Well after looking wishing and a lot of whining, I bought a nice 28 bottle wine cooler. I cleaned it and set it up. Got the boxes in there and about a pound and a half of beads. Temp is good, humidity is still low around 53%. i NEED TO GET IT UP. I even have extra cedar sheets on there and even some cedar blocks in there. and the Humidity is still to low. What should I do to get them humidity up to 65%?
Wine cooler help?
- Thread starter Donk
- Start date
Electric Sheep
Dsicle - BoM Dec 06
If you need to get it up QUICKLY and CHEAPLY, you can get some of the Oasis™ wet floral foam from any florist (including grocery stores) for about $2 or less, and a bottle of PG solution from your local b&m for another $6 or $7 bucks. Put the floral foam in a $1 disposable tupperware container and soak it down with the PG solution.
That will get you up to 65%+ practically overnight, and will do it for under $10 bucks....but it's not what I'd consider a good long-term solution.
A Cigar Oasis would work (that's what Headbanger is using in his wine cooler), as would an Avallo Accumonitor...although that might be overkill, to be honest. The Avallo Accumonitor Jr would be perfect for a wine cooler, but it's still not available yet.
That will get you up to 65%+ practically overnight, and will do it for under $10 bucks....but it's not what I'd consider a good long-term solution.
A Cigar Oasis would work (that's what Headbanger is using in his wine cooler), as would an Avallo Accumonitor...although that might be overkill, to be honest. The Avallo Accumonitor Jr would be perfect for a wine cooler, but it's still not available yet.
I thought the beads were the go to it humidifier? It worked well in my coolidor, why not in the wine cooler? It is a thermo electric so no air is being removed? and the cooler and the wine cooler are both about the same volume?
wine coolers are a funny thing. you see some people say they are great. others call me and ask for advice because things are not working out as planned. some use compressors, some use thermoelectric. I didnt have much luck with mine years ago. some folks say that the beads are all that is needed. if the beads are not doing the job for YOU, then you need to add something else to get the humidity higher. the Co will get the humidity up fast.
tubaman
3 Time BoM
You could put in a bucket filled with beads, if there isn't enough humidity in the cooler, it won't go up. You need to get more humidity in there. In order for you to GET IT UP I would follow Sheep's advice with the floral foam for the short term until you figure out how you are going to address your problem long term.
remember that your cigars and cigar boxes play a big role in your humidity level. a full refrige is easier to cool than an empty refrigerator. same with humidor. a humidor full of humidified cigars will raise up to the correct humidity level a lot faster than an empty humidor
No way around it I found either. Even with the thermoelectric wine coolers you are going to need an "active" RH replacement system. Beads, foam, gel, PG are all passive and take too long to replace lost RH while the systems try to cool more air and seem to remove RH in the process. A cigar oasis is your best bet. You can use beads and a Oust fan during the cooler winter months. I was able to unplug my Oasis all winter and the beads worked fine all winter long.
I suggest post an ISO here and at other board that you want to trade for one. I got mine for $50 worth of sticks, of course I sent about $65 worth and we were both very happy campers.
Best of luck.
I suggest post an ISO here and at other board that you want to trade for one. I got mine for $50 worth of sticks, of course I sent about $65 worth and we were both very happy campers.
Best of luck.
Ratbert
BoM Oct '07
I have a cigar oasis in mine along with two pounds of beads. They seem to compliment each other well. Once you get the RH up there it will lock in and won't move, but getting it there can be a bitch.
Whether cooled cabinet or wine cooler, I think that once you introduce the concept of cooling the air in your cigar environment, you are going to struggle somewhat with RH.
You mentioned that you have plenty of cedar in there. Remember that the wood, along with the wood of your boxes, will be absorbing the moisture present in the air (or giving it off) and it will take some time to equalize.
Just be patient and keep tweaking it and you'll be fine.
Whether cooled cabinet or wine cooler, I think that once you introduce the concept of cooling the air in your cigar environment, you are going to struggle somewhat with RH.
You mentioned that you have plenty of cedar in there. Remember that the wood, along with the wood of your boxes, will be absorbing the moisture present in the air (or giving it off) and it will take some time to equalize.
Just be patient and keep tweaking it and you'll be fine.
sascha
size does matter
i Have a 28 bottle cooler as well with about 1 pound of beads.
it took some time to get up there and it's very full also. the first 2 weeks it stayed below 60% and i almost bought the CO.
now, I have a pyrex plate(anything will do) with about 12" diameter at the bottom of the cooler, in ther is 1#of beads. the only difference, I don't just moisten the beads like I do in the humidor or the coolerdor, I just plain drown them, i almost fill the plate once a week, maybe 10 days or so. right now I have 64% in there and it's stayed there for a long time
it took some time to get up there and it's very full also. the first 2 weeks it stayed below 60% and i almost bought the CO.
now, I have a pyrex plate(anything will do) with about 12" diameter at the bottom of the cooler, in ther is 1#of beads. the only difference, I don't just moisten the beads like I do in the humidor or the coolerdor, I just plain drown them, i almost fill the plate once a week, maybe 10 days or so. right now I have 64% in there and it's stayed there for a long time
For me and most others, a plate full of water is a complete no-no as can cause too many problems. Spillage for one thing. Even if the water does not go directly onto the cigars would certainly pool at the lowest point and might cause mold there or cause other issues. A plate full of water just sitting there might induce pink looking mildew causing yet another potential problem. A plate full or water and super saturating beads defeats the purpose of a set RH level that using a CO unit, kitty litter crystals, or RH beads (even PG) can offer. Also super saturating beads you might as well go with foam or PG as the beads or KL will not absorb any extra RH and losing half the advantage of buying them in the first place. If that works for you Sascha and no problems for you, that is fine. I for one certainly would not recommend that to anyone for any reason.
sascha
size does matter
of course I excaggerateted a bit, it's not a gallon of water in there, but all the crystals are nice and clear with maybe a puddle of water right after I pour.
my woodshop is almost done with the remodel, just installed a big cyclone dust collector and now just finishing up the ductwork, then i am starting my cabinet humidor and get the accumonitor, but for now, this has worked for a few months without the cigars drying out and no mold to be seen anywhere.
my woodshop is almost done with the remodel, just installed a big cyclone dust collector and now just finishing up the ductwork, then i am starting my cabinet humidor and get the accumonitor, but for now, this has worked for a few months without the cigars drying out and no mold to be seen anywhere.
:yes: :yes:
I would try saturating the beads, remember cooling removes humidity, before buying something else. When you get it up to the proper humidity watch it closely and you will be able to tell how much distilled to add and how often, for your situation.
Ok, so this is what is happening right now. I have rearranged the Cooler. Right now I have my humidification up top by the cooling fan, the humidification consists of almost 2 Lbs of beads, and an entire block of Foam. Then all my boxes are on the bottom with some cedar blocks and sheets for scent. The Humidity is actually up at 62% right now and the temp is at 67 deg. So I will let it sit for a week and see what happens. Hopefully I can remove the foam soon and just go to the beads again.
I've tried a couple of wine coolers in the past, one compressor type and the other thermoelectric. Both coolers gave me fits trying to keep the humidity stabalized in the 60's. I could never achieve this feat so I finally gave up on them. However, I also didn't use an active humidifier like an Oasis, which is what I'm convinced I would need if I were to go down this road again. Instead, I used beads and other passive humidification.