Too much humidity in the wine cooler..

[kzx87]

I've got the temp stable, but the humidity drops to like 65% after a 1.5 minute compressor run, but it goes back up to 75% before it kicks back on again!

I put 1.5lbs of beads in and i'm gonna let it run overnight, but i dunno, it seems like I can't get it down. I didn't even put water on the beads.

[BP22]

Originally Posted by kzx87

I've got the temp stable, but the humidity drops to like 65% after a 1.5 minute compressor run, but it goes back up to 75% before it kicks back on again!

I put 1.5lbs of beads in and i'm gonna let it run overnight, but i dunno, it seems like I can't get it down. I didn't even put water on the beads.

The beads will absorb humidity as well. Put them in and let it sit for 24 hours and then see where your RH is at. Are you using any other humidifying devices??? 75%RH seems really high on its own. Have you done a salt test on your hygrometer to check its accuracy???

[neoflex]

Any spanish cedar in that bad boy?

[kzx87]

There's no spanish cedar. I've got my hygrometer calibrating right now and even now after an hour in the pack (as opposed to the required 10), it's spot on 75%.

No cedar, no trays, no nothing. Just an empty cooler. The only problem is there is slight condensation on the cooling plate. Could that moisture increase the Rh?

[kzx87]

Ok, so it ran overnight...

Temp is great at around 65, but the humidity is around 70-72... with 1.5lbs of 65% beads..

Maybe I got 70% beads by accident?

[n2advnture]

Once you add cigars, they too will absorb some moisture as well.

After you let the beads sit in there for a couple of days, pull them out and spread them on a cookie sheet and dry them on low with a hair dryer, then put them back in to absorb some more moisture.

~M

[stogie_kanobie_one]

Patience grasshopper. It is empty so there is nothing in there to help buffer things. I face the same thing in mine. Be sure to put your sticks in cigars boxes when you load up and if possible replace the shelf or shelves with spanish cedar (not necessary but we obsess over some of these things). You'll tfind hat dspite the swings in RH due to the compressor the rh inside of the boxes will remain more consistent. YES the moisture that is condensing can increase the RH. Many place small PC fans inside their wine coolerdors to help dissipate this. They point the fan at the plate and run it 2-3 times a day for a fixed period of time, searches will pull up more information on all of the above. Beads are the way to go but they are not the fasted things in the world at absorbing moisture. The fan will help.

I don't even bother anymore with all of that as when I see my RH getting too high in the wine cooler I just crack it open for a few hours. Down it comes.

We sometimes tend to over complicate things, I'm guilty of that one frequently....

[Danimal]

During the summer, I use DampRid to absorb the excess humidity that is common during the summer. It works like a desiccant so it tends to absorb a lot of moisture.. I just crack the lid open a bit without exposing all of it. Works like a charm for me. I have cedar and 1 lb of beads that have enough buffer to absorb but sometimes it is not enough during this time of year.

You can purchase DampRid from Home depot or such... only about $3-4 or so. Try the things people have mentioned here first, however. I live in Houston so the humidity here tends to be a bit high.

[chip]

Originally Posted by n2advnture

Once you add cigars, they too will absorb some moisture as well.

After you let the beads sit in there for a couple of days, pull them out and spread them on a cookie sheet and dry them on low with a hair dryer, then put them back in to absorb some more moisture.

~M

This is a great way to kill an afternoon hunting down all the #@#%* beads ya just blew all over the house.

[kzx87]

well, i picked up some empty cigar boxes (2 for $1!) at the local shop and I threw 4 boxes of cigars in there as well.

Everything is in an acceptable range and hopefully in a couple days it will settle closer to the ideal range.