Storage setup

[smitty8202]

Hey all. So I just purchased a sistema storage container, some 69% boveda packs and a govee temp and humidity hygrometer. How do I go about getting this ready to put cigars in it?

 

[jfields]

Nothing, other than wiping down the inside with isopropy, and setting it out in the sun for a day if it has any odor from being new. I bought something similar for traveling with cigars. I just popped the boxes I wanted to take along with a few 62% Bovedas literally an hour after purchased.

 

[smitty8202]

Nothing, other than wiping down the inside with isopropy, and setting it out in the sun for a day if it has any odor from being new. I bought something similar for traveling with cigars. I just popped the boxes I wanted to take along with a few 62% Bovedas literally an hour after purchased.

also purchased some Spanish cedar trays to hold my singles. do I need to wipe them down with purified water? i have one of the govees in a small 25ct humidor and its reading like 55% humidity. do I need to calibrate it? if so how?

 

[jfields]

also purchased some Spanish cedar trays to hold my singles. do I need to wipe them down with purified water? i have one of the govees in a small 25ct humidor and its reading like 55% humidity. do I need to calibrate it? if so how?

Don't make the mistake of feeling like you need to line the inside with any cedar. It's not necessary and won't really give any added benefit. The trays you bought and the boxes the cigars come in are enough. Use distilled water and not purified.

Take a shot glass, and fill it halfway with salt. Add distilled water until you have a salt slurry. Place the Govee and the shot glass in a ziplock bag and wait 24 hours. Should read 75.5%. If not, figure out the difference and adjust accordingly.

 

[smitty8202]

Don't make the mistake of feeling like you need to line the inside with any cedar. It's not necessary and won't really give any added benefit. The trays you bought and the boxes the cigars come in are enough. Use distilled water and not purified.

Take a shot glass, and fill it halfway with salt. Add distilled water until you have a salt slurry. Place the Govee and the shot glass in a ziplock bag and wait 24 hours. Should read 75.5%. If not, figure out the difference and adjust accordingly.

Distilled that’s what I meant. Do I still need to wipe them down though and let them sit in the container with a boveda for a bit?

 

[jfields]

Distilled that’s what I meant. Do I still need to wipe them down though and let them sit in the container with a boveda for a bit?

Sure! Wiping them down with a generous amount of water and placing them inside while still wet with the Bovedas will help prevent a huge drop in RH when you start adding cigars.

 

[Mavric]

Towel test

Dampen a towel (not dripping wet, but good and damp), then wrap the hygrometer in the towel for 30 to 45 minutes. Then unwrap it and read the humidity (quickly). If your hygrometer is perfectly calibrated (few are) it will be reading exactly 100% humidity. Most likely, it will be reading somewhere between 80 and 90%. At this point, whatever the hygrometer reads, you can either set the needle to exactly 100% immediately after the test or if you're a little lazier, make a mental note of how far over or under the actual humidity is from the reading from your hygrometer.

Salt Test

Luckily, as nature would have it, when salt and water (NaCl and H2O for you studious types), are in a saturated solution at equilibrium, the resultant humidity is 75%. This gives a fantastic reference point to calibrate our hygrometer. There is an easy way to determine if your hygrometer is accurate. Here's the procedure you should use: you need a Ziploc bag, a screw-on beer bottle cap (or another small container) a small amount of salt (regular 'ole table salt), and water.

1. Place the salt in the bottle cap (or another small container).
2. Dampen the salt with water. Do not put so much in that the salt gets "sloppy". You want a damp pile of salt in the bottle cap.
3. Place both the hygrometer and the bottle cap full of damp salt in the Ziploc bag and seal it well. (It is important not to let air on or out while the test is going on.)
4. Keep it like this for over 8 hours.

After 8 hours in the damp salt environment, the actual humidity inside the bag will be 75%. Compare it to your hygrometer, your hygrometer should also read 75%. If not, you will then know exactly how far off your hygrometer is. If it's off, note the amount and direction that it actually reads, and be sure to add or subtract that amount when reading the hygrometer. If the hygrometer has a control to adjust it (either the needle or the display), you can set the hygrometer to 75% immediately after the test.

This is CI's recommendation for testing hydrometers.

 

[BlindedByScience]

I'm in the process of salt testing my hygros. I've got both Govee and Sensor Push...both are good units. I've had inconsistent results with a ziploc bag....a Mason jar or something with a screw on lid works far better. If you're stuck with bags....double bag the test environment. A minimum of 24 hours seems reasonable for things to equilibrate.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Big peanut jar with a gasketed screw on lid. Perfect......