Vinotemp config

[JPinDC]

Greetings, quick question here on the config of the Vinodor.

I built and installed some shelves out of spanish cedar and things were looking pretty good. Leaving the door open got the plastic smell out in a day or two and with the shelves installed there was a nice cigar aroma building. Wine bottles are there in the fan zone - I may replace that with a drawer.



Then I plugged it in to start seasoning with a couple containers of distilled water like you might do with a new humi. RH is now up over 70 but the wood smell is GONE. It smells like plastic again now when you open the door and I am afraid to put my smokes in.

Idea - since it will now be cooler here in VA until March or so, should I just leave it unplugged and then turn it back on next Spring when it starts to heat up?

all opinions welcome.
jp

[pv1191-cl]

You want to leave it plugged in so the main fan will circulate the air. As far as the plastic smell I wiped mine with a very light bleach solution then rinsed several times with fresh water and let it sit with the door open. Within a day or so it was gone. Be sure it's plugged it and running. The condenser, and other plastic pieces you don't see will need to air out as well. Some people have reported it taking a week or two to get the smell completely out. For me it was about two days. The next thing is you need to add more cedar. Empty boxes are good or if you have scrap laying around from building the shelves then load that in there.

Next you will need to plug the drain hole in the bottom of the unit. Eletrical tape works well. Condensation will build up and drip down in the summer and you don't want a place for mold spores to get a foothold. Get 1 lb of RH beads and one of the micro fiber bags. Put the beads on top of the covered drain hole. This way when the condensation drips down it will be absorbed by the beads and released later. The oust fans are good but you will not need them because the main fan is more than enough for circulation. I also use a Cigar Oasis XL.

Mine is set up with 6 spanish cedar shelf drawers that were made by MTmouse so mine run from top to bottom. They are deep enough to fit full boxes if needed and the cedar helps keep the RH steady. I use a combination of 70% and 65% RH beads mixed. I then split them into two bags. One is over the drain on the bottom and the second is in the top shelf. My Oasis is set for 65% and rarely ever comes on. It's mainly a backup in case the beads get depleted and I'm away for several days. I've only had to recharge it once in just over 6 months. The RH stays pretty solid at 67% or 68%. Only on the hottest days in the summer did it ever get above 70% and even then it only spiked at 72%. I live in California so the air is fairly dry but the condensation build up on the condenser and is blown in by the fan. If you live in a very humid area you might want to add more beads.

Sorry its so long but I hope this helps

[pv1191-cl]

Here is a link to the thread that has some pics of mine. You'll see two oust fans in there but they were removed because they are not needed. This was also prior to splitting my beads into two bags. The Vino was by far the best investment I've made for my collection.

http://www.cigarlive.com/forum/showt...light=vinotemp

[JPinDC]

Wow do I wish I had a drawer full of serie V's . . but I digress.

Thank you for the awesome info. I did wipe down the inside beforehand, and I had no plastic smell until I plugged it in. From the beginning I was trying to figure out how the cedar scent could get into the plastic, and I think I am seeing that's not gonna happen. When I open my cabinet humidor the whole room gets that awesome cedar and cigar smell so this is a little disappointing. If I pull a shelf out it even seems to have lost it's smell, the same thing happened to an empty box I put in there and I can't risk that happening to my smokes. I'll give it another week and see how it goes.

The oust fans are just for seasoning, I was planning on using a Hydra plus beads on the drain hole.

jp

[pv1191-cl]

Originally Posted by JPinDC

Wow do I wish I had a drawer full of serie V's . . but I digress.

Thank you for the awesome info. I did wipe down the inside beforehand, and I had no plastic smell until I plugged it in. From the beginning I was trying to figure out how the cedar scent could get into the plastic, and I think I am seeing that's not gonna happen. When I open my cabinet humidor the whole room gets that awesome cedar and cigar smell so this is a little disappointing. If I pull a shelf out it even seems to have lost it's smell, the same thing happened to an empty box I put in there and I can't risk that happening to my smokes. I'll give it another week and see how it goes.

The oust fans are just for seasoning, I was planning on using a Hydra plus beads on the drain hole.

jp

You just need to get the plastic smell out. when I open mine I get the same room filling aroma that you speak of. You just need more cedar in there

[JPinDC]

OK, I got ya. The fridge isn't sucking the scent out of the cedar, I just need more cedar and cigars to overpower the plastic smell.

[JPinDC]

of course I could be high too. Pulled out one of the bottles of wine for dinner and is had a great cigar scent on it.

I poured some beads in a cup and added DI water, then stirred until I had partially wet beads, then I shovelled them into a mesh drawstring bag. I have RH up and over 71 so I hope that goes down. No, they aren't heartfelt beads, they are Home Depot garden beads. This could be interesting.

[JPinDC]

Checking back in. I think the smell thing has worked itself out, however my RH is 73%+, and I only have a single bag of about 1/2 to a full pound of beads down on the drain collection point.

Should I be concerned and how would I lower that RH? I have about four boxes of smokes in there now.

thanks!
jp

[JPinDC]

RH is now holding at 75%, but the weird thing is that I took out a Nub and it smoked better than I remember them being before. I wonder if keeping the temp at 65 is offsetting the high RH?

[pv1191-cl]

I would recalibrate the hygometer to be sure the reading is correct. The analogs suck and the digital ones are usually off by a little too. If it is still high I would suggest more beads and cedar. Are you sure the beads are not 75%?

[JPinDC]

Thanks Tommy - I've bag tested that hydro a couple of times and it's on. The beads I'm using don't have a rating on them, but I guess I'm finding out now. Are you sure I
should use more, or should I take half out?

If it wasn't for the drainige issue, I would be using my Hydra.

jp

[Mtmouse]

Originally Posted by JPinDC

Thanks Tommy - I've bag tested that hydro a couple of times and it's on. The beads I'm using don't have a rating on them, but I guess I'm finding out now. Are you sure I
should use more, or should I take half out?

If it wasn't for the drainige issue, I would be using my Hydra.

jp

Get the 65% beads from Heartfelt. I have one pound in mine and I haven't had to touch it in 6 months.

[JPinDC]

there must be something that I don't understand about these.

I just noticed that the 2 year old was playing with the buttons and the temp was at 55. The RH inside was at 68. I cranked the temp back to 66 and when I checked in an hour the RH was at 77. Now it is back to 75 but I am playing russian roulette with my smokes.

[Mtmouse]

Originally Posted by JPinDC

there must be something that I don't understand about these.

I just noticed that the 2 year old was playing with the buttons and the temp was at 55. The RH inside was at 68. I cranked the temp back to 66 and when I checked in an hour the RH was at 77. Now it is back to 75 but I am playing russian roulette with my smokes.

If the the power goes out, the Vinotemp will automatically go back to 55 degrees, which will drop your RH level.

[Patrick B]

Went today to hopefully buy my first wine cooler in hopes of making it into a humidor. IT was a little more 'scratch-n-dent' than I thought it would be, so I passed. The search continues...