humidor temperature control

[bjoliva]

Just got my humidor and seasoned it and set it all up. I got the RH pretty stable at 64-65% RH.

But my problem is that the temperature had been staying at 74 degrees F, so I know that's on the higher end of normal. But the past 2 days, it shot up to 77 degrees, so I'm on beatle alert. I think it's because the weather here in the San Francisco area has been heating up. I live in an apartment, so i don't have a basement or cellar or garage.

Today I tried putting it on top of the refrigerator, and I think that might work, I'll check it again tonight. Anyone have any other ideas?

[BARBARIAN-cr]

Heat rises.....................keep it low and out of sunlight !

You may want to open the lid more often than usual

[Acesfull]

If your humidors with a glass top, throw a towel over the glass, itll keep down the greenhouse effect. I keep my humidors in my basement as it is normally around 70 degrees there year round. Not sure if that is an option for you or not.

[bjoliva]

No, no glass top. And no basement.

But I had been keeping it in my closet because it's nice and shady in there. Hopefully the fridge thing works. Do you guys or anyone you know put like ice or ice packs anywhere in or around humidors if called for?

[Acesfull]

Not sure if Ice is good as when it melts, might spike the humidity. Maybe pickup an AC and stick it in front of that.

[Python]

I have used ice packs before to lower the temp in my cooler-dor. I just wrap some papertowles around it to absorb the moisture from the packs sweating and the beads did the rest. Right now I use nothing, I got tired of always checking the temp and just let it do what it does. I haven't had any beetles yet.

[JAX]

Unless you're willing to lower the temp in your apartment you may just have to do what you can to minimize the increase of your temp.


I have this same problem every summer here in Northern Florida, my humi's will peak up at 75-76% on some days. I got tired of fighting and have just learned to live with it. Keep the humi low to the ground and out of direct sunlight as recommended. This will help some.

You don't want constant temps high, but if a day or two every now and again is all you've got then you shouldn't have any problems.

If it gets too bad or you just can't take it anymore you may want to consider using a vino fridge (name escapes me right now) or converting a cooler to a coolador.

[Gumby-cr]

TWR282S - EdgeStar 28 Bottle Wine Cooler with Lock
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aabh_pr ... 2S_dt1.jpg

[fishr]

There is only so much you can do unless you buy a Vinotemp. I used to have my coolidors in the basement but have moved to a house without a basement and no air conditioning. I had at least 3 months where my coolers were at 78 degrees during the day but I removed the humidification so the RH stayed below 70%. No beetles or mold yet (knock on wood).

Keep a calibrated digital hydrometer in your humi's and remove samples for testing often.

[JTokash]

If you have a few grand to spare, grab an Avalo humidor.

Personally, I'm planning to build my own cabinet humidor and install a thermoelectric cooling element in it. I've got it all designed, now all I need is to graduate and get a job so I can afford it, LOL!!

-JT

[slowburning]

Sometimes I really wonder if the temp gauge on a digital hygrometer is accurate enough.

At the beginning of this summer, temp in my humis were hoovering at around 80 degrees. Obviously, panic alarm went off. I open humi constantly, and at times, I open my humis and let them sit in front of my air conditioner for hours, humidity display drop, but the temp never drop. After several trials, I gave up.

Now, temp in NYC is at around 65 degrees, temp display still showing at around 77 in all my humis. Thus, I came to the conclusion that temp gauges are not accurate.

This reminds me of the old school of cigar storage/aging where the ideal temp/humidity level of 70/70, fluctuation of 5 degrees/humidity level is perfectly normal and should not cause alarm. As a matter of fact, the old school idea was, humidity should be between 65-75%, if temp and humidity do not exceed 80/80, beetles hatching should not be a concern.

Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about not to let temp/humidity exceed 70/70, as beetles will hatch over this level. While this is true for cigars ready to be smoked, I doubt there's any truth to this, as my humis and coolers have been at the same level for the last few years, and I have yet to see any beetles hatching.

Another thing to keep in mind is, manufacturers are taking extra steps to prevent/eliminate beetles from hatching, such as freezing/fumigate (sp) tobacco/cigars before rolling/shipping.

That said, don't let the temp alone bothers your peace of mind, just keep an eye on your stash, and enjoy this hobby of ours.