Low RH

[psc109]

In my 150 count humi here's what I have to fight the low RH I'm getting up here in Boston:

2 oz tube of beads 65RH
sugar bowl filled with beads 65RH
shot glass filled w/ distilled water
2 Bovida humi packs 70RH

My RH is at 58 and the beads in the tube and the bowl are transparent.

I have a digital that was recently calibrated with the Bovida pack and its spot on.

It a glass top and all I can think of is my seal is spotty. It makes a "whoosh" when I open it but not as loud as my footlocker. The footlocker is holding strong at 63 with a beads and a shot glass of distilled water. The beads are all clear in there as well.

I've wet down the inside lid of the desktop with distilled water a few times and it gets up to 63-64 but by morning it's back down to 58. Any ideas on how I can get it back to 63-65 range?

 

[eyetek]

How long have you been conditioning the humi?

I have been working on one now that is a 100ct. for over a week now and it has just reached 70 percent on the top shelf in the last day. Do not rush the process it takes time and patience. I do not like the idea of wetting down the inside of the humi..while other may do so, I do not!

One other trick, use hot distilled water in your open containers and change them a few times a day...not something I have tried but have read about it.

 

[psc109]

Just to clarify this is not a new humi but it is it's 1st winter. It worked great all spring summer and fall but the weather now is killing the RH and It's seems like i have more that enough humidity sources between the beeds, the shot glass and the Bovida packs.

 

[avid toker]

Where to begin? This could be due to many different things. I'll try to help out best I can.

1) Make sure the humi isn't obviously near any direct sunlight, extremely cold areas or near any vents blowing forced air on it.
2) When the beads get dry take them out of the humi since they'll just end up absorbing humidty if they're too dry. Otherwise make sure you're keeping them moist frequently so they don't add to your low RH problems. I've found beads aren't the best device to use especially if you're fighting very low RH%'s.
3) Do not wipe down the humi. You may end up warping the wood and possibly do more damge than good.
4) In place of the beads, you may want to add a second shot glass of distilled water.
5) Check your seal to determine whether the seal is loose. Do the "dollar trick" to assess the quality of your seal. Do a search on how to do the dollar trick if you don't know how.
6) Your humi may be so dry that you might need to recondition the wood inside. If that's the case, rather than risk your cigars, take them out and put them in tupperware with the 65% tube of beads. This will merely be a temporary soution till your humi is properly reconditioned. I simply put a few shot glasses of distilled water inside the humi and wait till the RH reaches 70%. I then leave it undisturbed for a week and then I place my cigars back inside. This is assuming the seal on my humi is worthwhile in the first place.
7) If your place is very dry to begin with, consider adding a humidifier near your humi so the surrounding environment isn't so dry.
8) If your seal is fine and you've reconditioned the humi and it still has trouble keeping relative RH, consider purchasing an active humidification device like an Oasis, etc.

That's all I can think of for now. Will add more later if I think of anything else.

 

[Headbanger]

Your 65% beads might be confused that you have some Boveda packs that are 70% and have excess shot glasses too. Beads might be trying to steal the excess moisture, but would not explain why your at 58%.

During winter months with your ambient RH very low, you might opt to get 70% RH beads instead of the 65% beads depending on the value of the cigars inside to spend more $ on different beads.

Still sounds like a air leak issue. And I would not wipe down the lid. I did the same thing to a glass top and ruined mine. Best of luck.

 

[CWS]

You didnt state the temp of your humi. I know its a little cold in Boston right now and if the humi is in a cold room or a room with a cold draft you will have a hell of a time getting the RH to increase. I like between 65 and 68 degrees.

 

[Wasch_24]

That, Chuck, is why it is a good thing my Aristocrat, that I got bombed with by a lot of fine brothers here, came with an active humidifying system.

It is in the kitchen and is pretty steady at 59 to 64 degrees but rock steady at 64%.

 

[avid toker]

Temps will definitely affect RH. The colder it is, the higher the RH will need to be.

 

[RonC]

this is confusing. the 70% Bovedas and the shotglass should be pushing your humi towards 70%. the 65% beads should be sucking up any excess humidity over 65%. considering that they are clear, it seems that they are doing just that. If the humi is lower than 65%, the beads should be turning white.

 

[tubaman]

You've got too many variables going on to pinpoint this. Here is my advice FWIW.

1 Take the cigars out and put them in a tupperdor with the 70% Boveda packs for now. They will be fine in there until you get your humi straightened out.

2 Do the dollar test as Shane said to check the seal. You may need to get a thin layer of weather stripping or similar material to make a better seal.

3 Once you've determined that the seal is ok, or fixed the problem, re-season the humi. Go with your shot glass and beads, or use a sponge to release the humidity into the humi. As others have stated, don't wipe it down. This will take awhile, but it's worth the wait.

Stick with the beads in the humi once you get the humidity right. But imo, you should keep the beads in there while you are seasoning the humi so that everything will season together.

 

[avid toker]

IMO, I wouldn't keep the beads out of the humi when reconditioning. If you want the wood to absorb as much water as possible, I'd leave the beads out. No point in regulating the RH at 65% during this process. Simply my opinion on the matter.

 

[CWS]

The answer is simple:

KITTY LITTER!!!:thumbsup:

 

[Donk]

i actually have somewhat of the same problem, I must have almost a half pound of bead in my 100 count humi, all beads are clear, 70% beads and I am only sitting at 65% wich is not bad but damn alot of beads for that little space. I can't seem to get the humidity up towards 70%

Dp you ever hasve to reseason a humi?

 

[RonC]

my favorite humidification for a desktop is the Boveda. the one caution is they react a little bit slow. so if your desktop is a leaker, they might not release moisture fast enough to compensate.
beads work awesome, but they do need a large amount of surface area to compensate for a leaky desktop. also, they are not the fastest performing product out there.
if you want something that releases moisture very fast, a simple, cheapo, florist foam humidifier, or a Paradigm unit would be best.

 

[psc109]

Well with the temp back up to high 30's here in Boston this weekend it was back at 64-65RH so I was feeling good but this morning it was down to 58-59RH and the outside temp is mid teens. I'm going to fill the humidifying units it came with and see how that goes.

 

[RonC]

seems your humi is leaking a bit. while the green florist foam humidifiers are out of date as compared to other products, they will hold a good amt of water, and release it quickly.