RH too high with 65% beads

[heavyd]

I tried to use the search function to answer this question, but was unsuccessful. Thanks for any info.

I have a 48qt Igloo cooler with more than enough beads - 70% clear and 30% opaque. My digital hygrometer is calibrated with a new battery. The beads are stored in separate mesh bags at the bottom of the cooler and there is a small 65% puck attached to the interior cooler lid. The RH in the room where the cooler is stored is about 25%.

I decided to switch to 65% beads because the cooler temp gets into the low/mid 70s during the day, although it's 70/70 during the night and morning hours.
Last week I replaced my 70% Heartfelt beads with 65% beads from Cigarmony (I have nothing against Heartfelt beads) and the RH inside the cooler has not changed after 4 days.

I open the cooler every a.m. and let the RH drop to 50%. I close the cooler lid and within 1 hour it is 70% again.

Does anyone know what the problem is? The 70% Heartfelt beads held the RH at a consistent 70% as well. My problem is that there is no change after switching to 65% beads. Thanks for any input.

[Scimmia]

It's going to take time, and a lot of it. The beads will adsorb water fairly slowly, and there's a lot of excess water coming out of your cigars.

Originally Posted by heavyd

I decided to switch to 65% beads because the cooler temp gets into the low/mid 70s during the day, although it's 70/70 during the night and morning hours.

I'm all for switching to 65% RH, but I don't get this statement.

[akabilly]

From what i've read here temperature has alot to do with RH. CLICKY

[Scimmia]

Originally Posted by akabilly

From what i've read here temperature has alot to do with RH. CLICKY

Ug, I didn't think about that chart. It's complete BS.

[heavyd]

Originally Posted by Scimmia

It's going to take time, and a lot of it. The beads will adsorb water fairly slowly, and there's a lot of excess water coming out of your cigars.



I'm all for switching to 65% RH, but I don't get this statement.

I thought that one should lower the RH if the temp increases...not true?

[Scimmia]

Originally Posted by heavyd

I thought that one should lower the RH if the temp increases...not true?

Nope, not true.

[heavyd]

Well, thanks for the replies. Mark from Cigarmony is going to hook me up with some replacement beads

[Moro]

The thing about temperature and humidity is that moisture in the air helps to keep the temperature without so much fluctuation; that'd be the reason for sea water beeing cool under the scorching sun midday, and it beeing warm at night (it takes more time to go from one temp to the other) So, more humidity, would prevent temp fluctuations, and vice versa; that's why me guess is that whomever said that to ye thought it kept it warmer because at that time it was warmer and with less humidity it'd take less time to show.

[WarMace]

When you get the new beads, I would put them straight into the cooler without adding any water. If 70% of your beads are wet, then only 30% are working to pull moisture out of the air. After your cooler has stabilized, then add some water.

I put a small puck in my 50ct humi with half clear/half white beads and it took out about 1%RH every week or so until stabilizing. I put a pound of all white beads in my 120qt cooler and it stabilized in a few days. Good luck.

[joed]

My experience is that beads don't do diddly when you need to lower RH.

You can put 65% beads in an 80% environment and the beads will turn completely white and the RH will stay the same or go up.

The beads do a nice job of bringing up the humidity but won't help lower at all.

There is a product called DampRid that works well at lowering humidity.

Get the box below where you would like it to be - and then add the beads to raise it to the level you want.

[zipa]

Originally Posted by joed

My experience is that beads don't do diddly when you need to lower RH.

You can put 65% beads in an 80% environment and the beads will turn completely white and the RH will stay the same or go up.

Not true. The beads will lower the RH to 65% but this takes time. Lots of time. Someone mentioned 1% RH/week, so at that rate it would take ~15 weeks to go from 80% RH to 65% RH.

The time is of course variable, and depends on (among other things) the RH in your house, the amount of sticks in your humi, the material of the humi etc. The point is that it takes a lot of time for the sticks and the wood of the humidor to release all that accumulated moisture, thus it will look like the beads aren't doing anything to lower the RH. They are, though.

[friz]

If my rh is reading 73rh and I have not put any cigars in my 65 count humidor, will adding 30-40 cigars lower the rh

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by friz

If my rh is reading 73rh and I have not put any cigars in my 65 count humidor, will adding 30-40 cigars lower the rh

Depends on how wet the cigars are.

[friz]

I am sure this is going to sound dumb, so forgive me. If they are wet it will not lower the rh, if more on the dry side they will lower the rh

Originally Posted by chippewastud79

Depends on how wet the cigars are.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by friz

I am sure this is going to sound dumb, so forgive me. If they are wet it will not lower the rh, if more on the dry side they will lower the rh

Yes, the cigars will absorb some of the humidity, provided they are on the dry side of humidity.

Get yourself some beads and take the guess work out of it