Yet another humi/beads problem & question... (sorry)

[physiognomy]

I know this question has been flogged to death, but even after reading as much as I can I'm a little stumped as to what is going on in my case... Recently I ordered a pound of 65% beads from Heartfelt & converted the original humidifiers in my $20 Holts humi's. Both my (full) boxes were seasoned & originally running pretty close to 63%/70degF with a 2oz humicare jar & the oasis moistened. After I made the conversion I'm having trouble getting the rh above 55% even after I put back in the humicare jar??? I used the equation JPH gave in a previous thread (Thanks!) to work out that my 13.5*9*6 humi's needed (at min) approx 1.4oz of beads...

Originally Posted by JPH

FORMULA is: (11*25*14)/1728=x

x/5=y

y*16=how many ounces you need

Since each of my humidifiers would take approx 3oz of beads (I have 9oz of the pound left) I figured that doubling the min. amount would be more than adequate... After thoroughly wetting the beads for 3 nights in a row my humidity is still not rising... I'm thinking that it must be something to do with my setup, so here is a couple of pic's -





Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated!

[galaga]

Here's my thoughts.
You were using a humicare jar that as far as I know doesn't "regulate" humidity but is just a source of water vapor. "The oasis moistened" -- did it have PEG (cigar juice) included? Assume yes, then your oasis "regulates" at 70% and your hydrometer reads 63% when it is really 70%. If no, then your oasis is also just a source of water and your hydrometer reads 63% for some value of RH that I will assume is >70%.

Then you put in your 65% beads, half clear and half white I assume and regulate the RH close to 65% actual but your hydrometer reads 55%. If that is so, then I assume the original RH was about 73% -- it's consistant with no PEG in your oasis.

[physiognomy]

Originally Posted by galaga

"The oasis moistened" -- did it have PEG (cigar juice) included?

No, I only used distilled water... My initial plan was to eventually upgrade to beads once my humis were full (read - spent all my budget on cigars), so the humicare jars & oasis were just to keep humidity up.

Thanks for your thoughts... I will try the salt test on my hygro's again & make sure they are still reading ok...

[wharfrathoss]

i'm guessing you're using the hygro that came w/it?-these are WAY inaccurate-i use mine to fill the hole only-try an accuset digi hygro from heartfelt or cigarmony-they're easily adjustable-even salt testing the orig from the humi may not give you an accurate reading-it's not the salt test, they're just that off

[physiognomy]

Originally Posted by wharfrathoss

i'm guessing you're using the hygro that came w/it?-these are WAY inaccurate...

No, I pretty much gave up on those... The hygro's I use (2nd pic) are the little round Madeline.

[wharfrathoss]

damn, i'm 0 for 2 on this one!

[rgordin]

A few observations. You live in Denver, which causes me to wonder whether, especially now, the humidity in your house is low? From the photos, your humi may not be sealed well. You could try a light test. My humi has needed a "touch up" once or twice. I have done this by lightly dampening the edges where the sealing lip meets the top.

[Viper139]

I think galaga nailed it, I am very suspicious of your hygrometer. You need to verify its accuracy with either a salt test or a Boveda Calibration Kit so you can be confident of what it is telling you.

[trogdor | the burninator]

Originally Posted by Viper139

I think galaga nailed it, I am very suspicious of your hygrometer. You need to verify its accuracy with either a salt test or a Boveda Calibration Kit so you can be confident of what it is telling you.

yeah, i'd definitely get a calibration kit. i did the salt test several times and it said i was right on, but when i got the calibration kit....i realized my hygro was off my 3%!

so here's my advice (not really any different):
1. get a calibration kit and test your hygro
2. fill up your credo with beads. i know you did the math and all, but i think you can only hurt your RH by having too few beads, not too many...so it's worth a shot. make sure that 60-70% of the beads are clear. you mentioned you had watered it for three days, i don't know what that means...but over watering the beads will cause them to crack.

3. stick to the beads and oust the gel. i've never used the gel, but since i don't know if it's working for or against you, it's best to remove any variables.

4. answer a few questions for everyone:
- how long have you had your humi's and after you seasoned them, did they stay steady at your desired RH for a considerable amount of time (over a week)?
- have you always had a fully stocked humi, even before the beads? (this way, we know if it's a whole bunch of new cigars effecting the RH)

not sayin i've got the answer, but the more info we can get, the more likely someone's gonna have a clue. i'm on board with galaga and viper, tho, i think your hygro might be off. a hygro needs to be tested every so often, because battery life has an affect on accuracy.