Heartfelt Beads, Frequently Asked Questions
- Thread starter Viper139
- Start date
njstone
BoM January 2010
My humidor is now at 68% (risen from 65% during this week, the ambient rH here in the house is over 70%). I have 60% beads. The beads are NOT saturated and needing to be dried out ... in fact, they are almost totally white and should be absorbing plenty of moisture. Honestly, I've never been able to get these 60% beads to bring my bin below 63%, and that was in the dead of winter (30% ambient rH in the house at that time).
My hygro is calibrated properly. My bin does not leak.
Thoughts?
My hygro is calibrated properly. My bin does not leak.
Thoughts?
I bought a 1/2lb. of the 65% beads about a month ago for all of my Humis and I'll have to say I'm very pleased. I have always had Humitity issues in Summer here in Austria because most of the houses don't have any A/C. My inside temps. could get up to 80 - 85° and it was a constant battle to keep my RH below 72%. Since I've put the 65% Beads in they have stayed rock solid 68%, what a relief.
I use a 23 Gauge hypodermic needle to hydrate my bead tubes.
Your comments please.
I have a NewAir 28 bottle wine cooler. I have equipped the unit with an ETC that is set for 68-72 degrees. I have installed two computer fans for air circulation. I have three calibrated hygrometers and 2 1/2 pounds of HF beads that are spread out throughout the unit. The interior volume is 2 1/2 cubic feet. The temperature and RH is consistent from top to bottom. My RH is steady around 65% when the unit is off. However, when the unit turns on, my RH drops some 10 points (to 55% RH). When the unit turns off the RH will raise to 68% within minutes and then settle back at 65% shortly after. One issue that I have is the wide fluctuation. Another is that these numbers are only present when the beads are 100% charged (not the 70% clear 30% white ratio that is recommended). And the last is that the beads are losing their charge too quickly (I am recharging weekly to keep these numbers).
Heartfelts recommened specs call for 1/2 pound of beads for this 2 1/2 cubic feet. I am already at 5 TIMES the recommended amount and thinking of adding more beads as a possible solution, however, I am not 100% convinced that this is the remedy.
Any suggestions?
My initial reaction is to buy more beads.
I have a NewAir 28 bottle wine cooler. I have equipped the unit with an ETC that is set for 68-72 degrees. I have installed two computer fans for air circulation. I have three calibrated hygrometers and 2 1/2 pounds of HF beads that are spread out throughout the unit. The interior volume is 2 1/2 cubic feet. The temperature and RH is consistent from top to bottom. My RH is steady around 65% when the unit is off. However, when the unit turns on, my RH drops some 10 points (to 55% RH). When the unit turns off the RH will raise to 68% within minutes and then settle back at 65% shortly after. One issue that I have is the wide fluctuation. Another is that these numbers are only present when the beads are 100% charged (not the 70% clear 30% white ratio that is recommended). And the last is that the beads are losing their charge too quickly (I am recharging weekly to keep these numbers).
Heartfelts recommened specs call for 1/2 pound of beads for this 2 1/2 cubic feet. I am already at 5 TIMES the recommended amount and thinking of adding more beads as a possible solution, however, I am not 100% convinced that this is the remedy.
Any suggestions?
My initial reaction is to buy more beads.
already did thanks for the tip
If I had a leak wouldn't the RH drop when the unit is off? Any suggestions on how/where to check for a leak? I don't think there is a leak but I will definitely look into it.
njstone
BoM January 2010
Hmmm. Could be seals or a leak, yes. Is your container really full, maybe the lid/door isnt' closing all the way because it's obsturcted? This has happened to me numerous times.
Another possibility is if you recently put something in there that was very dry (wood, box, a bunch of cigars), as it then needs to suck up extra moisture. I've had this happen in the opposite direction when I put in new cigars that were pretty wet.
Of course, make sure that you beads are staying the right transparency (i.e. you're spraying them often enough). If the rH outside your humi is drastically different, you're beads have to work REALLY hard, so they dry out/get wet much faster.
Also, double check the you have enough beads for the space you need to regulate.
Other than those things ... yea, a leak might be the only other answer.
Dr. Xikar
The Knife Doctor
Pull the hygrometer out of your humidor and measure the ambient humidity.
where I live, in the summer (right now) the outside humidity is never lower than 71%, and frequently from 75-85... At the start of the summer, I was trying to keep my beads 75% hydrated... Learned that lesson fast, now I keep them 15% clear, because everytime I open the door, they have to absorb new humidity. They never have to desorb... not until the winter/fall.
where I live, in the summer (right now) the outside humidity is never lower than 71%, and frequently from 75-85... At the start of the summer, I was trying to keep my beads 75% hydrated... Learned that lesson fast, now I keep them 15% clear, because everytime I open the door, they have to absorb new humidity. They never have to desorb... not until the winter/fall.
Where is the best place to put HF beads? I have a "medium" 65% tube in my humidor (small 25ct Savoy) and the beads are working fantastically. However I am unclear on the best place to put the tube. Right now I have it segregated by itself on the bottom using a divider.
Can the HF tubes touch the cigars? Does it matter if I attach it to the cover?
I have two hygrometers in there right now both are calibrated and both read at 75% with the salt test. The one that sits on the floor of the Humidor reads at 66% and the one in the lid reads 68%, which to me seems like a big gap for a maybe 6" space.
Can the HF tubes touch the cigars? Does it matter if I attach it to the cover?
I have two hygrometers in there right now both are calibrated and both read at 75% with the salt test. The one that sits on the floor of the Humidor reads at 66% and the one in the lid reads 68%, which to me seems like a big gap for a maybe 6" space.
Two ways.
1) Dollar Bill Test. Put a dollar bill on the edge of the humidor and close the lid on it. You should be feel some resistance when you try to pull the dollar out. Test on all 4 sides. If the dollar slips out very easily, you have a leak.
2) Flashlight test. Empty your humidor. Put a small flashlight in it (don't forget to turn it on). Turn out the lights in the room. If you see light escaping around the edges, you have a leak. Best to do this at night unless your room has no windows.
This is a question about positioning of the beads in a 4-5 cubic ft chest. I'm converting an old camphor chest into a humidor (lined with spanish cedar). This is gonna be humidified with beads (Heartfelt). What I plan to do :thinkideais use 2-3 of the big tubes and some of the sheets under a perfortated liner in the bottom. Since humidified air rises (right?) my thought is to put 70% sheet in the bottom and the 65% tubes in the middle to get consistancy throught the humidor (without fans or electronics). Comments of suggestions are appreciated.
javajunkie
BoM July '12
first, i love this forum! NFG's actually ask, and OFG's actually answer coherently and respectfully whenever possible, and bump to others when unsure (except for that one guy who flamed heartfelt a few years ago).
HAVE read entire post. four boxes and a cooler, and most likely going to upgrade as a holiday treat. am planning to buy bulk, and bag or make other containers. i'm cheap, and like to have some "i did this" in my setup.
when distributing beads, do you go by ounces of VOLUME, or by WEIGHT? good kitchen set-up, so i can do either.
thanks in advance, brothers!
HAVE read entire post. four boxes and a cooler, and most likely going to upgrade as a holiday treat. am planning to buy bulk, and bag or make other containers. i'm cheap, and like to have some "i did this" in my setup.
when distributing beads, do you go by ounces of VOLUME, or by WEIGHT? good kitchen set-up, so i can do either.
thanks in advance, brothers!
As soon as those aluminum rectangular HF humidifiers are back in stock, I plan on purchasing one. I am done playing the guessing game with foam or oasis. 