how do humidors "breath"

[MonkeyK]

I've read that tupperdors and coolerdors need to be opened more than traditional humidors so that air can exchange.

I was wondering if that is actually true. I mean, although they are made of wood, most of the humidors that I see are all laquered up, so how could they be letting air pass through?

 

[Roseysman]

hmmmm not to knowledgeable but I will give it a shot
1.) cooladors need to be opened once a month to exchange the air inside, as cigars age they give off a ammonia odor and I guess ya dont want that to build up inside as it will effect the cigars

2.) wood is pourus and will allow an amount of air to pass thru ( breathe as you might say ) I presume thats why they use cedar to allow the effect

3.) you will open your humidor more often then ya would a coolador/tupador so that also helps in the dispertion of the ammonia odor

I suggest you read some of the postings in the HUMIDOR message section as I am sure there are more answers there to your ?

 

[AVB]

The lid seal on a humidor is usually not an airtight one. The lid fits over a lip that creates a small channel were air can slowly pass. The closer the lid and lip are the more of a "whoosh" you'll get as air tries to enter or escape through the small space. Even without opening the humidor very often this gap is enough to allow the gases from cigars to disapate.

With a Tupperdor/Coolerdor/Fridgeidor etc there is an airtight seal that does not allow any gasses to escape. You'll have to open their seals once in a while to allow an air exchange. For long term box storage I believe a humidor to be better than a completely sealed alternative.

 

[MonkeyK]

I see. So the air exchange is through the lid.

Does that mean that a shallow hummidor is better than a deep one (possibly air at the bottom does not exchange in a deep hummidor)?

-Mike

 

[AVB]

The gasses rise so any desktop humidor you'll get won't be deep enough to stop the process.

 

[ArlinLiss]

Great replies!

 

[Lumberg]

The lid seal on a humidor is usually not an airtight one. The lid fits over a lip that creates a small channel were air can slowly pass. The closer the lid and lip are the more of a "whoosh" you'll get as air tries to enter or escape through the small space. Even without opening the humidor very often this gap is enough to allow the gases from cigars to disapate.

With a Tupperdor/Coolerdor/Fridgeidor etc there is an airtight seal that does not allow any gasses to escape. You'll have to open their seals once in a while to allow an air exchange. For long term box storage I believe a humidor to be better than a completely sealed alternative.

You know I suspect that my coolerdor isn't airtight but close to it.....how do you test if something is airtight?

 

[MonkeyK]

You know I suspect that my coolerdor isn't airtight but close to it.....how do you test if something is airtight?

You could set off a smoke bomb and see if anything comes out... or maybe some dry ice in hot water (fog) would be better.

-Mike

 

[Roseysman]

well I suppose you could do the dollar test like they do on humidors

put a dollar bill halfway in himidor close lid
if the bill can be pulled out easily the seal is bad if there is resistance the seal is good
Don't know where I read this but hey its worth a shot
ya can also put a flashlight inside a coolidor then look for leaks in a dark room

 

[AVB]

My cooler has a snap lock on it. I can put some water inside, lock the lid and tip it without leaking. That pretty much tell me that my coolers are air tight. If you don't have a lock of some type and just have a gravity lid then it probably isn't air tight.

 

[Roseysman]

ok I got a ?
I have a 150qt cooler but it has a seperate door in lid to gain access to things inside with out opening the lid.
Would this work as a coolidor in a pinch

 

[MonkeyK]

Shoot, now I am not satisfied with my answer. We have described how to test for water-tightness. But air will pass where water won't.

So short of really drastic measures (like finding a way to set of a CO2 cartridge remotely and listening for the air escaping), I like Roseysman's flashlight tip the best.

-Mike

 

[MonkeyK]

better yet, put glass of ammonia inside and sniff around the outside (but don't do this with something that will abosorb the ammonia odor).

-Mike

 

[Lumberg]

better yet, put glass of ammonia inside and sniff around the outside (but don't do this with something that will abosorb the ammonia odor).

-Mike

That's a good idea.

Overall I'm happy with my coolerdor because it does maintain humidity well enough to be used for storage. The only PITA part is when I have to dig through boxes to get at stuff from the bottom!

 

[lucasbuck]

ok I got a ?
I have a 150qt cooler but it has a seperate door in lid to gain access to things inside with out opening the lid.
Would this work as a coolidor in a pinch

It should work great! I've got one just like what you describe and it works without fail.