Wrong Beads? I'm Lost!

[SledMedic]

Okay, I'm at a total loss here and need some advice. I've searched high and low on here and online; the only thing I can think of is that I was possibly shipped the wrong rh beads.

The setup:
I bought a new glass door 4.5 cubic foot humidor (made by Quality Importers), applied some "v" weatherstripping for a quality seal, seasoned it, and set up my Hydra SM (set to 65%). I calibrated the Hydra and two digital hygrometers. The Hydra is on the bottom of the humi, and I have one digital on the middle shelf, and one at the top. Again, all three were calibrated and match perfectly. I went overkill on some heartfelt beads as a safety/backup measure and added 2 lbs, when only one is needed as stand alone. I have one lb on the top shelf, and one lb on the bottom next to my Hydra. The beads I ordered were 65%, and the package they came in was marked 65%.

The problem:
My humidor has stayed ROCK SOLID at 70% on all three levels according to my calibrated digitals and the Hydra display. The heartfelt beads over the course of time have become MORE opaque (solid white). Only about 10% of them are clear, when they started with 90% being clear. This tells me they are releasing moisture to maintain the environment at 70%, and not absorbing rh as I want them to. If they are 65% beads, they should be absorbing that extra 5% and becoming more translucent, not more opaque. Especially since I have doubled up? The Hydra, BTW, never comes on (doesn't need to since the rh isn't dropping to where I have it set at 65%.

Again, the only thing I can think of is that I was shipped the wrong beads as a result of being mis-marked? :dunno: I'm happy to have a stable uniform environment, but really want 65%. What are your thoughts? Am I missing something here?:scratchhe

 

[Jfire]

Put your calibrated hygro in a double sealed bag with the beads and see what it reads after a few hours.

 

[twenty5]

These were calibrated using what? A Boveda calibration kit I assume?

 

[sonarman]

Okay, I'm at a total loss here and need some advice. I've searched high and low on here and online; the only thing I can think of is that I was possibly shipped the wrong rh beads.

The setup:
I bought a new glass door 4.5 cubic foot humidor (made by Quality Importers), applied some "v" weatherstripping for a quality seal, seasoned it, and set up my Hydra SM (set to 65%). I calibrated the Hydra and two digital hygrometers. The Hydra is on the bottom of the humi, and I have one digital on the middle shelf, and one at the top. Again, all three were calibrated and match perfectly. I went overkill on some heartfelt beads as a safety/backup measure and added 2 lbs, when only one is needed as stand alone. I have one lb on the top shelf, and one lb on the bottom next to my Hydra. The beads I ordered were 65%, and the package they came in was marked 65%.

The problem:
My humidor has stayed ROCK SOLID at 70% on all three levels according to my calibrated digitals and the Hydra display. The heartfelt beads over the course of time have become MORE opaque (solid white). Only about 10% of them are clear, when they started with 90% being clear. This tells me they are releasing moisture to maintain the environment at 70%, and not absorbing rh as I want them to. If they are 65% beads, they should be absorbing that extra 5% and becoming more translucent, not more opaque. Especially since I have doubled up? The Hydra, BTW, never comes on (doesn't need to since the rh isn't dropping to where I have it set at 65%.

Again, the only thing I can think of is that I was shipped the wrong beads as a result of being mis-marked? :dunno: I'm happy to have a stable uniform environment, but really want 65%. What are your thoughts? Am I missing something here?:scratchhe

Soooo, I am having the EXACT same problem and I have tried everything. The straw that broke the camels back is placing a small bag of beads in a ziplock bag with my adjustable rectangular hygrometer and after 24 hrs it reads 70%. I have had the 65% beads for almost a month and noticed something was off after only 3 days. They have never read 65% usually always 68-70. I am in the process of contacting heartfelt, let me know if you want in on it. When did you buy your beads? I got mine right after they got back from vacation (heartfelt) which was about 3 weeks to a month ago. BTW I only need 2 lbs but bought 4 lbs. Total I have purchsed 6 lbs of beads from heartfelt, 2 70% several years ago and 4lbs about a month ago, and no I am not using the 70% in my humidor. I have tried drying them, re hydrating them, tried several different containers and am currently using several small bags of pantyhose.

 

[dpricenator]

These were calibrated using what? A Boveda calibration kit I assume?

Because everything is off I assume the salt test was used in this case.

 

[RonC]

first, forget the salt test, use the calibration kit form Humidipak.

next, is the cooling unit running?

 

[sonarman]

first, forget the salt test, use the calibration kit form Humidipak.

next, is the cooling unit running?

I used a 75% humipack and ran the full process over 4 days. After 2 days my hygrometers read 72% so I adjusted the hygrometers to 75% and after 2 more days they were at 75%. I know with out a doubt my hygrometers are accurate. After that I placed a bag of beads in a ziplock bag and now after 2 days they read 70%. Any other ideas other than the possibility that the wrong beads were shipped by accident?
I don't know about sledmedic but I don't have a cooling unit, and I don't see mention of one in his post.

 

[RonC]

fluctuation in temperatures can cause readings to drift.

for example, if your humidor (or house) cools down just 2 0r 3 degrees at night, it can cause the hygros reading to go up about 5 points.

Thats why i asked about cooling

 

[sonarman]

fluctuation in temperatures can cause readings to drift.

for example, if your humidor (or house) cools down just 2 0r 3 degrees at night, it can cause the hygros reading to go up about 5 points.

Thats why i asked about cooling

Got it, but that's not the case here. Does anyone have a # to heartfelt?

 

[ckay]

How long has this been the case? It took a couple of weeks for my 70% humis to drop down to a steady 65% when I made the change.

 

[sonarman]

It's been a month now. I'm frustrated cause a lot of dough went into my new setup and the point was to get a steady 65% or a little lower. I still have yet to smoke out of the box of Face I had and a few others after I had some wrappers split on me. The place where I got them has a no return policy in their fine print even though the front page says 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Does anyone have experience with HCM beads?

 

[SledMedic]

Sorry for the delay in response. Thanks for all the replies so far. Okay so, I beleive it is definitely wrong/mismarked beads that were shipped. Originally I had used the salt test, but calibrated to the Boveda shortly after to make sure of accuracy - so the Hygrometers are dead on (all three). The temperature does not flucuate in the climate controlled room the humi is in. It stays anywhere from 69 to 70 degrees in the room 24/7. I wound up pulling the beads out of the humidor and leaving them out for days in a ziplock with two of the digital hygros. The readings are 71% humidity - all day and night for days on end now. The interesting part is that the humidor has started to SLOWLY drop in humidity like I need it to. In the last 4 days (without these beads) it has slowly come down and is now sitting at 68.6% humidity.
The only logical explanation here is that they are the wrong beads. I tried calling Heartfelt, but get voicemail. I'll need to send an email at this stage I suppose.

 

[Gokian]

This may be a mute point but when I first recieved my HF Beads in Iraq they stayed at 70-72% for almost 2 months. I didn't add any water to them the entire time. At the 3 month mark I hit 68%. I never had a problem with it because when I would open the humidor it would almost immediately drop to 40ish before I closed it. Now that I am back stateside they are rock soild at 66% and have been for 6 months.

I don't know if the beads I got were 70% but everything worked out in the end. I just ordered 2 more pounds for a cooler I built for the troops. The new ones are sitting at 69%.

This is just the experiences that I have encountered.

Edit:

I just thought of something. Are the beads calibrated to be 65% at 65 degrees? Could the temp be causing the problem? I keep my unit set at 70 degrees is the reason I ask.

 

[Jfire]

While Ron knows his sh!t more then anyone here I have to some what disagree with the temp or 2 fluctuations and RH swing. My vinos can move 5-6 deg daily and they stay rock solid at the exact same RH. (Maybe cause there is no active humidification only passive(Beads))

 

[sonarman]

What rh were the beads? 65% I assume?

This may be a mute point but when I first recieved my HF Beads in Iraq they stayed at 70-72% for almost 2 months. I didn't add any water to them the entire time. At the 3 month mark I hit 68%. I never had a problem with it because when I would open the humidor it would almost immediately drop to 40ish before I closed it. Now that I am back stateside they are rock soild at 66% and have been for 6 months.

I don't know if the beads I got were 70% but everything worked out in the end. I just ordered 2 more pounds for a cooler I built for the troops. The new ones are sitting at 69%.

This is just the experiences that I have encountered.

Edit:

I just thought of something. Are the beads calibrated to be 65% at 65 degrees? Could the temp be causing the problem? I keep my unit set at 70 degrees is the reason I ask.

 

[Gokian]

Yepper. I bought them as 65% beads and were marked as such.