Temperature Question

[Richter35]

Hey Guys-

Ive had my new cabinet style humdior for a few months now. I have 65rh beads in there from heartfelt and theyve been a steady 64-65 since I put them in. I have noticed though, that my temperature has been around the 77-78 mark pretty much steady the entire time. I never really paid much attention to it, only the RH level..and im wondering if this is too high? I have 6 shelves to this humi and on each shelf I have an oust fan going. I also have about 5lbs of beads in there (2 or so more than whats required). I live in chicago so its not like im in a humid area all year long. Im worried that its going to get even higher now that the summer is coming. Am I okay here, or do I need to get it down? And if so, how?

I apologize for the question, Im sure its been talked to death on here. Appreciate any help though, guys!

Thanks so much

EDIT: Figured Id note that my humidor is not near a radiator or window. I do have a glass sliding door in my condo which is about 15ft or so away from the humi but thats about it. I have a tv and radiator about 8ft away from it but as long as its not on directly next to them I assumed it was okay?

[longburn]

77F is too high,you should keep it around 70F or no more than 72F because if not it opens you up for a beetle attack. Tobacco beetles naturally live in the leaf,or rather their eggs do and they can be in the cheapest up to the most exspensive of cigars. Over 72F these beetles can grow and hatch and begin munching on your cigars.

Being near the plate glass doors I wonder if sunlight at some point in the day is coming in and shining directly on the cigars. You didn't mention your thermostat....do you have air conditioning?If so,what is it set for?

[Richter35]

Originally Posted by longburn

77F is too high,you should keep it around 70F or no more than 72F because if not it opens you up for a beetle attack. Tobacco beetles naturally live in the leaf,or rather their eggs do and they can be in the cheapest up to the most exspensive of cigars. Over 72F these beetles can grow and hatch and begin munching on your cigars.

Being near the plate glass doors I wonder if sunlight at some point in the day is coming in and shining directly on the cigars. You didn't mention your thermostat....do you have air conditioning?If so,what is it set for?

I do have AC but I havent had to use it yet so it hasnt been on. I just dont know why it could be this high all the time. Like I said, I live in Chicago, so shouldnt the temp be well below 70 most of the time? I dont think I ever seen it below like 72 even during the coldest winter night and its usually at least 75-78...I know my apt isnt 78 degrees? Any ideas on how to get this temp down? Thanks

[longburn]

The high temp could be from that plate glass window and at some time during the day sunlight comes straight in to the humidor.It could be from being fairly near the radiator or it could be if you live in a high rise apartment heat travels upward and you are "enjoying" everyones heat from below you.

The only two things I know to bring the heat down is to turn the AC up or to move the humidor to a darker/cooler place such as a bedroom or closet. Of course having a cabinet type makes that more difficult.But I haven't seen any cooling mechinisms for humidors except for small fans you can install in the larger humidors which only circulates the air but doesn't change the temp.

Try this,get a thermometer...the digital kind is best but exspensive but any well made one will do.Set it at different spots in the house,see which spots are cooler than others.

[Shervin]

If you can do anything about the temp like setting the ac to kick on at a lower number or place the humi somewhere where it may be cooler that would be better for your stogies long term if not the temp can cause beetles to hatch but most manuf have a process in which they attempt to kill off most the the larvae before distribution so you should be ok for the most part.

On another note you are using way to many oust fans in your humi, 6 shelves with one each = 6 fans, way too much circulation that will dry up your beads quicker than usual you want some humidity to settle on the cigars so that it is absorbed, the fans keep it moving to the point where they can't, one is all you really need to keep the flow moving yet allow the humidity to permeate through a resting cigar.

[Richter35]

Originally Posted by Shervin

If you can do anything about the temp like setting the ac to kick on at a lower number or place the humi somewhere where it may be cooler that would be better for your stogies long term if not the temp can cause beetles to hatch but most manuf have a process in which they attempt to kill off most the the larvae before distribution so you should be ok for the most part.

On another note you are using way to many oust fans in your humi, 6 shelves with one each = 6 fans, way too much circulation that will dry up your beads quicker than usual you want some humidity to settle on the cigars so that it is absorbed, the fans keep it moving to the point where they can't, one is all you really need to keep the flow moving yet allow the humidity to permeate through a resting cigar.

Oh okay, thank you for the tip about the Oust fans. I got a great deal for them on ebay as a package of 6 so just went with it. I have 3 hygros in there as well (top, mid, lower) and all 3 are never off of 64-65rh level so I thought the fans were needed. You would know better than me though.

My place is a small condo...only about 1000sqft or so..so I dont think there is really any cooler places in here bc its so small. Even during the coldest winter nights here in chicago, the temp never seemed to get very low. I would crack open the sliding door a tad to get the smoke out and I would notice the RH levels in the humi would drop right away to high 50s or low 60s, and then go right back to 64-65 after I close it. So I see the effects it has on the humidity but doesnt seem to impact the temp that much. And like I said...it usually reads 75-78 in there and I KNOW its not that hot in my place..especially when it was colder out.

[tx_tuff]

Ok I don't believe it needs to be as cool as 72, and I have always heard anything above 75 is when the beetles can hatch. For the record I keep my humidor at 75 year round, and I have a cabinet also. So far over about 5 years I have never had one beetle. But yes I would say you are keeping your temp to high. I would put something up over the glass door to keep the sun light from coming in if you can't move it to a darker area.

[bobarian]

I agree with those who have said that 77 s too high. Sustained(3-5 days) of high temperatures and you are at risk for an outbreak of beetles. If you cant get the temp down the alternative is to freeze everything for 48-72 hours. Put the boxes or singles in a zip lock freezer bag. 24hrs in the fridge, 72 in freezer and 24 in fridge, then return to your cabinet.

[fiddlegrin]

I think that the possibility that the thermometer in the humi is wrong needs to be considered...

.02

[karmaz00]

i kep mine around 66F, but 70 is fine....77 little high might be tme for ac

[mackrazy]

i live in asia and my humi was constantly at 86F, so now im using a wine cooler, luckily though no infestations occurred while in my humi

[Phantom57]

Cover the glass with a towel. Make sure it on an inside wall, and crank down the A/C.

[jeff_connors]

How about the other end of the spectrum ...whats to low?

[Koolpsych]

I heard that too low isn't really a problem, just your cigars will age slower. I've seen people store their cigars all the way down to 58 in the basement.

[Herf N Turf]

Watch this web site everyday. Stop obsessing. You're fine.