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Making my own Wineador/humidor/cooledor

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Hello all,

Would really love some advice on this. I am going to take a broken wine cooler and make it into a humidor. I have enclosed some pics of what it looks like now and what I hope it will with (Empty cigar boxes)

My questions are, what would be the right humidification products to use? What about sealing off the vents? I have more can't think at the moment.

This fridge is about 1.9 cubic feet which is about I'm guessing 250 to 300 cigars.
 

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Are you planning on having any type of air circulation in the unit? You may need to route a wire for a future fan(s). Any holes to the outside can be sealed with food grade silicone sealant. Check the seal around the door also, sometimes a very light application of food grade silicone grease helps with slightly worn seals.

After cleaning the interior drop in a couple of Boveda packs and a hygrometer to find out how well it holds humidity and how stable it is.

If you post pics of the front of the unit a brother may be familiar with the model
 

BasicTek

I don't smoke cigars often... HaHa just kidding :)
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How is the unit cooling (traditional compressor) or does it use something like the winadors? After just repairing mine it turns out there were only a couple parts (cost $60) for the 1.2 Cu Ft. If you need cooling you could cut holes and mount probably 3 in your's, might even address circulation issues. Then I'd use boveda for the shelves and if circulation is needed computer fans
 
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That looks like it is thermo electric which is good news. You could probably breath some life into it and get it cooling again. Otherwise theow some boveda or beads and a little circulation.
 
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Are you planning on having any type of air circulation in the unit? You may need to route a wire for a future fan(s). Any holes to the outside can be sealed with food grade silicone sealant. Check the seal around the door also, sometimes a very light application of food grade silicone grease helps with slightly worn seals.

After cleaning the interior drop in a couple of Boveda packs and a hygrometer to find out how well it holds humidity and how stable it is.

If you post pics of the front of the unit a brother may be familiar with the model

Thank you for the reply. I just posted a pic of the inside of the back in more concerned about air escaping from there. The front has a great deal. I'll see what I can do.

As for air circulation I'm contemplating Cigar Oasis product.
 
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Thank you for the information. As for circulation I was thinking about Cigar Oasis products.

The air escaping out the back is what I'm most concerned about. The fridge is old and works on and off and it's really not worth fixing.
 
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Where would the air be escaping from? The thermoelectrics I'm familiar with simply circulate air over a cold plate, the air isn't physically vented. The inner fan moves the internal air over the cold plate. The exterior fan in the back of the unit cools the fins that are chilling the internal plate.

In a dark room run a flashlight along the back wall of the unit from the inside. See if you can see any light escaping through holes around the fans and coolers. This will allow you to find and then seal any potential leaks. Normally these coolers have a drain hole in the bottom, you may want to locate this hole and seal it.
 
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It is definitely worth fixing. I am willing to bet money that it is very sealed with exception of the drain hole. You can aleays find a cool corner to place it in and not worry about replacing the peltier units. I think some shelves are in order and you are in business.
 
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Where would the air be escaping from? The thermoelectrics I'm familiar with simply circulate air over a cold plate, the air isn't physically vented. The inner fan moves the internal air over the cold plate. The exterior fan in the back of the unit cools the fins that are chilling the internal plate.

In a dark room run a flashlight along the back wall of the unit from the inside. See if you can see any light escaping through holes around the fans and coolers. This will allow you to find and then seal any potential leaks. Normally these coolers have a drain hole in the bottom, you may want to locate this hole and seal it.
Thank you very good information.
 
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