Puff Cigar Discussion Forums

Richter35 · 02-11-2009, 12:35 PM

Hey Guys-

I just bought a new cabinet style humidor (much like the verona or pienza) and was wondering if the Oust fans are really needed or not. I understand what they do, but I wasnt sure if they really make a difference since the Heartfelt beads seem to maintain the RH levels so well.

Also, if I have 6 levels to my humidor is a fan on each level needed, or would 1 or 2 be enough?

Any input would be much appreciated!

cheers

karmaz00 · 02-11-2009, 12:49 PM

well all i would say it would be inportant to focus on consistant humidity on each levels. so have some beads on each level...maybe have 2 digital hygro's (calibrated) one for top one for bottom...i have 1 oust fan in my coolers, but its smaller then your humi. you will get some more info on the oust fans from another botl...good luck man, sweet humi

Shervin · 02-11-2009, 02:17 PM

One fan should be enough, from what I understand you don't want too much circulation, allowing the humidity to settle and permeate.

One fan is all you need to keep a constant (yet light) flow going, distributing humidity at a quicker rate.

SmoknTaz · 02-11-2009, 02:29 PM

Congrats on the cabinet and like Karmaz00 said, consistency is key. Make sure you post some pics when you have this baby up and running!

ChokeOnSmoke · 02-12-2009, 10:35 AM

Without any circulation, the humidity will be higher on the top of the cabinet then the bottom (humid air rises). So it would make sense to me to have the fan(s) on the top to circulate the more humid air back down. But I suppose if there is a fan blowing at any level in the cabinet it would probably distribute the air evenly?? Just my 2 cents.

mrreindeer · 02-12-2009, 11:55 AM

On a sidenote...I never really understood why folks with Vino's (now I'm one of 'em) would add Oust fans since there's a fan at the back of the unit....why is that?

Architeuthis · 02-12-2009, 12:07 PM

Squid® uses a big square box of a humidor, and I keep one Oust fan in it at the top. I keep the fan pointing down (even though it's pointing at cigars) and on the yearly occasions when I remove all 900 or so sticks to re-organize, there's never been any mold or fuzzies on the stuff at the bottom. And here's a free tip for the Newbies... do *not* put the fragrance module in the fan!!! <G>

mrreindeer · 02-12-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architeuthis

do *not* put the fragrance module in the fan!!! <G>

But hey Squid, what if you're an Acid smoker?

crazyhorse67 · 02-12-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

On a sidenote...I never really understood why folks with Vino's (now I'm one of 'em) would add Oust fans since there's a fan at the back of the unit....why is that?

i need two for each vino up here in wyoming for a couple of reasons. Since i live up here i don't need to have the unit running for most of the year, only in the hottest part of the summer. Any time you can turn it off its better. I've found that even with the drain plugged, the main vino fan can dry out any cigars that are right in front of it, especially if it needs to run heavy. Even though the humidity level looks good, it will still dry them out. You can move them out of the way, but the fan is pretty big and i pack mine full. Which brings up one of the reasons i need two fans. With the vino full, one oust fan doesnt quite give me the consistent levels I want from top to bottom. I have one at the top pointing down, hidden in the back, then one on the bottom blowing towards the glass since the front part of the vino is where i was getting inconsistencies. Another reason you want two is something i learned the hard way...when i first started i only had one in each unit and one of the batteries went out. Since the vinos hold humidity so well (i run 2 lbs heartfelt beads and only have to re-water every month or two), and since i have 4 vinos and some of them don't even get opened , i didn't notice, and by the time i did i had mold on some choice smokes. Two fans doesn't necessarily solve this (you still have to change the batteries), but gives me a little more time to reallize it before i'm all spored up.

crazyhorse67 · 02-12-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shervin

One fan should be enough, from what I understand you don't want too much circulation, allowing the humidity to settle and permeate.

One fan is all you need to keep a constant (yet light) flow going, distributing humidity at a quicker rate.

also, the Oust fans are not constant, or one might be enough. They only come on for a few seconds every so many minutes. That's why it's hard to look at them and tell if they are out of batteries. However, this does keep the battery costs down. I take the batteries out in the summer when the vino fan is running and move the smokes out of the path of the airflow. I have seen some where a small computer fan was installed, that would be the best as long as you could control the speed.

mrreindeer · 02-12-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyhorse67

and since i have 4 vinos

Holy cow! Thanks Monkey Boy!

Since I'm in L.A., I keep mine running all the time. Makes sense that since yours aren't running all the time, you'd throw in those little guys.

tx_tuff · 02-12-2009, 06:00 PM

I have a cabinet, beads on each level and a Oasis at the bottom. I have 3 digital hygro's (calibrated) bottom, middle and top. Besides the fan in the Oasis I don't have any other fans in it and everything works great.

e-man · 02-12-2009, 06:04 PM

You may prefer to have different zones.

Most people here will tell you that 65% is their preferred rH to smoke at. Conventional wisdom says that 70 Degrees at 70% is optimal for aging.

Since moisture rises, you could age sticks at the top, and keep your ready-to-smoke sticks at the bottom. Just a thought.

I use a temperature controlled computer fan in my cooler. It is designed to save energy and stay quiet. When the temp is low, is spins slow. The fan speed increases as temperature rises. Since it's always relatively cool in my humidor, it runs at a very low speed. I let it run 24-7.

I've discovered that when it is difficult to get my rH up, the fan can help. I let the fan blow directly over my humidifier, and I get a few more % on my rH. This works well with beads, but sent my rH out of control when I was using PG solution.