Beads

[maphic]

I purchased two 2ounce 65% beads, for my two humidors.
Well instead of spraying them down (since they are in the the tube) i dipped them in a bowl of distilled water. Can this mess them up?
I'm asking because I have only had them for a month and I have already had to add more water to them because they turned white and the RH dropped to 59-62% range. Is this normal?

Thanks,
Austin

[RGD]

Depends on who you talk to. Dunking and or spraying will cause them to crack - but in my opinion does not degrade the performance at all. As for needing to re-wet them - you will find that in the winter months they require more water than in the summer months. This is natural and no cause for concern.

You are doing okay -


Ron

[wharfrathoss]

i have the tubes too & spray mine-the water gets pulled in, just takes 5 or 10 seconds-i think rehydrating them slowly helps them to not crack, i could be wrong

[Boston_Dude05]

I thought if you put water on them directly the beads would crack? I have had good experiences spraying them down.

[Da Klugs]

They turn white as they dry out. The time it takes is a function of how large a space you are humidfying, what RH the contents were when you charged the beads, and how "sealed" an environment they are in. My opinion is that the specs given for amount of beads per CF are based upon an assumption of a reasonably sealed environment and might be a bit understated based upon a normal desire to not have to charge them frequently. IMO, Like cigar buying, the amount of beads used can never be "too many" until it represents more than a single digit % of the available space.

Confessions of a dipper and dripper.

[maphic]

I didnt realize they can crack. Are the cracked ones no good now (if i have some) or do they just not perform the way they are supposed to?
I will start using a squirt bottle.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by maphic

I didnt realize they can crack. Are the cracked ones no good now (if i have some) or do they just not perform the way they are supposed to?
I will start using a squirt bottle.

Cracked ones work just as well as whole ones do.
The only difference is you will probably get more of the white dust in your humi.
No big deal though.

[wharfrathoss]

Originally Posted by madurolover

Cracked ones work just as well as whole ones do.
The only difference is you will probably get more of the white dust in your humi.
No big deal though.

this made me think of somethng else-i hate the white dust in humi, so i take a cedar wrap from a long gar, tear off part the long way, & wrap it around the tube-it only covers the btm 1/3, but it's enough to keep the dust in 1 place for easy dumping when i refill

[maphic]

Thanks for the relief. I was worried that I was going to have to purchase new one.

Yeah I have noticed the white dust settling in the corner of my humidor. I will try wrapping a piece of cedar around it.

Thanks guy

[earnold25]

you can use panty hose to wrap the tube as well.

[chenakos]

Originally Posted by RGD

Depends on who you talk to. Dunking and or spraying will cause them to crack - but in my opinion does not degrade the performance at all. As for needing to re-wet them - you will find that in the winter months they require more water than in the summer months. This is natural and no cause for concern.

You are doing okay -


Ron

I totally agree! Listen to the guy

[palm55]

Sounds like it's time for Viper to chime in here... But FWIW, I've had no problem with bead performance, cracked or not. However, the "clear" beads WILL take on a brownish color over time, just as "clear" cello on a ciagar will take on a brownish cast over time.

Not to worry!

[stogie4u4me]

Here is a link I think you may need http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/faq.asp

Read the first paragraph under this heading

“How do I add distilled water to the beads when they get dry?”