ACID Humidor rH problem (poor seal?)

[psygardelic]

Okay, so some of you now know that I am a closet acid addict currently in recovery and off to start my new life of non-infused premium cigars. During an ACID benge I went out and paid $250 for a rather decent looking ACID Humidor featuring the 'ACID City' decoration. My Humidor is currently stocked with a rather small quantity of cigars (low income,high overhead ). I have about 12 RP Fire Cigars, and a few seconds (I am praying that I can find a job that pays better than my current one, because ever since I moved back to my home town I have been making 1/2 of what I made in KS, cant find any good jobs, cant support my cigar habbit.. )

What I have noticed is that when I lock my humidor the rH stays just slightly higher than it does when I keep it unlocked. I am using a standard humidifier and analouge rH gage, I havent tried sticking one of my electronic gages in there yet because they are all stored away at the storage facility.

My humidor has been retaining about 45-50 % rH and 55 when I lock it, never reaching 60+. Knowing that it should be around 60-65, I have been a bit concerned lately, especially because my Fire sticks tend to dry and become hard a bit more easily than my other cigars..

I had been using QuickStart Humidification fluid which consists of
50% Propylene Glycol, 50% dh2o . I have needed to refill the Humidifier every week or so lately and i've been using the same solution. I take my time filling it up, squezing out just enough so that there is a thin layer over the top of the device, then I let it sink in and whatever doesn't absorb I simply wipe off.. I give it time to properly and thoroughly obsorb all of the fluid so I dont believe its the humidifier thats defective, there is also a nearly wet/oily feel to the device for the first week after it has been refilled. Well, today I refilled it with just dh2o (Distilled Water) and not the QuickStart Fluid.

I'm not sure if the seal around my humidor just isn't tight enough. For $250 Bones it sure as hell should be tight enough! I know of other things I could spend $250 on that would be VERY tight (im not usually one for Innuendos, but I couldnt resist) so lets hope its not the seal thats the culprit.

Has anyone else had problems with the ACID humidors before or is it more plausible that my rH meter is deffective and / or completely innacurate.. I may go through the trouble of finding my electronic gages, but I can tell the humidity isnt quite where it should be based on the feel of the cigars..

Thanks, any suggestions or flames are welcome.

All Dried Up,
entheomation (Gettnig ready to smoke my first Saint Luis Rey, Reserva Especial)

[Scott M]

I wouldn't trust an analog hygrometer much, but I think you're on the right track with adding straight distilled water instead of the 50/50.

Regarding your seal; have you done a flashlight test? Does your lid go "whoosh" when you close it? Can you slip a dollar bill in between the lid and the box, and pull it out easily when the lid's closed?

Inquiring minds.

Try these. Let us know.

S.