Do humidors expire?

[broblues]

Cigar Sciences absolutely does NOT recommend soaking their beads for 5 minutes.  I e-mailed them because their site does not have this information.  70% of beads to be moistened and 30% to be dry.

 

[ironpeddler]

They sure do...did you check the expiration date on the bottom?

 

[personal User]

 

You should never put water directly on beads.
 

I use a spray bottle of distilled water and spray it directly on my beads.  Haven't had an issue in 7 years. 
 

 
 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007G9IW4O/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
cigar city humidity bead system.

 
I went into their website and they claim "The Humidity Bead System® is unlike ANY product on the market which is why it was awarded a U.S. Patent in 2011." I use Heartfelt beads and I always use a spray bottle on mines and never ever soak them, in fact, it is recommended to only rehydrate about 80% - 90% of the beads. I didn't see any instructions on how to rehydrate the the beads you are using, did they come with any? I'm pretty sure that soaking them in distilled water doesn't sound right.
 

Not all beads are the same. If you spray water directly on Shilala beads they will "explode."  well, not a big explosion but definitely observable destruction.More like crumble before your eyes. They absorb moisture so well and so quickly that the beads expand more rapidly than their structure can handle if coming into direct contact with water.
 
Proper usage with them is moisten a sponge with distilled water and place it in humidor.
 
I have used heartfelt beads for years, tried the Shilala and prefer them. It does require a different mindset.
 
Essentially, the shilala beads act as humidity stabilization. They will seek a humidity equilibrium within an enclosed space, kinda like a humidity flywheel.
 
Works for me

 

[thefatguy]

They sure do...did you check the expiration date on the bottom?

<br />I love Gary,

 

[whylieineedacigar]

 

 

You should never put water directly on beads.
 

I use a spray bottle of distilled water and spray it directly on my beads.  Haven't had an issue in 7 years. 
 

 
 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007G9IW4O/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
cigar city humidity bead system.

 
I went into their website and they claim "The Humidity Bead System® is unlike ANY product on the market which is why it was awarded a U.S. Patent in 2011." I use Heartfelt beads and I always use a spray bottle on mines and never ever soak them, in fact, it is recommended to only rehydrate about 80% - 90% of the beads. I didn't see any instructions on how to rehydrate the the beads you are using, did they come with any? I'm pretty sure that soaking them in distilled water doesn't sound right.
 

Not all beads are the same. If you spray water directly on Shilala beads they will "explode."  well, not a big explosion but definitely observable destruction.More like crumble before your eyes. They absorb moisture so well and so quickly that the beads expand more rapidly than their structure can handle if coming into direct contact with water.
 
Proper usage with them is moisten a sponge with distilled water and place it in humidor.
 
I have used heartfelt beads for years, tried the Shilala and prefer them. It does require a different mindset.
 
Essentially, the shilala beads act as humidity stabilization. They will seek a humidity equilibrium within an enclosed space, kinda like a humidity flywheel.
 
Works for me
 


 
I have heard good things about the Shilala beads, maybe next time I have to buy beads I will go with these.

 

[personal User]

I have heard good things about the Shilala beads, maybe next time I have to buy beads I will go with these.
 

I didn't truly start nailing R/H till I started using them.
 
Part of the reason is that I started looking at things differently.
 
When you read a hygrometer in your humidor, you are only reading the R/H of the air at that point in time, what we are really concerned about is the moisture content of the cigars.
 
It is my belief that the shilala beads have a large difference in absorption ( which the seller claims, and I believe to be somewhat accurate) and this is the major reason why they work as they do.
 
Once I started looking at the beads as being items that seek an equilibrium within an enclosed space, and cigars as other items attempting to seek an equilibrium but at a different rate, I became quite satisfied with the results using shilala beads.

 

[jfields]

What's a Spung?

It's the act of not proof reading a smartphone reply. ROFL.

Or

The dance one does when they are too drunk or high to wipe their own arse, let alone try to move with any kind of rhythmic coordination.

Heh! I like option No.2.... Is that according to Websters Dictionary? :laugh:

 

[ironpeddler]

 

 

What's a Spung?

It's the act of not proof reading a smartphone reply. ROFL.

Or

The dance one does when they are too drunk or high to wipe their own arse, let alone try to move with any kind of rhythmic coordination.

Heh! I like option No.2.... Is that according to Websters Dictionary? :laugh:
 


 
Yes...

 

[tone-ny]

What's a Spung?

 
Has to do with using beads in multiple places!

 

[whylieineedacigar]

 

I have heard good things about the Shilala beads, maybe next time I have to buy beads I will go with these.
 

I didn't truly start nailing R/H till I started using them.
 
Part of the reason is that I started looking at things differently.
 
When you read a hygrometer in your humidor, you are only reading the R/H of the air at that point in time, what we are really concerned about is the moisture content of the cigars.
 
It is my belief that the shilala beads have a large difference in absorption ( which the seller claims, and I believe to be somewhat accurate) and this is the major reason why they work as they do.
 
Once I started looking at the beads as being items that seek an equilibrium within an enclosed space, and cigars as other items attempting to seek an equilibrium but at a different rate, I became quite satisfied with the results using shilala beads.
 

 
Thanks again. I have a 400 count desktop humidor that I'm not currently using, maybe that one would be a good candidate to have a test run with the Shilala beads.

 

[claphamsa]

thanks for all the advice (and random info).  I wiped down the humidor, the put in a whiskey glass of water, it took it about a week to get up to 68 RH.  I put my cigars back in last night, and hopefully they pick back some moisture (I left in the whiskey glass).  
 
First off, is this ok so far? Second, assuming I keep it this way, how long to re-hydrate the cigars? or what should I do differently.

 

[Joebiech]

If your humidor is holding proper %RH then why leave the whiskey glass in?  I would assume it will first take a bit of a hit when your cigars begin to absorb some of the moisture, but your beads should compensate.  Check periodically to make sure you beads are properly charged.  If it keeps dropping, check your seal on the humidor.  When it comes to reviving dried out cigars, go slow and remember they will most likely never taste the same.

 

[atuck]

Humidors don't and go bad, just hygrometers and batteries.

Agreed!

 

[Joebiech]

If I recall correctly....in regards to viper's (heartfelt) beads, it is best to spray them.  If you soak them, they have a tendency to crack.  However, even cracked beads will still function correctly.  The only downside is that they will be a bit more messy.

 

[claphamsa]

ok, so a month later its back down to 54% RH.  Im going to spray my beads this evening, but im wondering if it really is the humidor
 
It feels like it has a seal (when opened and closed) and it looks to be in great shape.  kind of at a loss here

 

[whylieineedacigar]

ok, so a month later its back down to 54% RH.  Im going to spray my beads this evening, but im wondering if it really is the humidor
 
It feels like it has a seal (when opened and closed) and it looks to be in great shape.  kind of at a loss here

 
If the humidor was holding a decent humidity % during the whole month then that means that your beads need to be recharged that's all. Don't let it go down so low, when you see it hits about 61% add some more water.

 

[claphamsa]

how often do people recharge their beads?

 

[ironpeddler]

how often do people recharge their beads?

 
Depends on the season. In the Winter, your house is drier and that will expend the moisture in the beads more rapidly. In the Summer, when it's more humid, they will require less moisture maintenance. I think the unequivocal answer here is that the ambient humidity in the room that houses your humidor has a direct effect on the humidity inside your humidor. This is where the monitoring of your humidor comes into play via a hygrometer...check it more in the Winter and a little less in the Summer. But keep in mind, the more air conditioning you use in the Summer, the more you'll need to check your beads as your air conditioner is a dehumidifier as well. 

 

[brownpeter335]

Yes, humidors expires means its handling expire. It depends on you. If you maintained it accurately then it will be serviceable for a long day.

 

[broblues]

Poof.........there goes my brain.  The ability to reason that one out leaves me in a dark spot. ???