Humi problem

[cadillac cracker]

Hey guys,
Here's the problem...My humi is lossing humidity!...I have a 72% bodevia pac for a 50 ct humi in it which should be plenty right? currently I have about 10 sticks in it and the humidity is at 63%...know we do keep our house pretty cool(64 degrees) so could that be the problem?...the humi seems to seal fine...I did prep the unit as well with spraying it down with distilled water...I'm stumped!
Thanks,
White Mike

[n2advnture]

Mike,
It could be a couple of things.

1.) Are you using an analog or digital hygrometer?
2.) If digital, has it been salt tested?
3.) Boveda packs don't last forever and need to be replaced periodically
4.) Stupid question but how often do you open and close it?

I would strongly suggest getting some humidity beads from www.heartfeltindustries.com - you won't have to ever worry about your humi holding humidity.

Hope this helps.
~Mark
Cigarmony.com

[shakespeare]

Just a few more questions ..

1. How long have you had your humi?
2. How long did your preparation take exactly?
3. What capacity sponge do you have? ie: 50ct humi capable?
4. Do the cigars seem dry?

[RonC]

Humidipak reccomends 2 Bovedas in a 50 count humidor.

[zemekone]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree with these guys, personally 63% is cool with me... and yes go with some beads they are like RonCo Ronco's Rotisserie oven "Set it, and forget it!"

[Dogwatch Dale]

Originally Posted by cadillac cracker

Hey guys,
Here's the problem...My humi is lossing humidity!...I have a 72% bodevia pac for a 50 ct humi in it which should be plenty right? currently I have about 10 sticks in it and the humidity is at 63%...know we do keep our house pretty cool(64 degrees) so could that be the problem?...the humi seems to seal fine...I did prep the unit as well with spraying it down with distilled water...I'm stumped!
Thanks,
White Mike

I think you almost answered your own question. You're probably not losing humidity, but the RELATIVE humidity is the key. 70% rh at 70 degrees will change to a lower rh at a lower temp. Somewhere I've seen a chart that lays it out, if I can find it I'll post it.
Without changing anything in your 'dor, move it to a place that is at 70 degrees for a day or so and I'll bet the rh rises to near 70%.

[Charles]

I would not recommend spraying distilled water inside your humi. To borrow an idea from another gorilla, try putting distilled water in a small bowl (I used a small glass bowl) with a paper towel in it. Pop it in the microwave to get it nice and hot, then transfer it to your humi. This will raise your RH, just be careful not to overdo it. I have a large humi and have been doing this for the last couple of weeks. My humi has settled in at 66% on the top and 70% on the bottom at about 67 degrees F. Now that it is stable, I haven't had to do anything.

I am thinking of switching to beads though. I take several extended trips every year and don't like the idea of returning to a dry humi.

Don't get frustrated and do something drastic. I have read that sudden swings in RH can be very bad your cigars.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Dogwatch Dale

I think you almost answered your own question. You're probably not losing humidity, but the RELATIVE humidity is the key. 70% rh at 70 degrees will change to a lower rh at a lower temp. Somewhere I've seen a chart that lays it out, if I can find it I'll post it.
Without changing anything in your 'dor, move it to a place that is at 70 degrees for a day or so and I'll bet the rh rises to near 70%.

from www.cigar.com

How do you determine the correct humidity of my humidor?
The standard for cigar storage is 70% relative humidity (“RH”) but only at 70 degree F. At temperatures below 70 degree, Relative Humidity (RH) readings must be greater than 70% to give the same humidification as 70 to 70 degrees. At temperatures above 70 degree, RH readings must be less than 70% for proper results. To find the correct RH:


TEMP
degree RH
required
80 49%
79 52%
78 53%
77 55%
76 57%
75 59%
74 61%
TEMP
degree RH
required
73 63%
72 65%
71 68%
70 70%
69 72%
68 75%
67 78%
TEMP
degree RH
required
66 80%
65 83%
64 86%
63 89%
62 92%
61 96%
60 impossible

[palm55]

Mr. MaDuro... Thanks for the EXCELLENT INFORMATION!!!

This clears up some questions that have been nagging me about humidors located in different rooms in my home. My office is a constant 70 degrees, due to heavy lighting, computer equipment, etc. Other rooms vary between 62 and 68.

[illuminatus]

*EDIT*: Mr. Maduroo, not trying to cause offense here, don't take any umbrage at this, I re-read it, and realized it looked like I was attacking you. Hope you don't take it that way, just trying to pass on some of the info I've learned from this great forum!

NO NO NO NO.... The info that Mr. Maduroo Posted has been proven wrong, it's one of cigar smoking's great myths! If you do a search for that same info here on CS, you will find all the FOGs chiming in and saying that it's a load of BS.

A quick search for "Relative humidty myth" turns up several results:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthr...+humidity+myth

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthr...+humidity+myth

And most importantly:

http://www.cigargroup.com/faq/#5.0a

Just my

[germantown rob]

I'll share a problem I had at the beginning of heating season. I had my 100 ct humi in my office which was spiking up to 73 degrees so I decided to move it into the guest bedroom where I keep the temp around 60-64. Well the digital hydro started reading , I am using 65% beads and had recently salt tested so I let the humi dry out...big problem, dry cigars, so I added moisture, swelling cigars now. This is , and I have lost a few cigars so I got a calibration humi pack and started moving it around different temps and low and behold the darn thing read different % depending on temp. So I learned a few things- 1 trust the beads and the cigar oasis... 2 Quick drying and or humidifying not good...3 Know what your hydro reads at diff temps.

[SeanGAR]

A couple of things here.

Temperature will affect relative humidity. Lower the temperature, the humidity will increase locally or in a closed system (cools at night, get fog, cools over moutains, get fog & rain ...humidity reached saturation = the dew point).

We use humidiying agents in our humidors so this is not a closed or local system, but the basic data presented in that table correctly shows the impact of temperature on RH (again, closed system, not what would happen in your humidified humidor). So the data are correct, but the interpretation that we should store cigars at different RH due to differences in temperature is not.

I've been curious as to the temperature effects on humidity using different humidifiers. I expect the data are out there but I'm too lazy to look. The super accurate humidity (water activity) meters that we use at work are not temperature controlled, unfortunately.

Some humidifying systems are more strongly affected by temperature than others. I don't know about these Boveda things. I'm thinking the problem is you need 2, as somebody already pointed out.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by illuminatus

*EDIT*: Mr. Maduroo, not trying to cause offense here, don't take any umbrage

Illuminatus - No worries and never umbrage for your many thoughtful remarks. I just posted a relationship chart.

The temp/rh relationship is fizziks that meteorologists use every time they calculate tomorrow mornings dew point; the relationship is not hit-or-myth theory. The numbers in cigar.com chart may not be precise but the relationship demonstrated (forgive me) holds water. Somebody asked for the chart, that's all. The chart is the chart.

What, if anything, the chart says about a cigar that was sealed in the perfect, leakproof, impermeable humidor at 70/70 and then heat or cooled is another matter that I do not address. I'm gonna call a cigar-smoking meteorologist I know to discuss that...

[illuminatus]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

Illuminatus - No worries and never umbrage for your many thoughtful remarks. I just posted a relationship chart.

I'm gonna call a cigar-smoking meteorologist I know to discuss that...

First - Glad no offense was taken
Second -

[Mister Moo]

[QUOTE=Mister MaDuroo]from www.cigar.com

How do you determine the correct humidity of my humidor?
The standard for cigar storage is 70% relative humidity (“RH”) but only at 70 degree F. At temperatures below 70 degree, Relative Humidity (RH) readings must be greater than 70% to give the same humidification as 70 to 70 degrees. At temperatures above 70 degree, RH readings must be less than 70% for proper results. [QUOTE]

BZZZZZZT on me! I just read and re-read what I posted from cigar.com, above. It's poppycock. It is senseless. I know what the writer meant to say - but this ain't it. Forget what I said about this chart - it's horse-hockey. BZZZT. Warning.. Ass-O-Meter... BZZZT.