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Humidor humidity problem

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Hi,

I am having a issue on maintaining the humidity in my humidor. I have a 50 count with one green foam humidifier and a jar of the gel humidifier too. And about 30 sticks. Being in ohio in the winter I have been having an issue geting the rh above 65%. Is that a bad rh? One problem is that I can not go more than 3-4 days without opening it and checking the rh. Any thought or tips? Thank you.
 
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1st, usually those 'cheaper' humidors have a bad seal. do the paper test.. also, did you properly season it to let the cedar soak in moisture? may be time to re-season

2- those foam humidifiers and gel ones stink. try and get some beads (heartfelt) or even crystaline kitty litter and distilled water

3- calibrate hygrometer (digital or analog btw?)


suggestions from my own experience as i stopped using a humidor i purchased and got a wineador + cooler.. also, it may be uneasthetic but can always go the route of a tupperdore
 
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1st, usually those 'cheaper' humidors have a bad seal. do the paper test.. also, did you properly season it to let the cedar soak in moisture? may be time to re-season 2- those foam humidifiers and gel ones stink. try and get some beads (heartfelt) or even crystaline kitty litter and distilled water 3- calibrate hygrometer (digital or analog btw?) suggestions from my own experience as i stopped using a humidor i purchased and got a wineador + cooler.. also, it may be uneasthetic but can always go the route of a tupperdore
 
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I never even got a humidor, went directly to a tupperdore after reading around here. I have one bovida 65 that is 4 month old and still soft, only have about 20 sticks in it now but with the locking lid it had no problem keeping about 35 cigars in perfect conditions.
 
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I did get one of those cheaper humidorsand I did the paper test and it came out tight

I seasoned it about a month and a half ago

The foam one is what came with the humidifier because I didn't want to waste it. the gel one is I got for my tobacconist that I use.

I've never used on the heartfelt beads or the kitty litter way. But that is one of the reasons for the post that I made.

I just started with ideologue hydrometer and I just recently switched over to a digital one which I use the salt test to calibrate it.

And I thought about a tuppadore I'm just not sure quite where to start
I am looking for suggestions
 
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I never even got a humidor, went directly to a tupperdore after reading around here. I have one bovida 65 that is 4 month old and still soft, only have about 20 sticks in it now but with the locking lid it had no problem keeping about 35 cigars in perfect conditions.
Can you suggest a thread that worked for you for somewhat similar that size of a tuppadore?
 

ChefBoyRG54

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I did get one of those cheaper humidorsand I did the paper test and it came out tight

I seasoned it about a month and a half ago

The foam one is what came with the humidifier because I didn't want to waste it. the gel one is I got for my tobacconist that I use.

I've never used on the heartfelt beads or the kitty litter way. But that is one of the reasons for the post that I made.

I just started with ideologue hydrometer and I just recently switched over to a digital one which I use the salt test to calibrate it.

And I thought about a tuppadore I'm just not sure quite where to start
I am looking for suggestions
I fought your same fight in Michigan for awhile with checking every couple days etc

Best thing I ever did was go o3ur to my garage, grab a cooler, get some hf beads(kitty litter used at later date), and set it and forget it. Took a couple days to get beads and litter right(litter in two other coolers) but once it's good, it's good for a long time!

Although, my buying rate went way up but that's another story :)
 
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I fought your same fight in Michigan for awhile with checking every couple days etc

Best thing I ever did was go o3ur to my garage, grab a cooler, get some hf beads(kitty litter used at later date), and set it and forget it. Took a couple days to get beads and litter right(litter in two other coolers) but once it's good, it's good for a long time!

Although, my buying rate went way up but that's another story :)
I guess that is what I am looking for is there a link for the one that you used. I just dont want to make any mistakes. :D
 
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My tupperdore took about a 3% dip since it got colder with the furnace on. House humidifier will only keep it in the low 30% range. Just tossed in a couple 69 Bovedas instead of the 65's I was using this summer. Sitting at 66% now vs the 63 that it had gone down to.
 

herfdog

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North of the border gets rather cold at this time of year. Cold leads to harder time to keep RH high. you might not have enough humidification?
I had a stable 67% for a few months. and now have issues just getting 65. Seasonal change lead to more maintenance until you re stabilize.

The crystals aren't the same as beads. But they do run better than the green sponges. Do yourself a favor and convert your green foam to beads or crystals. really worth it.
 

ChefBoyRG54

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I guess that is what I am looking for is there a link for the one that you used. I just dont want to make any mistakes. :D
I wouldn't be able to find the same one since there have been many since. You can search for kitty litter threads and I'm sure find good answers.

Should be pretty straightforward. Make sure your hygrometer is calibrated properly since its key :)
 
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As others have noted, get rid of the green foam thing. Pull it out, make sure all vestiges of it are gone. Those things can introduce mold and ruin every stick in there.

I've had varying degrees of success with the salt test. My recommendation would be to buy the Boveda calibration kit. It's only $5 or $6 on Amazon and considering the overall value of the cigars you will have in there, that's a cheap price to pay. When I finally bought the calibration kit, it turned out that my calibration from the salt test was off by about 7%. That's pretty major. So, yeah, step one is to really make sure that you have the proper humidifying device and a properly calibrated hygrometer. Otherwise you'll be chasing the Rh all over the place this Winter.

I've been using the KL for almost a year now and have had to no issues - it's holding the Rh pretty steady. This Summer, it never went above 67% and over last Winter, never dropped below 63%.

If you do go with Boveda packs (and I think that's a great way to go, FWIW), get 2 or 3. Having more than one will not over-humidify your humidor but, at some point, they will need to be recharged (and that can take up to 2-3 days - especially in Winter). So, if you only have one pack, then your humidor won't have anything keeping the Rh stable while you recharge the pack. If you have a couple, you can always have at least one in there at any given time.

But, again, to start, remove the green foam and any evidence that it was ever in there and buy the Boveda calibration kit if you want to be sure. Once you know that your humidor is dialed in and the Rh is pretty steady, you'll find that you don't even check the hygrometer that often since you can trust the environment inside.

Cheers
 
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North of the border gets rather cold at this time of year. Cold leads to harder time to keep RH high. you might not have enough humidification?
I had a stable 67% for a few months. and now have issues just getting 65. Seasonal change lead to more maintenance until you re stabilize.

The crystals aren't the same as beads. But they do run better than the green sponges. Do yourself a favor and convert your green foam to beads or crystals. really worth it.
I have the Crystals with the green foam the the humador. should I just stick with the Crystals or get the beads?
 
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I have the Crystals with the green foam the the humador. should I just stick with the Crystals or get the beads?
Get the beads/KL (or Boveda packs) as they will absorb excess moisture whereas the crystals don't. I made the same mistake early on, too. I put a pack of 69% Rh crystals in a tupperdor and couldn't figure out why my Rh was still in the low 70s.

Crystals will raise the Rh up to their indicated level but won't decrease it if it's over.
 
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Absolutely. I am just about to shut down my computer and run a couple of errands. When I get home in a while, I'll look it up. In the meantime, one of the other brothers here may be able to point you in the right direction.
 
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