a sponge with distilled water. The humidity held constant for at 68% but temp fluctuated from 70-75 degrees. Yesterday i took out the sponge and put back the drymistat tube (there is 2 in there) and threw in what cigars i had. 1 arturo fuente and 4 macanudo minis a friend have given me. (i didn't want to buy any more cigars until i got humidor stabilized). The tubes are supposed to regulate 70% humidty but RH is sitting at 60% now. Did i do something wrong?  
  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Hey guys,  just an update.  Right now my humidor is sitting on the floor in my bedroom.  I have blackout curtains on my windows (used to work nights) ac is on for maybe more than half the day.  My hygrometer is reading 69 degrees with 67% Rh. RH had been fluctuating between 63-67%. I have two drymistat tubes in it.  Temp was in the 70s few days ago. I draped my humidor with a space blanket (the one you get in emergency kit) and it seems to help bring temp down a few degrees.  The temp aims here gotten up to 95 degrees in the past few days. I'm super excited.  My wife got me early father's day gift. I ordered from here the timeless ten sampler and perdomo 10th anniversary champagne and padilla 1932 black.  I hope my humidor stays stable and I can't wait to develop my palate with these stogies! Thanks everyone for the great advices! 
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2016
    Are you opening the humi or can you see the hygrometer?
    If you are opening it, stop that.
    Really though, 3 days really isn't enough to season it, especially if the humi wood got really dry in storage.
    The wood is probaly still pulling in moisture, which is possibly why it is fluctuating.

    I can't believe I'm saying this, but you have to have patience and let it stabilize. Some humis will stabilize quickly, some, not so much.
    Until it stabilizes, you aren't done.

    And what is you outside Rh?
    If it is really low, then that will give you some fits with your humi Rh, as the outside will draw moisture out of the humi.
    If you live in an area with low humidity, be prepared to battle it. But as was stated, Bovedas generally work well to stabilize it.

    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You are excited and impatient and that's always how it is with new guys but it makes it tough on your humidor seasoning. Plus you may have a piece o junk on your hands. Im just stating facts so, I'm not helping you am I? OK I'll say something helpful. Tupperdors.
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    Bob_Luken said:
    You are excited and impatient and that's always how it is with new guys but it makes it tough on your humidor seasoning. Plus you may have a piece o junk on your hands. Im just stating facts so, I'm not helping you am I? OK I'll say something helpful. Tupperdors.
    Lmao boy you've gotten a tad bitter as well! But your right lets just hope it doesn't start a fuss 
    Money can't buy taste
  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Maybe I'm missing something.  I thought rh 63-67% percent was ok? I was excited about getting temp down with the mylar space blanket.  It's a glass top humi.  I opened yesterday to take out cigar to smoke. I'm going to when i get home to add cigars. My shipment arrived today! A far as the humidor is concerned,  it could be a crappy one but I didn't know much when I bought it.  It had 4.5 out of 5 star rating from over 300 people.  That was my only basis for buying it. Hopefully when my birthday come around in August I can buy a wineador.  
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The thing to remember on a 50 ct is that they are really more like a 30 count.
    And you will run out of room extremely fast. 
    They are great, if you remember that they are simply a desktop humi and not a storage humi. If that makes sense.

    The long term solution is to get something that will be able to house all of your cigars (bundles, boxes and 5 packs) comfortably, which is why most folks turn to a cooler or something similar.

    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • onestrangeoneonestrangeone Posts: 2,441 ✭✭✭✭✭

     @AaeJay 63-67% rh is great, I think wrapping your humidor is a bit of overkill but it's not likely to hurt anything either.

    What Opatience  said is spot on. I have several "smaller" humidors that I maintain at different rh% these are what I smoke out of. I keep coolers for storage. The temperature is not that big of a factor until you get to the point where you are ageing cigars, with warmer temps you want to reduce the rh to help prevent mold.

    The smaller humidors can be a challenge to regulate but it can be done if you are patent enough to learn how, I have 8 'cheap' humi's that have been in use for several year's, three are glass top, they work fine.    

    I suggest Boveda.

      

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    About my lat post: No offense intended. Just joking around really. We want you to succeed.
  • AaeJayAaeJay Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Non taken.  I'm here to learn.
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