Lucifer Morningstar
Member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2017
- Messages
- 30
Hello!
I figure having my post on more than 1 forum may help other people looking to go this route, and I may also get more help.
Let me preface the below with this:
Am I striving for perfection? Yes.
Can I get it perfect? Very possible.
Can I get it close enough to where I like it? Yes.
Am I worried? No. I'm setting the bar high. I will try a few things. As long as it stays stable in the 60 - 69% range I will be very happy.
My humidity readings can be viewed at this link. Google sheets.
My setup is quite simple:
CyberCool 28 bottle TE wine cooler. Very similar in looks to a Whynter.
I have 2 pounds of Heartfelt 65% beads. 3 pounds in the mail.
3 120MM fans. Previously had all 3 down the bottom. I have since decided to use 2 for now (1 up top, 1 down the bottom). 3rd fan can be used. Not sure where I will place it. Fans are plugged in to a usb hub inside the fridge.
Pictures:
Can be viewed on Imgur. Album link.
Keep in mind, pictures and humidity results will be updated periodically.
If you don't want to read the essay below. Here's the gist of it:
Humidity fluctuations worry me - therefore:
I definitely need more beads.
Probably will get a cigar oasis. Extra beads will help.
Also probably more powerful fans.
Need a repeat cycle timer (on/off, no programs).
Digital Humidity Temperature Controller a probable purchase.
Dates and times in Sydney (Australia) format.
The drain hole is left unplugged for now. I'm not going to do anything unless it definitely needs it. And the last thing I want is a pool of water down the bottom.
I also don't exactly want to place beads over the drain hole like some do. If I plug the hole, I obviously will have to. I'm pretty firm on using distilled water as it is suggested by HFI themselves, and the stuff is like $10 for 15 litres.
I set the time on the timer to have the fans come on for 30 minutes every hour. As there is a maximum of 10 programs on the timer, the remaining (3) hours of the day has the fan come on for 1 hour.
These fans aren't very powerful, though.
Musings:
I'm not set on Heartfelt beads, and may very well fork out yet more money for HCM beads, as they apparently are superior - require no charging and come pre-charged at 65%.
Spoke with Mike at HCM at length. Had a lot of questions answered, too. I just don't want to spend more money on different beads when these seem to finally start working. I bought some more beads as I think I'll be needing them. A total of 3 more pounds.
Update 05/02/2017
Humidity results continue.
Apparently, according to my hygros - the humidity got up into the 90's and went as low as 40. Which annoys me.
I will probably need more beads to help with any crazy fluctuations. I may try active humidification.
Results are OK, I guess. I think bigger fans are needed, also on a timer... I have an idea of lining the gaps with some SC. Maybe a false bottom to stop any water collection messing with the humidity. It drains fairly quickly, and I see no need for plugging the hole just yet. If I do - it won't be a permanent plug until such a time as it is definitely proven that I will need to.
Expanding on the false bottom, the bottom and middle RH's are usually a tad higher than the top. Due to the water collecting at the bottom. The false bottom may very well improve things. A false backing, or at least a somewhat covering (with room) for the cooling fan may very well help. I'd have to find something to use for both bits.
Plastics may be hard to find. Wood is out of the question for the bottom. A hole or cut-out would probably have to be used for the bottom for the water to go somewhere.
A water drainage cover could also prove useful with a false bottom (or bottom+backing both). The only idea I could see working is a shaped cover. Probably perspex (acrylic). Shaping it would be the hard bit. I'm crap when it comes to tools.
Update 06/02/2017
Humidity results continue.
Seems to be settling down and more uniform. Once the cedar shelving/drawers come through, I think it will be OK.
I'm thinking active humidification and beads as a safeguard.
I'm not too worried at this point - as if all else fails there is the option of the humidor in a wine cooler. I just need to be less of a perfectionist, as nothing will be perfect without spending thousands.
Alternatively, I could just use it for wine and buy an actual wineador from a manufacturer such as Liebherr, or Eurocave.
OK, so it seems that the humidity is more uniform when the fans are running.
I'm quite happy with a lot of the results and have gone a bit lax on recording some of them.
With the shelving and drawers, I think the humidity readings will be more uniform, and less dramatically different. As right now - all that's in it is 3 wire shelves, 3 bags of beads, and a few of the small blue sticks of beads.
More beads are in the mail, HFI - the same, so that may make a difference. More beads = quicker recovery. Perhaps it may also mean better results.
I've made a fan mount with hot glue and screws. It's really janky as hell, but it will do for the time being. Also a bit more permanent than paper clips bent into the holes. As the fans seem to be doing good work - I'm ready to step it up to better fans. Better fans will be from CoolerGuys over in the States. They come with brackets and what-not, so I won't be exactly hitting against anything.
These will be bought at some stage late this month or early next month. I have some fridge aerators coming, and they may very well be sufficient.
Having done some more note taking and readings, it appears that there is a good humidity loss when the cooling happens - no surprise.
I've repositioned the 3 120mm fans, put one up the top of the cooler (on the roof of it) with velcro, and 2 down the bottom - it made little difference.
I now only have 2 - 1 on the roof - 1 down the bottom. I think I need either more powerful fans, or simply more fans (2 on the roof, 2 down bottom). Maybe 1 on each side - not sure.
Anyway, more beads are arriving. I was hoping they'd come this week - but no luck. I'll experiment with more beads - and hoping for quick recovery when it's cooling. I can't explain the high humidity at all. The beads seem to be drying really quickly. I'm going to try active humidification. I also have a shopping list for digital RH and temperature controlling which is plug-and-play - which makes things heaps easy for me.
I also think instead of a timer - I should use a repeat cycle timer. Essentially it would be running for x minutes, and off for x minutes. Timers only have a set number of programs, so it limits me a fair bit.
The humidity system is not known yet - but most likely Cigar Oasis, the Plus model. I will modify it and remove the foam and use SAP, according to a guide on this forum. I've avoided florist foam thus far, and I see no reason to use it now. This coupled with the beads should help somewhat. I will store singles in the drawers and shelves, whilst keeping any boxes in the boxes. The Oasis will NOT be blowing directly on anything.
Tupperware is still not out of the question. Before I go that route, I want to try and make this work. Acceptable levels for me would be 60 - 69 RH, no more, no less. Tupperware in a wineador will be my last step.
Anyway, I thought I'd let everyone know my experiences thus far. Any advice, comments, and suggestions are always appreciated. I hope my post helps some people with their wineador adventure!
I figure having my post on more than 1 forum may help other people looking to go this route, and I may also get more help.
Let me preface the below with this:
Am I striving for perfection? Yes.
Can I get it perfect? Very possible.
Can I get it close enough to where I like it? Yes.
Am I worried? No. I'm setting the bar high. I will try a few things. As long as it stays stable in the 60 - 69% range I will be very happy.
My humidity readings can be viewed at this link. Google sheets.
My setup is quite simple:
CyberCool 28 bottle TE wine cooler. Very similar in looks to a Whynter.
I have 2 pounds of Heartfelt 65% beads. 3 pounds in the mail.
3 120MM fans. Previously had all 3 down the bottom. I have since decided to use 2 for now (1 up top, 1 down the bottom). 3rd fan can be used. Not sure where I will place it. Fans are plugged in to a usb hub inside the fridge.
Pictures:
Can be viewed on Imgur. Album link.
Keep in mind, pictures and humidity results will be updated periodically.
If you don't want to read the essay below. Here's the gist of it:
Humidity fluctuations worry me - therefore:
I definitely need more beads.
Probably will get a cigar oasis. Extra beads will help.
Also probably more powerful fans.
Need a repeat cycle timer (on/off, no programs).
Digital Humidity Temperature Controller a probable purchase.
Dates and times in Sydney (Australia) format.
The drain hole is left unplugged for now. I'm not going to do anything unless it definitely needs it. And the last thing I want is a pool of water down the bottom.
I also don't exactly want to place beads over the drain hole like some do. If I plug the hole, I obviously will have to. I'm pretty firm on using distilled water as it is suggested by HFI themselves, and the stuff is like $10 for 15 litres.
I set the time on the timer to have the fans come on for 30 minutes every hour. As there is a maximum of 10 programs on the timer, the remaining (3) hours of the day has the fan come on for 1 hour.
These fans aren't very powerful, though.
Musings:
I'm not set on Heartfelt beads, and may very well fork out yet more money for HCM beads, as they apparently are superior - require no charging and come pre-charged at 65%.
Spoke with Mike at HCM at length. Had a lot of questions answered, too. I just don't want to spend more money on different beads when these seem to finally start working. I bought some more beads as I think I'll be needing them. A total of 3 more pounds.
Update 05/02/2017
Humidity results continue.
Apparently, according to my hygros - the humidity got up into the 90's and went as low as 40. Which annoys me.
I will probably need more beads to help with any crazy fluctuations. I may try active humidification.
Results are OK, I guess. I think bigger fans are needed, also on a timer... I have an idea of lining the gaps with some SC. Maybe a false bottom to stop any water collection messing with the humidity. It drains fairly quickly, and I see no need for plugging the hole just yet. If I do - it won't be a permanent plug until such a time as it is definitely proven that I will need to.
Expanding on the false bottom, the bottom and middle RH's are usually a tad higher than the top. Due to the water collecting at the bottom. The false bottom may very well improve things. A false backing, or at least a somewhat covering (with room) for the cooling fan may very well help. I'd have to find something to use for both bits.
Plastics may be hard to find. Wood is out of the question for the bottom. A hole or cut-out would probably have to be used for the bottom for the water to go somewhere.
A water drainage cover could also prove useful with a false bottom (or bottom+backing both). The only idea I could see working is a shaped cover. Probably perspex (acrylic). Shaping it would be the hard bit. I'm crap when it comes to tools.
Update 06/02/2017
Humidity results continue.
Seems to be settling down and more uniform. Once the cedar shelving/drawers come through, I think it will be OK.
I'm thinking active humidification and beads as a safeguard.
I'm not too worried at this point - as if all else fails there is the option of the humidor in a wine cooler. I just need to be less of a perfectionist, as nothing will be perfect without spending thousands.
Alternatively, I could just use it for wine and buy an actual wineador from a manufacturer such as Liebherr, or Eurocave.
OK, so it seems that the humidity is more uniform when the fans are running.
I'm quite happy with a lot of the results and have gone a bit lax on recording some of them.
With the shelving and drawers, I think the humidity readings will be more uniform, and less dramatically different. As right now - all that's in it is 3 wire shelves, 3 bags of beads, and a few of the small blue sticks of beads.
More beads are in the mail, HFI - the same, so that may make a difference. More beads = quicker recovery. Perhaps it may also mean better results.
I've made a fan mount with hot glue and screws. It's really janky as hell, but it will do for the time being. Also a bit more permanent than paper clips bent into the holes. As the fans seem to be doing good work - I'm ready to step it up to better fans. Better fans will be from CoolerGuys over in the States. They come with brackets and what-not, so I won't be exactly hitting against anything.
These will be bought at some stage late this month or early next month. I have some fridge aerators coming, and they may very well be sufficient.
Having done some more note taking and readings, it appears that there is a good humidity loss when the cooling happens - no surprise.
I've repositioned the 3 120mm fans, put one up the top of the cooler (on the roof of it) with velcro, and 2 down the bottom - it made little difference.
I now only have 2 - 1 on the roof - 1 down the bottom. I think I need either more powerful fans, or simply more fans (2 on the roof, 2 down bottom). Maybe 1 on each side - not sure.
Anyway, more beads are arriving. I was hoping they'd come this week - but no luck. I'll experiment with more beads - and hoping for quick recovery when it's cooling. I can't explain the high humidity at all. The beads seem to be drying really quickly. I'm going to try active humidification. I also have a shopping list for digital RH and temperature controlling which is plug-and-play - which makes things heaps easy for me.
I also think instead of a timer - I should use a repeat cycle timer. Essentially it would be running for x minutes, and off for x minutes. Timers only have a set number of programs, so it limits me a fair bit.
The humidity system is not known yet - but most likely Cigar Oasis, the Plus model. I will modify it and remove the foam and use SAP, according to a guide on this forum. I've avoided florist foam thus far, and I see no reason to use it now. This coupled with the beads should help somewhat. I will store singles in the drawers and shelves, whilst keeping any boxes in the boxes. The Oasis will NOT be blowing directly on anything.
Tupperware is still not out of the question. Before I go that route, I want to try and make this work. Acceptable levels for me would be 60 - 69 RH, no more, no less. Tupperware in a wineador will be my last step.
Anyway, I thought I'd let everyone know my experiences thus far. Any advice, comments, and suggestions are always appreciated. I hope my post helps some people with their wineador adventure!
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