Help W/Humidor

Hello all, I am getting more into cigars and got a gift set from ThompsonCigar as a gift. Came with sticks and a humidor. I cannot get the humidor to maintain a constant setting. I have tried wiping it down, shot glass, etc. It came with an analog hygrometer and the floral styrofoam. I am new to the gel beads and everything too. Do you just put a couple beads into the round screen thing by swapping out the styrofoam? I have had the humidor seasoning for a couple of days now, close to a week. please help. Thanks.

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j0z3r

Get a digital hygrometer if you can, the analog is probably where things are going wrong.

jship079

more ofton then not the free humi's with a gift set are not that great. Some times it takes a while to get your humi to matain a constant humidity and temp here is a way to check if it is a poor seal causing your problems. Visually inspect the humidor checking all the seal lines and joints. A great way to do this is to place a lit flashlight into your humidor, close the lid, and inspect in a dark room. If there are any poorly fitted joints or seals, the light will show through. as far as the beads go yes you can put them in the humidifier granted that the slits are not to big for the beads as far as the amount always get more than recomended on the converter they will have at the place were you by the beads from

robbyras

agreed on the Digiatl Hygro and beads... can't go wrong...

jorswift

I tried the dollar trick and it came out pretty easily. I noticed after I wiped it down with the distilled water the wood must have swelled because it was hard to open. Can I salvage this humidor and get it to work?

kuzi16

yes... you may need to do a bit of crafting though. if the seal is still bad you can add a bit of rubber weather stripping to make your own seal.

jorswift

What do I get from this site, the gel or the jar humidifier device?

doromath

jorswift:
What do I get from this site, the gel or the jar humidifier device?

The gel and jar that Cigar.com sells are both the same chemical, they're just in differrent quantities. The jar is sufficient for 75 cigars and the one listed as gel will humidify 125 cigars. Just get the one that fits your humidor capacity the best.

I use the same gel (though I purchased mine before I found CCOM so it's from a different manufacturer) that comes in small tubes. Seems to work fairly well for me maintaining humidity in the range I want (66-70) with never more than a 1 degree fluctuation throughout the day so far. I have had to use more gel to get the job done than was recommended though. When in dobut, go with more humidification rather than less (for gel or beads which both can regulate humidity down somewhat).

jorswift

I guess in looking for something that will fit in where the styrofoam goes that won't take up much room. What should I get

jship079

Humi-care makes something that will fit were the old styro humi went it has the gel beads in it ccom sells them I prefer beads but the gel is next best. Just remeber that you always need more than they tell you you need especially if you live some were with winters like PA

Fourtotheflush

I have one of these, I would say it takes fairly longer to season. Most likely becaus it sitting in Tomsucks dry a$$ warehouse for too long. Just stick with it and it will keep after a while. Also if this is any less then 60% full it will have trouble maintaining.

MrMoke

jorswift:
I guess in looking for something that will fit in where the styrofoam goes that won't take up much room. What should I get

You can get gel filled pucks and bricks that replace the stock ones that usually come with a humidor, check out this link

http://www.humidorvault.com/Humidity-Kit-50-p/acc-humkit50.htm

The link above is a kit that will give you a digital hygro, a relacement humidifier that is gel filled a Boveda seasoning pack and a boveda hygro calibrating pack, everything you need to setup a humi!

jorswift

I am determined I have a bad seal. Gonna try some weather stripping. if I buy that kit it comes with a seasoning pack. What can I out mu sticks in until it is seasoned? I did buy a couple of drymistat tubes to try.

doromath

If you ordered your cigars from CCOM you can keep them in the bags with the Humi-Pack for a few days at least while you wait on the Boveda kit. Otherwise a Ziplock bag and Drymistat tube should work too. You could also use a tupperware container instead of the Ziplock bag.

lilwing88

You may want to think of investing in a new humidor..... IMHO, Thompson is not so great (don't wanna say how I really feel and turn this into a Thompson bashing thread, so I'll just leave it at that)

Anyhoo..... do some thinking and figure out how serious you are about this hobby. Then decide what size humi you want. I suggest 150 ct or higher. Go with a reputable brand, Ccom and CI have lots of decent options and decent prices. Why beat around the bush, right? Then go to heartfeltindustries.com and order some Boveda seasoning packs, 3-5 depending on size of humi. The sight will help you figure that one out. Then order some beads. I'd go with the tubes of beads. Again the site will help you figure how much you will need for the size of the humidor. I'd go with, at least, the 65% rh beads. Follow all the directions given to you and you should be okay. Then all your gonna need is couple gallons of distilled water. And boom! Good ta go!

It's gonna take some work and some tweeking here and there. Cigar care and humidification is not an exact science. Time and experience are huge factors.

jorswift

Well I had the rh sitting pretty good at about 70 where I want it. I took a couple sticks out and in a couple of days it dropped to 60. Everything looks to be fine and now I can't get it back up. What's the deal

jorswift

Big T smokes

1) take the foam and throw it away. I have never had luck with that personally and among people I know.

2) Buy RH beads. I got 65% RH ones from heartfelt that come in a nice puck that you can stick where your humi's humidifying device was gonna go and it'll help keep the humi at a relative consitency

3) you gotta fix that seal. The seal's gotta be airtight. Kuzi gave you a great suggestion with the THIN rubber weatherstipping and I think it's absoultely worth doing if you like the way the box looks. If you got an air leak you wont be able to keep the humidity in the box no matter what yo do.

Now, you use the shotglass with distilled to absorb all that moisture into the cedar and it's gotta sit for awhile, like A FEW DAYS. If you buy the beads online I would leave a shotglass in there until the beads come. Many people suggest you check it once every 12 hours and mark how much water is being evaporated into the wood - once the water stops evaporating you know the cedar is retaining the needed moisture. I would just leave it for a few days though. Thats what I did. Dont even open it to look at it just leave it be for at LEAST 48 hours. I had a hard time with waiting myself cuz I was nervous about my sticks. Just take a small piece of that foam, lightly dampen it with the distilled water, and put it in some tupperware with your sticks or a freezer bag if you are that worried. As long as you dont fry the sticks in a warm area or freeze them they'll be ok in a tupperware thing for a week even without humidity until your humi is at a RH% you are happy with. If the sticks get a little dry, they'll bounce back after a week once your humi is set up.

I'm tellin you though, the patience paid off. My little 20 ct is working very nicely for my needs and I love it. The RH% tends to be a bit higher than 65% but it's summertime and I'm fine with that.