Ok - I just picked up a 28TEDS VINOTEMP for $100....whats next? I know...fill it...well I'll work on that later. For now I have to sell the wife on it, or I'll just wait till it comes. And yeah - I'll be on the couch for a while because I know the $100 isn't the end. I need more beads, some boxes, shelves, etc...I'll tell her she can store her wine in it, I can give up a shelf, I'll still have my humidor, right?
Air it out to get the smell out. Some people have used baking soda scrubdowns or left there's in a well ventilated area (left outside etc) with Baking soda to try to absorb the new plastic/appliance smell. Do you plan on storing singles in there or entire boxes? If just entire boxes then you can prep and "season" your vinotemp and add the shelving at a later date when you're not going to be in the dog house.
You'll need another hygrometer. A lot of people seem to use remote ones from what I've been reading and they keep the sensor itself in an empty cigar box. It seems that there have been experiences that have a broader fluctuation in Humidity and Temp readings if just left in the Vinotemp in the open. Of course if you're storing singles as well this might
You'll also probably want to add an AC powered PC fan (Radio Shack for a good 20-25 bucks) to circulate the air. This will probably require that you drill a hole and then patch it up again with some caulk or putty so that you can run the wire through. Be careful when drilling of course. The fan can be run for 15 minutes every hour through the use of a digital event timer.
Condensation seems to form so the beads will definitely come in handy for that in recycling the moisture appropriately. From what I've read this happens more in the summer months when the outer temperature is much greater than that of your Vinotemp. We aren't talking rainforest here from what I gather so I would be attentive but not overly cautious.
You'll also want to close the drain so that humidity doesn't escape.
Please note that this is what I'm doing for mine as it will primarily store boxes...I have not had the experience of actually setting one up yet so take the advice with a grain of salt. FOGs or CP members that have done this before feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about anything.
As always your mileage and experience will vary than what others have experienced.
Best of luck. I want pics!