Humidor mixture maintenance

[deanrantala]

Good afternoon!

Recently got my first large fully-electric humidor (for 300 cigars) and spent the past week breaking it in.

Did the usual light-sray-down of the cedar shelves and left it on at 75% humidity for the first few days.

I then switched out the pure water for 50/50 mix of water and polypropylene glycol. After a couple more days - I got the humidity holding at a perfect 70%.

This brings me to my question:

Polypropylene glycol releases and absorbes humidity as needed to maintain the 70% balance. I fully understand the science on this part. But that made me think... what do I do when the solution in the tank starts to get low?

The first (instinctive) reaction is simple: add more 50/50% mixture. But herein lies the issue.

The polypropylene glycol does not evaporate from what I understand. Only the water evaporates. So if I start with 750ml of 50/50 mix and in a couple weeks that tank is down to 500.. that means the solution is no longer 50/50, correct? I should actually only add enough water to bring the tank back to the 750ml mark.

Or does some of the polypropylene glycol indeed evaporate as well?

In other words: should I maintain the tank at the 750ml level with just distilled water and perhaps change out the entire tank every 3 or 6 months with fresh solution? Or do I simply add more 50/50 mix to keep the tank at level - also doing a liquid refresh every 3 to 6 months?

Not sure it matters, but I keep the temp at 68F.

-Dean

 

[MX]

Is it an active humidification device
Maybe a link to your unit

My initial thought is that you only need distilled water and maybe some Nano-silver

 

[MX]

Adding to the initial reply

Most active humidification devices work using only water not the PG solution, not sure that it advised to used, but that is only a guess

 

[deanrantala]

Yes, it is an "active" device. Manastin 40 liter,

Amazon.com

In the bottom, it has a simple tank filled with the liquie and a honeycomb cardboard-like material on each side to "absorb up" the material. Looks to be the very same material used in evaporative coolers. Just above the tank sits a small DC fan that acrtivates when humidity is low - drawing/forcing air across the evaporative element.

When humidity is too high, I assume it draws the air across a small evaporator/condensor combo inside the unit (there is a return hose inside designed to return liquid to the tank).

This is a compressor-driven unit, not the peltier style.

 

[MX]

I looked, but from my work connection, I cannot find an instruction book. FWIW, if it were me, I would just use distilled water and Colloidal Silver. You can search that and Nano silver here on CP there are a few threads

 

[deanrantala]

Mine came without a user manual - and they do not offer anything online via the website.

I backed it down to 65% to see how steady it holds.

I currently have no less than 4 hygrometers keeping an eye on the exact levels throughout the day. Seems to cycle between 60% and 66% (at the most extreme ends) right now. It spends majority of the time around the 64-66 mark. Curious to see if the extremes of this cycle even out a bit more after another week now that I have it loaded with some boxes and cigars.

I suppose I can leave it be for now and slowly just add water (for now).

Unless something looks off, I plan to empty/wash/re-fill the plastic water bin on a 4 month schedule. I am certainly new to this - so I am learning as-I-go. I will attempt to re-fill with purely distilled water in 4 months and monitor things between now and then.

I will do my research on the Colloidal Silver and Nano Silver this evening. Lot's to learn

 

[MX]

What did you end up doing with the silver?

 

[BlindedByScience]

If you haven't salt tested your hygros for RH, you're kinda guessing. No offense, but it's a basic first step. So you know you've got reasonable measurements...