New Humi? STOP!!!!

[Herf N Turf]

There have been a lot of threads, which have appeared recently regarding new humidors and what to do to them. The disturbing thing is, people have already done things to them, some irreversable.

Here's my two cents on what I think you should do. Just remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.

1) Get an accurate hygro reading before doing a damn thing! Many humis come from environments where the humidity is relatively high. If they are made overseas, or ship from a shop with a full-store system, you could be getting a pre-seasoned box, ROTT. A simple dusting inside is all that is needed prior to throwing sticks inside.

2) IF your new treasure chest DOES require some help, SLOWER is GOODER. DO NOT wipe it down with that brand new, ultra sterile, hospital grade, NASA designed sponge you just bought and only unwrapped for this purpose. Depending on the grade, age, thickness, moisture content, of your spanish cedar, saturating it could spell permanent disaster. ANY amount of moisture WILL cause wood to move. Cedar, being open-pored and soft, will absorb massive amounts of water and if absorbed too quickly, will move on you, destroying your seal forever. Also, that wood is laminated. That means that water-based glues have been used to make the sandwich. I don't need to tell you what too much water will do to your sandwich.

3) Now, for the DO's: Take that pristine sponge and saturate it with distilled water, ONLY. Lay is on a saucer, so it doesn't make direct contact with any wood surface.
4) If you have trays, it is ok to wipe them down with the sponge, just be sure not to over saturate them. If the trays move a little, that's no big deal and they will likely settle back fairly quickly once things become stabilized.
5) Walk away from it for a week. Come back to it in two, or three days, only to check the dampness of the sponge. Add DW as needed.

Caveat: If you know the humi wont be moved while youre seasoning, just put the DW on the saucer and omit the sponge. Many recommend a shot glass, but what youre looking for is rapid evaporation and for that, you need surface area.

6) Check your hygro after a week. If it's been reading 70+ for a couple days, remove the water and let sit another 24hrs. If it's still around 70%, youre good to go.

It will likely take a month or so to get it really rock solid stabile. This wont hurt the stick, but will likely mean that you will need to re-moisten your beads more frequently than average, at least for this period.

It's best to keep your humi at least 50% full of cigars or more. This is the best way to keep things stabile and to keep from having to constantly recondition your humidification media.

Good luck and happy seasoning.

[Jack Straw]

Great post, and great advice.

[mlbar1153]

Very sound advise.

[wisdomwalker]

My Humi does not have a hygrometer! I would love to go get one. but the funds should go in the gas tank.
I have never been comfortable with the climate inside, because I have no way of monitoring it. I really can't tell how my sticks are doing. This is some what aggravating and leases me a bit uneasy at times.

[dj1340]

Originally Posted by wisdomwalker

My Humi does not have a hygrometer! I would love to go get one. but the funds should go in the gas tank.
I have never been comfortable with the climate inside, because I have no way of monitoring it. I really can't tell how my sticks are doing. This is some what aggravating and leases me a bit uneasy at times.

You can get an inexpensive one at Wally World for 6 to 7 bucks.
Calibrate it!.
Couldn't imagine putting sticks in a humi without one

[Herf N Turf]

Originally Posted by dj1340

You can get an inexpensive one at Wally World for 6 to 7 bucks.
Calibrate it!.
Couldn't imagine putting sticks in a humi without one

I could. I am so solidly convinced on the stability of Heartfelt beads, Im planning to use them in two small desktops with no hygros.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by Herf N Turf

I could. I am so solidly convinced on the stability of Heartfelt beads, Im planning to use them in two small desktops with no hygros.

My hygros are now in a drawer and have been since about a year after I started using Heartfelt beads. I am so confident in them that I don't see a need for the hygros.

[Jack Straw]

Originally Posted by madurolover

My hygros are now in a drawer and have been since about a year after I started using Heartfelt beads. I am so confident in them that I don't see a need for the hygros.

I calibrated my last hygro to the heartfelt beads in my cooler.

[dj1340]

I may have to give those a try. Never hurts to try something new.

[phalynx]

Great info. Thanks.

[Herf N Turf]

I keep reading posts suggesting that you salt test your new hygrometer for 24 hrs. This is a FALACY! Stand by.

First of all, unless your hygrometer, whether digital, or analogue, has a calibration function, youre not calibrating, your assessing accuracy. Some digitals have "top secret" calibration features, as found in the Xikar and Madeline discs, for example. In the case of Madeline (same as Xikar) you just hold the red button down for 5sec to re-set to 75%. This should only be done at the zenith of your salt test. Most actually have them. Don't be afraid to monkey around with the buttons to find out.

Now for the "falacy" part. Never, EVER trust a reading taken after only 24hrs. Most of us who have assessed/calibrated several hygros will attest to having seen them change in excess of 24hrs. The best rule of thumb is to just find something else to obsess over for two days. In every case I've experienced, nothing has ever moved beyond 32hrs, but still, the shortest amount of time for which I will test is 36h. My point is, there is no harm in leaving it in for two days and as a reward, you get a 100% fool proof reading.

A quick "how-to" for those not wanting to peruse, or search for a testing/calibration thread:

1) Get a small container, like tupperware, no more than a half pint. My preference is a zipper sandwich bag. The smaller the container, the less time it will take to stabilize.

2) Get a plasic bottle cap; gallon water jug, or personal water bottle, like Evian, etc. Fill the cap 2/3 full with regular, iodized table salt. Add just enough distilled water to moisten all the crystals, but no more. If you get too much water in the salt (runny), it will spike the himidity and take much longer to stabilize at 75%.

3) Purge as much air from your container as possible, without collapsing it (in the case of the zipper bag) over either the salt, or the hygro. The best way is to simply open the bag up just enough to get the hygro inside, followed by the salt/water container.

4) Let sit for a MINIMUM of 36h. If your hygro is accurate, it will read 75% RH.

5) If your digital unit is calibratable, press and hold the calibration button (some have a dial) until it reads 75%. If analogue, turn it over and, using a jewelers No2 slot head, turn the screw in whatever direction is necessary until the unit reads 75%. One of the advantages of using the bag (digital only) is that you can press the button without removing the unit. If non-adjustable, make a note on the back in nail polish, or a micro sharpie (silver) of how much +/- it is off. If you must remove the hygro to make the adjustment, replace it in the container for another 4hrs, to be sure it remains at 75%.

6) Place the unit in the humidor for four hours and read. This will tell you precisely the RH inside the box.

7) Reward yourself with a super-premium for having completed a job well done.

Hope this helps someone.

[zeavran1]

This is a great site with great information. I gotta check out these beads. They sound like they work really well.

[Alex_T]

RG bump for ya Don!!!

I was going to do a quick calibration test (8hr) but after reading this I decided to go for at least 48hrs. I noticed after 24hrs on the 2 I'm testing they're still jumping up and down and not stabilizing yet.

Thanks for the info man!

[Sigarz]

yep great info consolidation, good to have the entire process of calibrating humis and hygros in one thread, nice work!

[Cigary]

I am a firm believer in beads. They work and it's low maintenance and all I do is refreshen them about once every month or so and I'm done. I stopped buying humidors a year ago,,,4 is enough and now I use a coolerador and the big Rubber Maids to catch all of the overflow of singles and 5 paks I win on CBID.