Wineador getting worse... HELP!!!!

[PuffPuffSigh]

I got the Whynter 2.5 cubic ft cigar cooler, seasoned it and put in a pound of heartfelt beads. It was holding steady at 65% and 65 degrees F but the beads were drying out very fast (every few days). I plugged the drain hole with caulk clay and made a run off using a plastic strip that's hot glue gunned to the wall that spills down to a tray at the bottom of the humidor. Now the top was a little over humidified and the bottom under. The top would be cooler than the bottom as well and even though the wineador said it was 60 degrees, my 2 hygrometers said it was 65 degrees on top and about 70 degrees on the bottom.

I decided to up the air flow so I bought the Camco Fridge Airator (a fan for RV fridges to circulate cold air). I put 2 lbs of heartfelt beads (an extra pound), 4 large 65% boveda packs in, and added another hygrometer. 1.5 lbs of beads are in a pyrx bin at the bottom where the run off I built collects the condensation from the fan. In the center of the dish I put the fan blowing upwards. The other 1/2 lb of beads is in a sack in the middle of the wineador. Now the wineador says it's at 60 degrees and all three hygrometers top middle and bottom says it's 12-14 degrees hotter and the humidity now is stuck at 50% RH. WHAT THE F*CK AM I DOING WRONG?!?!?!

P.S. The unit doesn't seem to want to cool below 59/60 degrees. It just refuses. It stops, looks at me, and says, "f*ck you. I'm not getting any colder than this. I don't care what the manual says, I'm not doing it." It's currently 72 degrees outside with 76% RH.

 

[PuffPuffSigh]

 

[danmdevries]

Why do you want it colder than 60?

 

[sofc]

Your hygrometers could be wrong. Less temp usually means less humidity. You could put more cigars so less empty space could help.

Honestly, in my opinion, you're probably stressing to much over it. 3 hygrometers in a 2.5 cubic feet cooler is a little unnecessary.

 

[JustinThyme]

First things first. Why are you going so cold? What you are basically doing is running it full bore so the TEC is constantly condensing the moisture.
In a sealed environment with absolute humidity remaining the same colder air holds less moisture than warm air so the RH actually goes up. Problem is that doesnt work very well when you have a cold plate that is pulling it out faster than it will evaporate back in. Im running a NewAir 280 at 66F and a Eurocave 250 bottle @ 68F.

A thermo-electric cooler is only capable of a 15F temp drop between the hot and the cold side. You will never get any lower. 10F is actually pushing it for the ambient vs internal differential for the wine cooler. 2 lbs of beads is perfect, you just need to jack the temp setting to max.

 

[Kneeds]

Unplug that thing. Unless you're in an extremely hot area and you don't have AC in your home it shouldn't need to be plugged in.

I have a 32 bottle fridge and haven't plugged it in since I got it. The house keeps it at a constant 70 year round. I have been rock solid at 65% since the day I got it. Liek others have said cooler air holds less humidity.

 

[Jesse]

What he said. /\

My house gets up to 80* on really hot days so has to be plugged in all the time. Your case I don't see it needing to be plugged in all the time, maybe put on a timer so that it turns on once in a while to keep cool?

 

[thrasher66]

I would like to comment on one of his points. I have a 280 with a pound of beads and 2 Xikar bricks. The top is always a few degrees hotter and a bit more humid, I live in a hot place and am happy with 71 to 67 degree's. My question is... I too go through a ton of water! Half gallon in 4 weeks, filling everything about once a week. Is that normal? And if I want to add water less do I just keep adding beads till I only have to add water once a month? And thanks for the heads up on that fan , I might get one.

 

[PuffPuffSigh]

I put 3 hydrometers in there to check the different areas, I'm only planning on leaving one for top and one for bottom. I set it so cold because I'm trying to get the actual inside temperature to 65 degrees and 65% RH. It's just weird and frustrating that every time I try to make something better it actually gets worse. I unplugged it and left it overnight and the humidity kind of stabilized but the temp is 75-78 degrees. The whole point of the wineador was to get the temp down to 65 consistently. Otherwise I would have kept my coolidor... =(

 

[ZaneG]

I put 3 hydrometers in there to check the different areas, I'm only planning on leaving one for top and one for bottom. I set it so cold because I'm trying to get the actual inside temperature to 65 degrees and 65% RH. It's just weird and frustrating that every time I try to make something better it actually gets worse. I unplugged it and left it overnight and the humidity kind of stabilized but the temp is 75-78 degrees. The whole point of the wineador was to get the temp down to 65 consistently. Otherwise I would have kept my coolidor... =(

I would let it stabilize and then maybe just try and get it around 70 degrees.

 

[Jesse]

You didn't have temp problems with your cooler?

With my wineador I have it set at about 60* just so the inside will stay about 65-70. I had to put everything into tuppers with KL and boveda packs because it was sucking up all the RH, even with an Oasis system I couldn't get the Rh were I wanted it. Tupper stay at the temp I need and the KL inside keeps the RH where I need it. Hopefully winter time will allow me to use the drawers and shelves again but we'll see.

 

[Smoqman]

You didn't have temp problems with your cooler?

With my wineador I have it set at about 60* just so the inside will stay about 65-70. I had to put everything into tuppers with KL and boveda packs because it was sucking up all the RH, even with an Oasis system I couldn't get the Rh were I wanted it. Tupper stay at the temp I need and the KL inside keeps the RH where I need it. Hopefully winter time will allow me to use the drawers and shelves again but we'll see.

Why not just stay with the Tupperware? It sounds like an ideal solution and one that has performed flawlessly for you so far.

I know gentleman who have been collecting and smoking cigars for 30 years and all they use are coolers and Tupperware.

 

[Jesse]

Mainly because they were getting too hot in the tuppers. No A/C at home and this summer was killing me so my tuppers were getting into the 80's, bought the wineador thinking it would solve my problems and it didn't. Now it's main purpose is just to keep the temp down to the proper level. I was thinking about trying a cooler next and see if the temps stay down but I really don't think it's going to work in my house.

 

[rdomfoto]

Perhaps I missed it, but I have a few questions:

1. Where in your house is the Wineador located?
2. Is it getting some direct sunlight? (If so, sunlight falling on the hygrometers could be causing the incorrect temp readings)
3. The fan's intake is drawing air across that bottom hygro and could be causing an inconsistent reading, too. Do the inconsistencies resolved if you turn the fan 90°?
4. Of the three hygros I see, one is analog. Are you using the readings from that one? Analogs are (so I am told) notoriously inaccurate.
5. How well sealed is the unit? Air loss could be contributing to the Rh loss significantly.

 

[PuffPuffSigh]

Perhaps I missed it, but I have a few questions:

1. Where in your house is the Wineador located?
2. Is it getting some direct sunlight? (If so, sunlight falling on the hygrometers could be causing the incorrect temp readings)
3. The fan's intake is drawing air across that bottom hygro and could be causing an inconsistent reading, too. Do the inconsistencies resolved if you turn the fan 90°?
4. Of the three hygros I see, one is analog. Are you using the readings from that one? Analogs are (so I am told) notoriously inaccurate.
5. How well sealed is the unit? Air loss could be contributing to the Rh loss significantly.

1. In the corner of an upstairs room
2. No direct sunlight
3. I moved the fan and no change. The fan isn't terribly powerful and the hygro is shielded by pan side but either way, on change
4. I wasn't counting the analog hygrometer. The 3rd one is on a middle shelf in the shadow and just doesn't show up on the picture.
5. Sealed like it was out of the box? I had to remove the rubber lining to install the handle but I put it back in and I'm pretty sure it's airtight, at least as much as it's designed for (actually a little more since I plugged the drain hole under the fan)

 

[PuffPuffSigh]

You didn't have temp problems with your cooler?

With my wineador I have it set at about 60* just so the inside will stay about 65-70. I had to put everything into tuppers with KL and boveda packs because it was sucking up all the RH, even with an Oasis system I couldn't get the Rh were I wanted it. Tupper stay at the temp I need and the KL inside keeps the RH where I need it. Hopefully winter time will allow me to use the drawers and shelves again but we'll see.

I had temp problems with the coolidor, that's why I wanted to get the wineador.

 

[PuffPuffSigh]

I decided to try something else. I couldn't put the drawers on the bottom shelf locations because the backs would get wet from the condensation running down the back wall. I removed the drain system I installed along the back wall and unplugged the drain hole. I drilled a hole in the bottom rear of the humidor and ran a length of tubing from the outside drain back into the humidor and into a catch basin at the bottom of the humidor so the water stays in the ecosystem of the humidor. I moved the drawers to the bottom and put the shelves up top. I'm not sure this is going to do much since the boxes block the fan almost as much as the shelves do... It's stabilizing now so we'll see but so far the thermometers are reading 10-12 degrees above what the cooler says it's at.....

 

[CWS]

Just my 2 cents.

1. If you are in southern California as I am and in the valley, it has been hitting in the high 90s. Upstairs in an unconditioned house, probably in the 100's. That poor little unit is having to work pretty hard. If it is keeping below 75 in this heat I think you are fine. I would put it downstairs in a shaded corner.
2. If you are draining fluid you are pulling your humidity. Again sucker is running all the time and water will condense. You idea above sounds good to re-circulate.

3> all else fails put them back in cooledor with ice packs on the hot days. Worked for me for years.

 

[jonboy]

Just my 2 cents.

1. If you are in southern California as I am and in the valley, it has been hitting in the high 90s. Upstairs in an unconditioned house, probably in the 100's. That poor little unit is having to work pretty hard. If it is keeping below 75 in this heat I think you are fine. I would put it downstairs in a shaded corner.
2. If you are draining fluid you are pulling your humidity. Again sucker is running all the time and water will condense. You idea above sounds good to re-circulate.

3> all else fails put them back in cooledor with ice packs on the hot days. Worked for me for years.

Could you give a little more detail on how you did the ice packs in your coolidor?

 

[Trackmyer]

I decided to try something else. I couldn't put the drawers on the bottom shelf locations because the backs would get wet from the condensation running down the back wall. I removed the drain system I installed along the back wall and unplugged the drain hole. I drilled a hole in the bottom rear of the humidor and ran a length of tubing from the outside drain back into the humidor and into a catch basin at the bottom of the humidor so the water stays in the ecosystem of the humidor. I moved the drawers to the bottom and put the shelves up top. I'm not sure this is going to do much since the boxes block the fan almost as much as the shelves do... It's stabilizing now so we'll see but so far the thermometers are reading 10-12 degrees above what the cooler says it's at.....

The drawers or boxes up close to the cooling unit may very well be your issue. If the thermistor that measures inside temp is mounted in the cooling unit and has a drawer or box against it the cold air from the cooler could be trapped and leading the unit to believe its cold enough. Even though the hygrometers are showing you the realistic temps.