Small round and medium tube of 65% HF beads in my 50ct humi with no issues. Took a little bit to stabilize when I first intoduced them into the humi.
Shilala Beads vs Heartfelt Beads
- Thread starter ciggy
- Start date
Jfire
BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
Tom,
I think its a matter of a more air tight (space) vinos/humis then beads. I can go 3 months in the middle of winter w out adding water to my vino 28 and edgestar both w 1.5 lbs of hf beads. Then again I don't go by the color of my beads but by the calibrated digis in both. When the 65(66 summer) goes to 63 its time to add a little water.
If I had to do it all over I would probably use the HCF just because everyone states how much more water retention they have and recover faster.
I think its a matter of a more air tight (space) vinos/humis then beads. I can go 3 months in the middle of winter w out adding water to my vino 28 and edgestar both w 1.5 lbs of hf beads. Then again I don't go by the color of my beads but by the calibrated digis in both. When the 65(66 summer) goes to 63 its time to add a little water.
If I had to do it all over I would probably use the HCF just because everyone states how much more water retention they have and recover faster.
I bet it would be hard to cut the bag open :stretchgr
ciggy
"TommyBoy"
Guess I would have to see the HFC in someones humi to fully understand how they work. For some reason I'm confused about how it retains water for such a long period in a wood humi.
I have to agree with ciggy. I just don't get it. Can you add water to the HFC beads? I want to get in on the group buy, because my fridge is ordered and on its way, but just not sure. I get the HF, but still a little hazy on the HFC.
I will assume that you mean HCM beads rather than HCF beads.
You do not add water directly to HCM beads, ever. If you need to raise the humidity of HCM beads you place them in a ziplock bag with a calibrated hygrometer and a sponge dampened with distilled water. The sponge should be near the beads but not touching.
You can find out more about this and all the details of maintaining HCM beads on my website.
The HCM beads have a huge capacity to hold moisture, which is why they do so well at managing RH.
Got it. And yes, HCM, not HCF. Do they have a self life where they need to get replaced?
The bolded part is the key. If your RH starts dropping or goes below where you want it, pull out the beads, throw them in a bag with a sponge and wait for the RH to get to your set point.
Or, and this is just a guess, so I'll wait for the expert to chime in, I would also assume you could just put a small container with a sponge in the humi while monitoring with a calibrated hygro.
No. The pores on the HCM beads are 4 angstroms -- too small for contaminants but large enough for water and ammonia. If you keep them clean (in the bag, in your humidor, etc.) and use distilled water when raising RH, they will last forever. There are no chemicals to break down. There is a picture of a bead on my website, and you can see that they are like little sponges.
If you notice your RH rising in your humidor then you take the beads out and stick them in a ziplock bag, with a calibrated hygrometer next to a sponge dampened with distilled water. This will raise the RH. You may have to repeat this process for the larger bags, as it takes a little time for the RH to settle through to the middle of the bag. There is information on my website regarding how to reduce (lower) the RH should the need arise.
This does work, although I recommend against it. My fear is that a rapid rise in RH that can be caused by an open container in your humi -- while fine for the beads -- might overexpose your cigars to the higher humidity and cause wrappers to crack. I don't know if this is a real or imagined problem because I have not tried it. So for me it's a case of "better safe than sorry".
JNT
The Bull
What I'm trying to figure out is how do you recharge them, as apposed to changing the RH set point.
With Heartfelt beads, you see they are getting white, add water, your back in business immediately.
With these beads it say never add water to them. So if they dry out, how do you get them moist again, or giving off humidity, and how long does it take for them to recharge.
That is what I have been trying (apparently very poorly) to explain. Changing the RH is how you recharge them.
The beads come preset to 65% RH. Over time they will absorb and release moisture as needed to maintain the RH in your humidor. If the beads have to release more moisture than they take in, then the the RH of the beads will slowly drop. Conversely, if the beads have to absorb more moisture than they release the RH of the beads will slowly rise.
If your humidor seals well this process can take months or years. If the humidor does not seal well then the process happens faster. The more beads you have in your humidor, the more "buffering capacity" your humidor has to maintain your desired RH without having to adjust your beads.
If you do have to adjust the RH of your beads, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a day. It depends on how much of a change you need.
You use a hygrometer to monitor the RH of your humidor and your beads.
You are both correct. All the common humidification products have this kind of problem to one degree or another. If your gel/floral foam/sponge/beads dry out or get too wet the RH in your humidor will change accordingly.
I think the benefit of the HCM beads is that their capacity is greater than the average product (of those products that both release and absorb moisture).
I think I finally get it. Think I will be placing an order.
JNT
The Bull
I've not seen that fluctuation with HF beads. Its always 65. When the majority look solid white, I just add water till their clear. Atleast in my case, I dont see the RH drop or rise depending on their saturation levels of the beads.
And you may not see it drop with HCM beads. It all depends upon your environemnt -- both inside and outside of your humidor. I have customers that have not had to do anything do their beads since they started using them (several years), and I have some customers with leaky humidors that have to recharge their beads every month.
The fact is that if you are seeing your HF beads turn white, they are drying out and if you do not add water you will eventually see that as a change in RH in your humidor. In this case your RH will likely drop. The moisture used to maintain RH has to come from somewhere, and if the source is dry the RH will drop.