Need advice...

tkoepp

tkoepp

Lil' RASScal
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
3,008
I am making a transition from 70% to 63% due to the "requiremnts" of these types of sticks.
(switching from gel to beads)

How can I lower the humidity slowly to ensure that no damage will occur. Or is this a non-issue?, and should only be considered when RAISING the humidity level as the binder / filler will expand, causing the wrapper to possibly crack.

Thanks for your input
Tim
 
Tim,

That's a relatively small drop. I think you should be ok. What kind of storage container is it? Keep in mind that the larger the container, the longer and the more beads it will take to draw it down and get everything equilibrated.

Wilkey
 
I believe its a 80qt coolidor, I have a 1/2 pound of beads coming,(won't use all of them). I thought about adding about 10% distilled water to them and leave 90% dry beads so that they can absorb the excess.
 
Ok, so you have a 240 Qt cooler with 1-1/2 pounds of beads coming. You're thinking about adding 30% water and leaving 270% dry beads. Have I got that right? :p

Seriously, you should contact Viper and ask him for specific instructions. He'll know what the moisture capacity of the beads is and should be able to tell you how much is needed to draw down the humidity. I'm sure he'll ask you how many cigars or boxes you have in there as well as that would figure into the equation.

Wilkey
 
Using dry beads will work fine. I have a couple of friends who regulate their RH with dry beads and copolymer(humicare) to supply water. So if you get 65% beads that are opaque(dry) and put them in they will absorb the excess until they hit 65% or they become saturated. If the latter happens just dry them in the oven on warm and put them back in after cooling. To attain 63% with beads you may have to oversaturate 60% ones.

I hesitate to add, Exquisicat has been reported to maintain RH at about that level. They do not release their moisture as readily as beads so it may not be as good a dry-environment strategy. However, I have NO first hand experience with these. I think Wilkey said he's used them. ;)
 
When my RH gets a little high, I just leave the cooler open for an hour.

Seems to work just fine....check in again in a couple of days; may have to repeat a time or two.

Good luck - B.B.S.
 
Spoken from "Viper"
"Put the beads in just as you receive them. The ratio of dry to wet beads is about right just as they come for what you want to do."

FYI for anybody else..

Man these guys are great, I got a reply in no time.
 
Steve,

I do use Safeway brand "silica gel Kitty Litter" both in conditioned form and as dry to regulate humidity. I have also used the "open coolerdor" method but whenever I do this, my basement soon smells of my cigars. To me, this means flavor molecules that should be in my cigars are escaping to perfume my basement. Yeah, I'm neurotic. As such, I now only use dry crystals to scavenge excess moisture.

Wilkey
 
Ginseng said:
Steve,

I do use Safeway brand "silica gel Kitty Litter" both in conditioned form and as dry to regulate humidity. I have also used the "open coolerdor" method but whenever I do this, my basement soon smells of my cigars. To me, this means flavor molecules that should be in my cigars are escaping to perfume my basement. Yeah, I'm neurotic. As such, I now only use dry crystals to scavenge excess moisture.

Wilkey
Click to expand...
Wilkey,

I wonder if they are the same animals. As I probably misunderstand it, the Exquisicat, despite being primarily designed to absorb moisture, does emit it, too. But it doesn't give nearly as well as it takes. So it may be more suitable for a high-humidity environment. At any rate, I trust Viper's beads to get the job done. I'm an old dog set in his ways.

Comin' to Howard House? :)
 
BlindedByScience said:
When my RH gets a little high, I just leave the cooler open for an hour.

Seems to work just fine....check in again in a couple of days; may have to repeat a time or two.

Good luck - B.B.S.
Click to expand...


Ditto... or I just leave it open when I AM TOO DRUNK to remember to close it.... I bet I am the only one who has done that...
 
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