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Wow, is this right? Beads...

D

DKAudio

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
371
I used to have a smaller humidor that I converted from a side tabel. I now am using a non-working wine cooler chassis for my new one. It has a nice thick big glass door, plenty of space, etc.

I transfered my 1/2 lb beads from my old one to my new one without thinking much about it. I have had it in there for months now. I just did calculations on my new wine-o-dor; is this right?

Internal dimensions...
28" H
21" W
22" D

that equals 12,936 "^3 which is roughly 7.5 ft^3?!

I am way under, I need another LB of beads.
 
You did your math correct, works out to 7.48 cubic feet. And you are correct as well on the amount of beads, 1.5 pounds total at minimum for that space.
 
Thanks Viper, thought you'd chime in on this one :)

Crap, well I'm paranoid now and moved everything into a 10 gallon aquarium that has been sitting for a long time (don't worry it is clean and smell free). I calculated that 10 gallons is about 1.3 ft^3 so my 1/2 lb is plenty for that. I have many rubber bands and a plastic bag for a cover. My hygro is rising higher than it ever was in the wine-o-dor. I am going to have to salt test that again. It is a cheap wally world one, I am not sure what salt I was using last time, it very well may not have been sodium chloride.

Guess I am going to have to leave it like this until I can afford more beads.

I have 65% right now, when I save some money and order more 65% will it be ok? My concern is that since they will be from a different batch that they will be slightly different, they won't fight eachother, will they?

Thanks

Dan
 
If they are the same 65% RH, then they will charge to the same humidity. Even if they "fight" each other it is likely to only be 1-2% at the very most, but I would bet money they will be exactly the same.
 
You don't think my cigars are ruined (lost their oils) do you?

Judging by my hrygo I am guessing my cigars were at 55% for a few months, they are now at 60% in the 10gallon aquarium and rising. Again, I have 65% beads.

At what RH do cigars start to loose their oils?

There is absolutely no evidence of cracking or damaged wrappers.

Thanks
 
DKAudio said:
You don't think my cigars are ruined (lost their oils) do you?

Judging by my hrygo I am guessing my cigars were at 55% for a few months, they are now at 60% in the 10gallon aquarium and rising. Again, I have 65% beads.

At what RH do cigars start to loose their oils?

There is absolutely no evidence of cracking or damaged wrappers.

Thanks
Click to expand...

My GOD MAN !!! Whatever you do save the OPUS ! :laugh:

Lou
 
You're fine at 55%. It's all about how they smoke, I know people who store their cigars long-term at around 55%, so as long as your hygrometer is correct and they were actually at 55% you should be fine. No need to panic, but with beads, it's always better to have too many than not enough. Another idea is to leave them somewhat drier and supplement the humidification with foam and distilled water or something, the beads will absorb water to maintain the humidor at 65% and they will last longer because you won't be applying water directly to them.
 
DK,

When you prder ask for the soshes beads and don't mix with the Greaser beads. Guranteed there will be a fight then.
 
I am getting frustrated. I moved everything into a 1.3 ft^3 container with 1/2lb of 65% beads. At first the humidity shot up so I took the beads out and spread them on a piece of plastic. I let them dry out until about 1/2 were pure white. I then put them back into the container and I am reading 75%! I just tested my hygro this week so I know what it is reading. Many of the beads are still white, I don't get it.
 
It's clearly due to the coriolis effect which asymmetrically couples to the delta "T" in altitude, compounded by the phase of the moon and random planetary alignment. Nail your humidor to the ceiling and all should be well.

My god, man, this just isn't rocket science. If you ask a large enough bunch of guys what the "right" RH is, you'll get answers all the way from 55% to 75% so freaking about over a few points of RH is ridiculous.

Beads aren't some microprocessor powered magic humidity control device, they are simple yet very effective BUFFERS of humidity. That's why the volume factor plays into how many you need. So, up front, if you don't have enough beads for the volume you can't expect things to be stable, long term. Getting more than you need will keep things stable, longer, with less maintenance. The converse is that if you don't have enough beads, you'll have to fiddle with it more.

Too dry? Put a shot glass of distilled water in the humidor for a few hours, maybe overnight. Longer as required. I know in our home when the forced air heat kicks on the RH in the house will drop to 45-50% when it's cold outside. With my old desktop, I'd put a foam element humidifier in there wet with distilled water and leave it. Worked like a champ.

Too moist? Leave the lid or door open for an hour.

Flapping the door open and closed also won't help. If you make a "change" to the environment, shut the dang door and leave it shut for a day to see what the effect really is.

You are NOT going to wreck your cigars if you have a short term excursion in RH. I was recently playing box tetris with my cabinet and managed to leave a box out for a couple of days. The smokes were fine and all's well, long term. No panic, no worries, no big deal.

Of course, if you can't count on your hygro, this is all a moot point. Salt test your hygro with fresh batteries and record the delta if you can't adjust the hygro.

B.B.S.
 
BlindedByScience said:
It's clearly due to the coriolis effect which asymmetrically couples to the delta "T" in altitude, compounded by the phase of the moon and random planetary alignment. Nail your humidor to the ceiling and all should be well.

My god, man, this just isn't rocket science. If you ask a large enough bunch of guys what the "right" RH is, you'll get answers all the way from 55% to 75% so freaking about over a few points of RH is ridiculous.

Beads aren't some microprocessor powered magic humidity control device, they are simple yet very effective BUFFERS of humidity. That's why the volume factor plays into how many you need. So, up front, if you don't have enough beads for the volume you can't expect things to be stable, long term. Getting more than you need will keep things stable, longer, with less maintenance. The converse is that if you don't have enough beads, you'll have to fiddle with it more.

Too dry? Put a shot glass of distilled water in the humidor for a few hours, maybe overnight. Longer as required. I know in our home when the forced air heat kicks on the RH in the house will drop to 45-50% when it's cold outside. With my old desktop, I'd put a foam element humidifier in there wet with distilled water and leave it. Worked like a champ.

Too moist? Leave the lid or door open for an hour.

Flapping the door open and closed also won't help. If you make a "change" to the environment, shut the dang door and leave it shut for a day to see what the effect really is.

You are NOT going to wreck your cigars if you have a short term excursion in RH. I was recently playing box tetris with my cabinet and managed to leave a box out for a couple of days. The smokes were fine and all's well, long term. No panic, no worries, no big deal.

Of course, if you can't count on your hygro, this is all a moot point. Salt test your hygro with fresh batteries and record the delta if you can't adjust the hygro.

B.B.S.
Click to expand...

Glad to see your spacebar is working again. :D
 
I did everything you said. Without beads my temporary 1.5ft^3 humidor measured 65%...perfect. I took the beads out, let them dry out, put the beads back in. 1 Day later the RH shoots up to 75%. Same amount of beads are still pure white. I know they are a buffer but +10% is pretty poor.
 
DKAudio said:
I did everything you said. Without beads my temporary 1.5ft^3 humidor measured 65%...perfect. I took the beads out, let them dry out, put the beads back in. 1 Day later the RH shoots up to 75%. Same amount of beads are still pure white. I know they are a buffer but +10% is pretty poor.
Click to expand...

How did you test your hygrometer, what method?
 
Sodium Chloride table salt slurry in a closed jar for 24 hours. Hygro showed 70% (-5% off). I am reading 71% in my humi right now with half clear half white beads.

I ordered another LB of beads from you to fulfill my 7.5 ft^3 space, they are arriving on Tues (out of town until Fri though).
 
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