Seasoning Question

Cigar-20042222

Thanks in advance for the help!

Just got a new Whynter cooler/humidor from the wife for Christmas.  I started the seasoning process on 12/24 with 2 64 OZ Boveda 84%'s and a clean sponge soaked in distilled water.  The humidor started at 50% humidity.  I resoaked the sponge again on the 26th, even though it was still moist.  As of this post, it's sitting at 69%, climbing 1% today.  My question is, I'm planning on placing 2 320 oz Boveda 69% pouches in once it's ready.  At what point is it time to remove the sponge and the 84's and place the 69's in?

peter4jc

What's in the Whynter that you want to season?  Wood trays or shelves?

Cigar-20042222

Both.  3 wood trays and 2 shelves.

Bob_Luken

I don't have any experience with this type of humidor but I'll throw my two cents in anyway. I would add three more sponges and keep seasoning with the 84% bovedas. It's only been a few days and I would bet you haven't really done enough yet to saturate the wood. Consider weighing the 64oz 84% bovedas with a kitchen scale to see if they are loosing weight. If they weigh quite a bit less than 64oz, it would tell you that they are rapidly loosing a lot of moisture trying to season the wood, and would support my idea of adding more sponges. 

deadman

I would let it season at least a full week maybe even up to 2 weeks 

Yakster

Two weeks is good.

dirtdude

I'll tell you what you want to hear,  do it NOW!

Rhamlin

Wait a few more days. Most likely it will stop climbing soon. Then you can put in the 69 Boveda and wait till it drops back down to around 70 and you’re good to go. Make sure you’ve salt tested you hygrometer to see how far it’s off. 

BKDog

I have a Whynter CHC 251S and when I set it up, I turned it on for 1 hour with all the Spanish cedar removed, wet the wood down lightly with a sponge and distilled water several times, then inserted the wood and added the small container it comes with filled with water. I waited 12 hours, digital hygrometer inside that I placed read a steady 70, then I removed the water tray, popped in the Boveda 60 gram packs and waited 1 hour before I added cigars. The type of Boveda RH will depend on your preferences and geographic location, but up here in PA I use 65% or 69%, and I do believe I used 65% for the initial setup because it was summer. It held steady at 65, no problems and even when I have the door open for a couple minutes it bounces back quickly. haven't had to change the packs yet and switched to 69% for the winter.

I use 1 pack of 60 gram Boveda per shelf and 2 packs in each drawer. That's 8 packs total so far, but I do like to add 2 at the bottom also, making it 10 as a grand total. The air circulation isn't awesome, and those drawers shouldn't be in front of the fan. Very important: Definitely make certain the cooler is LEVEL and on a sturdy surface, use an actual level to check this! You will have issues with maintaining RH if it is not level and possibly even excess water inside the cooler (which has not happened to me yet).

Not too long ago, I've added two small containers of gel beads (one at top, one at bottom) to offset the dryness due to winter time and the fact that I open this cooler daily. This is to help freshen and replenish the Boveda packs, or in the least make them last longer. Some people vehemently protest this idea, but I've had great success doing this. My Boveda packs are all full, 3 months later with the gel beads and holding a beautiful 67 to 69-ish just how it should. I moved my drawers both to the bottom, but that's just how I want to roll. The fan is near the center at the back, and circulation is better as best I can tell. I store boxes at top and bottom, but leave room for air to pass through.

Replacement drawers and shelves can be purchased here: https://ambientstores.com/whynter-chc-251s-drawer-with-hygrometer-cutout-chc-cgbxh-500/

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.