Humi Question

[REMstalker]

Hey Guys,

I was wondering if someone had any information to offer me on a humi issue I'm having. A few months ago, I purchased a very nice 200ct. humi (22" x 15" x 18"). I seasoned the humi by dousing a rag with distilled water and wiping the interior down. I then added a cigar oasis to help maintain humidity. Started out OK, but as I added cigars, the levels dropped from 70% to as low as 63%. I know that's not way out of range, but I notice a HUGE difference in my cigars (dry and crackly at 63% vs. plump and squeezable at 70%. I've got a digital temp/hygrometer inside of it. My first issue was that the cigar oasis came with a bum cartridge. I got that replaced, but still not much luck in raising the humidity. Last week I emptied the humi and seasoned it AGAIN. This time, I took a spray bottle with distilled water and sprayed the shit out of the interior. I wiped off the excess, and put everything back in. When I went to bed the humidity was reading 92% and when I woke up the next morning it was down to 72%. The cigars were doing pretty damn good for a few days, but now, slowly, I'm back down to 67% and holding. I've got the cigar oasis set to 73 to offset, but no luck. The humi has a couple of glass panes for viewing, but nothing crazy. In case you want to see it, go to www.cigarhumidors-online.com . It is the GENEVA model. What the F*** am I doing wrong? Or am I just stressing over nothing? I won't even smoke my cigars now if I'm not happy with the humidity.

[JPH]

One thing imo that you are doing wrong is putting the cigars in the humidor b4 it's completely seasoned....Spraying it down lots than putting cigars in and going to bed isn't a good Idea..I would get it stabilized first than add them. (keep sticks in a ziplock for the meen time)
p.s. dont wet it too much, could f-up your cedar

Just my Hope I helped

[n2advnture]

Originally Posted by JPH

One thing imo that you are doing wrong is putting the cigars in the humidor b4 it's completely seasoned....Spraying it down lots than putting cigars in and going to bed isn't a good Idea..I would get it stabilized first than add them. (keep sticks in a ziplock for the meen time)
p.s. dont wet it too much, could f-up your cedar

Just my Hope I helped

Spot on.

Simply place a bowl of distilled water in your closed humidor and let it sit for 14 days.

Then add your cigar oasis.

Once the RH is a stable 70%, slowly add you cigars as they can/do absorb moisture. (also make sure your digital hygrometer is calibrated)

Hope this helps
~Mark

[JPH]

P.S. (not that you need more responses....but you would get more if you posted this in the Questions-accesories thread)

[White97Jimmy]

Also, when you add cigars, the humidity will naturally drop. The cigars are absorbing the humidity.

Since you say its at 67% right now, I would really quit worrying about it. 67% is pretty optimal humidity (most people are between 65% an 70%). If it holds at 67%, just leave it alone.

[berk-m]

Those posts so far are dead on; I have a couple of comments and questions. I know how anxious you are to fill that bad boy up with cigars. I took a look and that is a nice humidor. BTW if you already know this stuff don’t take it the wrong way, I’m trying to help out. The wood needs to be re-humidified when you get a brand new humidor. Without properly “seasoning” the wood it will suck the moisture out of your cigars. Essentially your wood needs to be able to absorb and maintain the proper amount of moisture. Please, please, do not wipe any more water into the wood. This part is also a big deal - you need at least ¼ inch air space over the top of the Oasis or it will “choke” the air intake, also make sure the blower is not obstructed and has room “well over” cigars and such. If everything is good with the Oasis then empty the humidor. Put the hygrometer back in. Put the Oasis into your empty humidor, set the humidity wherever you like (don’t crank it up too high, this will not speed it up) and let it sit at least overnight. Don’t open the lid. Check the humidity level the next day, if it is where you want it – leave it overnight - at least one more time, then add cigars. Once you add cigars the humidity will drop – be patient and give it another night. Give it time to adjust. Your climate and the wood, size of the humidor, etc. all factor into how long it takes. Don’t worry about small changes, cigars are safe anywhere from 66-79% give or take. Once your humidor maintains your desired level you are set.

I do have a couple of questions –
your humidor has many drawers and compartments – where did you put the Oasis?
where did you put the hygrometer?
have you put the hygrometer in different drawers to see if they are similar?
Is the humidity reaching the entire humidor – or are there “dead” spots

Sounds to me like you tried to get it going too fast (I have done that, more than once). If all else fails you may want to get humi-tubes or the beads.

Hope I was of some help – Good Luck getting it going.

I know this is a ridiculously long post, but I’m trying to be as through as possible, hate to see a good humidor go bad, and good cigars go to waste. I actually cut out quite a bit.

Matt

[REMstalker]

Matt,

When I read your post, I remembered that there were stock issues with the Genova, and the actual humi I got was the Versaille (http://www.cigarhumidors-online.com/...lleenlarge.htm)
No drawers and cabinets like the Genova. The versaille is nice in that even with the large water chamber on the oasis (which sits at the bottom of the humi - unobstructed - there's a good 1.5 - 2" gap between it and the bottom cigar shelf. There's plenty of room to breathe. I'm still maintaining 67% humidity with the oasis set at 73% (I rarely here it running which means the overall humidity must be close to it's build in hygrometer. I figure the average between 67 and 73 is 70 so I've got to be close? No?

Sal

Originally Posted by berk-m

Those posts so far are dead on; I have a couple of comments and questions. I know how anxious you are to fill that bad boy up with cigars. I took a look and that is a nice humidor. BTW if you already know this stuff don’t take it the wrong way, I’m trying to help out. The wood needs to be re-humidified when you get a brand new humidor. Without properly “seasoning” the wood it will suck the moisture out of your cigars. Essentially your wood needs to be able to absorb and maintain the proper amount of moisture. Please, please, do not wipe any more water into the wood. This part is also a big deal - you need at least ¼ inch air space over the top of the Oasis or it will “choke” the air intake, also make sure the blower is not obstructed and has room “well over” cigars and such. If everything is good with the Oasis then empty the humidor. Put the hygrometer back in. Put the Oasis into your empty humidor, set the humidity wherever you like (don’t crank it up too high, this will not speed it up) and let it sit at least overnight. Don’t open the lid. Check the humidity level the next day, if it is where you want it – leave it overnight - at least one more time, then add cigars. Once you add cigars the humidity will drop – be patient and give it another night. Give it time to adjust. Your climate and the wood, size of the humidor, etc. all factor into how long it takes. Don’t worry about small changes, cigars are safe anywhere from 66-79% give or take. Once your humidor maintains your desired level you are set.

I do have a couple of questions –
your humidor has many drawers and compartments – where did you put the Oasis?
where did you put the hygrometer?
have you put the hygrometer in different drawers to see if they are similar?
Is the humidity reaching the entire humidor – or are there “dead” spots

Sounds to me like you tried to get it going too fast (I have done that, more than once). If all else fails you may want to get humi-tubes or the beads.

Hope I was of some help – Good Luck getting it going.

I know this is a ridiculously long post, but I’m trying to be as through as possible, hate to see a good humidor go bad, and good cigars go to waste. I actually cut out quite a bit.

Matt

[Old Sailor]

A versaille ,saw in another thread that you need to run some clear silicon around the hygrometer and the wood, possible to have a leak there.

[Charles]

Greetings and welcome to Club Stogie. First - there is an entire section of Sticky's that deal with seasoning humis, but let's see. First thing to do is season the humi with distilled water before putting the sticks in. Some guys, myself included, like to put the water in a small glass with a paper towel, microwave it to heat it enough to creat steam, then set the glass in the humi. Repeat as often as necessary to get the humi to the correct RH. Then start adding sticks. You will notice that the RH immediately drops. This is because your sticks are soaking up moisture. Don't panic. Ensure that you have the distilled water in your dish (or use humi-beads) and eventually the RH will settle. As you add sticks and they stabilize, the cigars will also help to regulate RH in your box. Sounds complicated - it isn't.

Try this out and shoot me a pm if you need to.

Charles

[Old Sailor]

Found it: John,

If you have problems maintaining the humidity in your Versailles, I'd highly recommend getting a tube of food grade silicone and running a bead around the outside of that front-mounted hygrometer.

I have a Versaille type humidor myself, and had trouble getting the humidity above 40 - 50. Once I sealed the gauge, the humidity shot up to 70 and leveled off within an hour. In a dry climate like Vegas, that pretty gauge is likely to be a major leak source.

Bill

[REMstalker]

Interesting... I will give it a shot. I'm also interested in seeing photos of cigar layouts in the Versaille so I can work on maximizing my space. Not sure how many high I should stack, etc. etc.

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by Old Sailor

Found it: John,

If you have problems maintaining the humidity in your Versailles, I'd highly recommend getting a tube of food grade silicone and running a bead around the outside of that front-mounted hygrometer.

I have a Versaille type humidor myself, and had trouble getting the humidity above 40 - 50. Once I sealed the gauge, the humidity shot up to 70 and leveled off within an hour. In a dry climate like Vegas, that pretty gauge is likely to be a major leak source.

Bill

[jovenhut]

keep at it. The humidity will even out. I had the same problem but it fixed itself with time

[Kenpokrazi]

yep these guys have some good advice, patients, patients, patients. Its tought at times but it keeps longterm headaches away.