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Whytney humidor humidity issue

I purchased the Whytner 120s for my husband. I have been seasoning the humidor for a week and the humidity is not changing. I have purchased a new digital hygrometer and still 99%. I have temp set to 65. i have the water tray in the middle drawer and 2 humi-care bead containers on the top shelf. What am I doing wrong?

Comments

  • VegasFrankVegasFrank Posts: 16,587 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    99% is too high. Sounds like your wood is saturated. Open the door for 20 minutes, Take out the water cup, close the door, see where it's at in an hour. It'll give you an idea of how wet your wood is.

    If it is still over 80% after an hour, open the door for another 20 minutes and then close it and let it sit for another hour. Rinse and repeat.

    If it's still in the 90s though, just leave the door open overnight. Then close it and take a reading after an hour or so.

    All of this advice assumes that you're in a climate where the winter months are typically under 70% humidity in the natural environment. If you're in an environment that is currently over 70% humidity on a regular basis, like the Amazon rainforest, you're going to want to put something in there to reduce the humidity. I don't think we're there though.

    Keep us posted.

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  • Hobbes86Hobbes86 Posts: 3,161 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    I didn't have much success keeping my humidor going, so it would be better for one of these guys to help you out. I believe they use humidors.

    @VegasFrank
    @Jrflickster
    @Vision

    Frank is on the ball, posting a response at the same time I did.

    "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

  • VisionVision Posts: 7,764 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have a Wineador as well and I would invest in a block of Boveda 65rh. As Frank said get it down into the 70s and then add lots of Boveda. I've had mine stable for 10+ years.

  • VegasFrankVegasFrank Posts: 16,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There's a crap ton of wood in that 120s. That changes the seasoning game slightly, but the maintenance game is the same. Like @vision said, boveda and forget it.

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  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 5

    Thank you all. I have opened and removed the water. I will check again this evening. Thank you on the Boveda advise. I will get these ordered today.

  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 5
    edited February 2022

    How many Boveda 65 do you suggest to add? He has just started his cigar collection. Currently I say there will be 75 singles to add once humidity reached.

  • Hobbes86Hobbes86 Posts: 3,161 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I believe you should use at least 1 Boveda for every 25 cigars. However, you cannot have too much Boveda.

    "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    I’d consider the lager-than-desktop humidor and go big. Get a lot of bovedas. They sell the 60 gram cheaper by the dozen. I’d get a dozen of those if I were you,… Or a couple of the LARGE size Bovedas. It’s true, you can’t have too many. Meaning it won’t over-humidify if you have more than necessary. And personally I prefer the 65% humidity level.

    Post edited by Bob_Luken on
  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 5

    Update.... ugh... I left door open on 2 different occasions and got humidity to 65%. Yesterday I added 4 - 65% Boveda sz 60 pcks. I am right now sitting on 84%. I have my temp set at the highest 65. How often do I need to replace the 65% pks. We do have 5 - Cubans in our stock and I see 65% is best for this. Do I need the 65% instead of the recommended for wineador 69% for the 320 lg humidor? I greatly appreciate all the help with this challenge. I can feel the finish line is close.

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes 65% would be my choice for all the bovedas no matter what size. They do dry out over time but you can recharge them with distilled water and prolong their life.

  • VegasFrankVegasFrank Posts: 16,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    So if you're wondering why it spikes to 84 after you got it down to 65 and put 65 into it, it's because the wood inside the unit is still over 65% humidity.

    As much of a pain as it sounds, leave the lid open overnight again. Then close it and reevaluate.

    Just to worry you a little further, that thing is never going to be Rock solid same humidity week after week and year after year for the rest of your life. There's always going to be fluctuations and that is perfectly okay. I've heard the same thing about Cubans and 65. Probably true. But if you're cooler is sitting at 67 and you throw all your Cubans in, they're not going to spontaneously combust or anything. They're a lot more rugged and durable than our psyches are sometimes.

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  • VegasFrankVegasFrank Posts: 16,587 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    And the boveda will eat up some of that humidity, but it's tough for even those things to counterbalance and environment that is too different from itself. It will do it eventually, but it will take time.

    So your boveda did not get full and you don't need to replace them right away. It just takes them forever to catch up when it's too different.

    They are perfect for an environment that is already set.

    It'll be faster to open the door and dry out that wood a little bit then it would to try to make your 65% packs catch it up

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  • Rdp77Rdp77 Posts: 6,059 ✭✭✭✭✭

    How humid is the air in the room where the humidor is? You have a tarheel logo as your avatar. If you’re in that part of the country leaving it open could be causing more harm than good.

  • CAcigarguy007CAcigarguy007 Posts: 1,903 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    Unplug and run Boveda. I tried everything under the sun to get my wineadors to stabilize, never did. Then I had errant drops of water that lead to mold on some cigars and learned an expensive lesson. Temperature isn't as important as many claim. Cigar producers don't use AC, RH is most important IMO. Unless you live in a hot climate without AC, I wouldn't worry too much about temps. I run mine at 87 most summers and never have issues as long as I run 65% Bovedas. Trust in the Boveda. It'll work itself out. The winadors look nice but nothing beats Boveda and plastic bins with a seal IMO. Have cigars well over 10 years that smoke perfectly.

  • VegasFrankVegasFrank Posts: 16,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Glad it worked out twiggy! Thanks for stopping by.

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