Humidor/sotrage questions

[claphamsa]

First off.. I tried to search, all the links in the seasoning thread are dead.

I just got a humidor (2 days ago) I followed the instructions it came with (fill humidifier with solution, place glass of solution inside, check regularly) the humidity hasn't budged..... I guess ill test the hygrometer (ill never spell that word right) (the link in that thread is bad too)

questions...

how full should the glass of solution be? I put essentially a shot in there.
Is there something else I need to do?
for the hygrometer, is there an on? (cant imagine there being one...but why not ask )


Storage questions
I ordered a sampler selection from the interwebs, so I can learn what I like, they are all individually wrapped... should I leave them that way? or unwrap them and put them in the humidor (once its seasoned)




Am I the only one seeing lots of broken links?

 

[grateful1]

Did you wipe down the humi with distilled water....NOT soaked...but damp?

 

[claphamsa]

I used the solution that came with the humidor. but i did wipe it down, lightly.


on a semi related note... whats wrong with tap water?

 

[grateful1]

I used the solution that came with the humidor. but i did wipe it down, lightly.


on a semi related note... whats wrong with tap water?

What 'solution'? and did you use it to wipe down the humi???

Tap water has 'contaminates' that may cause mold....and in come case may (in time) plug up a humidification device.

 

[claphamsa]

50/50 propylene glycol solution or so the bottle says....

good to know

 

[thechenman]

claphamsa...

I would go the easier route. Check online and get yourself a Boveda Seasoning Packet. I don't know the size of your humidor though, so you may need more than one. I would check the Boveda website, that should give you some indication. Secondly, are you using the hygrometer that came with your humidor? Is it analog or digital. If analog...the first thing I would do is get a digital hygrometer, one that can be adjusted. Xikar as well as several other companies have them. Next get a Boveda Calibrating Kit for the hygrometer. This is essentially a simpler version of the Salt Test that will help you calibrate your hygrometer making it read properly. Finally, I would get some Heartfelt beads for the humidor and some distilled water. The quantity of beads you need is dependent on the size of your humidor. Note...use only distileld water to hydrate the beads, otherwise they will get clogged in time and not work efficiently. Good luck.

 

[2K6TBSS]

I agree with what Thechenman said.

But to answer your questions...

For the shot glass, what I did was put a paper towel in the shot glass, then fill the glass so the towel was wet, and there was some standing water in the glass. That way if there is a spill, you will limit the amount of water that is in the bottom of your humi. Depending on the size of your humidor, it might take some time (could be a couple weeks) to properly season. As it depends on a couple factors, how long the humidor has been sitting at the vendor (the cedar drys out more), the temp and humidity in your house can play a role seasoning also.

Question: Is your humidor a glass top or full wood top? If it's a glass top, you want to check the seal, make sure you hear a "woosh" sound when you open the humidor. That will tell you if you have a good seal or not, this goes for glass or wood top humidors.

For the hygrometer, if you have the one that came with the humidor, it's probably analog. Ditch it and get a digital one, they are much more accurate, and can be calibrated much easier.

I will tell you the same thing (about seasoning) that everyone here told me when I first started here, be patient! Seasoning your humidor is probably the most important step in making sure that you will have a piece that will give many many years of enjoyment.

As for the storage question, just leave the sticks as they come. If they have celo, leave the celo on, if they are not celo, don't put celo on them.

 

[claphamsa]

claphamsa...

I would go the easier route. Check online and get yourself a Boveda Seasoning Packet. I don't know the size of your humidor though, so you may need more than one. I would check the Boveda website, that should give you some indication. Secondly, are you using the hygrometer that came with your humidor? Is it analog or digital. If analog...the first thing I would do is get a digital hygrometer, one that can be adjusted. Xikar as well as several other companies have them. Next get a Boveda Calibrating Kit for the hygrometer. This is essentially a simpler version of the Salt Test that will help you calibrate your hygrometer making it read properly. Finally, I would get some Heartfelt beads for the humidor and some distilled water. The quantity of beads you need is dependent on the size of your humidor. Note...use only distileld water to hydrate the beads, otherwise they will get clogged in time and not work efficiently. Good luck.

thanks! I have a boveda packet coming... I didn't know I would get the 50/50 solution when I ordered it

the hygrometer is analog, and its a 50 stick humidor.

I agree with what Thechenman said.

But to answer your questions...

For the shot glass, what I did was put a paper towel in the shot glass, then fill the glass so the towel was wet, and there was some standing water in the glass. That way if there is a spill, you will limit the amount of water that is in the bottom of your humi. Depending on the size of your humidor, it might take some time (could be a couple weeks) to properly season. As it depends on a couple factors, how long the humidor has been sitting at the vendor (the cedar drys out more), the temp and humidity in your house can play a role seasoning also.

Question: Is your humidor a glass top or full wood top? If it's a glass top, you want to check the seal, make sure you hear a "woosh" sound when you open the humidor. That will tell you if you have a good seal or not, this goes for glass or wood top humidors.

For the hygrometer, if you have the one that came with the humidor, it's probably analog. Ditch it and get a digital one, they are much more accurate, and can be calibrated much easier.

I will tell you the same thing (about seasoning) that everyone here told me when I first started here, be patient! Seasoning your humidor is probably the most important step in making sure that you will have a piece that will give many many years of enjoyment.

As for the storage question, just leave the sticks as they come. If they have celo, leave the celo on, if they are not celo, don't put celo on them.

its wood, and i noticed the swosh... and i assure you i didnt play around with it

i have it in the top of my closet (cats and all) so no spill worries. Im gonna check out some digitals now

 

[grateful1]

First check the hydro.

Second...why are people spending money on Boveda and other 'test' kits?

It's really simple:

To test a hyrgo:
1) get a damp paper towel
2) wrap it around the hygro
3) put in a zip lock bag for 15-30 minutes
The result should be around 95%...if it were 100%...it would be submerged....if 90%...then it's low!

To season a humi:
1) wipe down inside with distilled water (dampen don't soak)
2) I place a small glass of water in the humi(yes, with a little papertowel in it).
3) Close and wait 24 hours.
If the humi is not up in RH...wipe it down again and start over.

All 4 humi's I've done this with seem to be fine.

Good luck!

(As for 50/50...I don't use the stuff.)

 

[2K6TBSS]

To season a humi:
1) wipe down inside with distilled water (dampen don't soak)
2) I place a small glass of water in the humi(yes, with a little papertowel in it).
3) Close and wait 24 hours.
If the humi is not up in RH...wipe it down again and start over.

All 4 humi's I've done this with seem to be fine.

Good luck!

(As for 50/50...I don't use the stuff.)

With the exception of the wipe down, this is exactly what I did, and it took my 100 count humidor just over a week to season.

I don't use the 50/50 stuff either, just straight distilled water for me.

 

[Humidor Minister]

I didn't read every reply but you should do a salt test on any hydrometer you get. This way you can be confident that you are accurate. Don't waste your time with the analog ones. They just aren't reliable even after a salt test.

 

[Salukis63]

Storage questions
I ordered a sampler selection from the interwebs, so I can learn what I like, they are all individually wrapped... should I leave them that way? or unwrap them and put them in the humidor (once its seasoned)

Since everyone else hit your seasoning question I'll attempt to help you with this one- leaving the wrapper on or off is a personal choice- my personal choice is that I leave them on if I don't have room to keep them separated from my other cigars with a cedar divider.. some say different cigars touching wrapper to wrapper transfer oils and thus change each others flavor. I choose not to find out if they are right or wrong...I also find that the wrappers seem to help prevent large humidity swings as they act a little like a vapor barrier. I will caution on this...if you are aging them they will probably age faster unwrapped... it's all up to personal taste just like whether you like to keep your cigars at 70% or 65%... I prefer mine a bit drier than 70% but it took me about 5 yrs to get to the point that I realized that...experiment and have fun.

I agree with the boys above though that distilled water and heartfelts are a great way to maintain your sticks.

Cheers,

R

 

[grateful1]

To season a humi:
1) wipe down inside with distilled water (dampen don't soak)
2) I place a small glass of water in the humi(yes, with a little papertowel in it).
3) Close and wait 24 hours.
If the humi is not up in RH...wipe it down again and start over.

All 4 humi's I've done this with seem to be fine.

Good luck!

(As for 50/50...I don't use the stuff.)

With the exception of the wipe down, this is exactly what I did, and it took my 100 count humidor just over a week to season.

I don't use the 50/50 stuff either, just straight distilled water for me.

Yes...I've heard that before.

I think the Diamond Crown humi I purcahsed had an instuctions sheet (what I wrote) and it's worked so far! :thumbs:

 

[claphamsa]

I didn't read every reply but you should do a salt test on any hydrometer you get. This way you can be confident that you are accurate. Don't waste your time with the analog ones. They just aren't reliable even after a salt test.

electronic one on its way... and im doign the salt test on the one i have now