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Humidity Control

mplaistedmplaisted Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5
in Cigar 101
I had about 25 cigars in my small humidor, all wrapped in cellophane, and never once had a problem maintaining rh ~ 70%.  I unwrapped 6 of the sticks and instantly the rh shot up to 82% and can't get it to drop back down without removing the humidifier.  I have the stock analog hygrometer and humidifier unit and will soon be upgrading.  Any reasons as to why taking a few cigars out of the cellophane would cause the humidity to jump so much?  Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
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  • madurofanmadurofan Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 6,152
    mplaisted:
    I had about 25 cigars in my small humidor, all wrapped in cellophane, and never once had a problem maintaining rh ~ 70%.  I unwrapped 6 of the sticks and instantly the rh shot up to 82% and can't get it to drop back down without removing the humidifier.  I have the stock analog hygrometer and humidifier unit and will soon be upgrading.  Any reasons as to why taking a few cigars out of the cellophane would cause the humidity to jump so much?  Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
    First off go buy a digital hygrometer and calibrate it. If you don't know how to do that search for salt test on here. Then report back. I'd love to help more but to be perfectly honest until you are running a digital hygro its hard to know what the problem is, your analog could have gotten bumped and it now all out of whack or any number of things.
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  • JKTexJKTex Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 92
    madurofan:
    mplaisted:
    I had about 25 cigars in my small humidor, all wrapped in cellophane, and never once had a problem maintaining rh ~ 70%.  I unwrapped 6 of the sticks and instantly the rh shot up to 82% and can't get it to drop back down without removing the humidifier.  I have the stock analog hygrometer and humidifier unit and will soon be upgrading.  Any reasons as to why taking a few cigars out of the cellophane would cause the humidity to jump so much?  Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
    First off go buy a digital hygrometer and calibrate it. If you don't know how to do that search for salt test on here. Then report back. I'd love to help more but to be perfectly honest until you are running a digital hygro its hard to know what the problem is, your analog could have gotten bumped and it now all out of whack or any number of things.


    Ditto!!!  My analog tested perfectly yet testing in the humi comparing to a digi, it can be 10% off.  Don't trust the analog!
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  • mplaistedmplaisted Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5
    So I bought a digital, stuck it in a ziploc baggie with a shotglass with salt and some water, next morning it read ~63%, opened the baggie, set my analog in as well, came home from work, digital said ~58%, analog said 75%.  Bought a second digital (still haven't taken the first back), stuck new digital, old digital, and analog in ziploc baggie woke up, new digital 60%, old digital 69%, analog 76%.  So I'm planning on taking the new digital back to the shop, putting it in side by side with their hygrometers to compare, if that doesn't work, I will order a digital that is calibratable. 
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  • kuzi16kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    i use a milk jug lid for my salt test. I also use about a quart size zipper bag. Leave it in there for more than 24 hours
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  • mplaistedmplaisted Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5
    The more than 24 hours seemed to help.  I still had one digital that was pretty off.  It read 65%, whereas the other digi read 75%, and my analog was at 77%.  This time I moved them to a Tupperware it seemed to work much better than the Ziploc bag.  My Humi is now reading 66%.  Now my new science experiment begins, I will take a couple sticks out of the cellophane and see if the rh shoots up again.
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  • kaspera79kaspera79 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,144
    mplaisted:
    The more than 24 hours seemed to help.  I still had one digital that was pretty off.  It read 65%, whereas the other digi read 75%, and my analog was at 77%.  This time I moved them to a Tupperware it seemed to work much better than the Ziploc bag.  My Humi is now reading 66%.  Now my new science experiment begins, I will take a couple sticks out of the cellophane and see if the rh shoots up again.
    .. Good luck doctor plaisted.
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  • dwayne3307dwayne3307 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 272
    kinda on this topic but a little different...i went to my local shop today looking for something to replace the sponge humidifier i have now. after a few minutes talking with the workers they suggested going with Boveda(brand name) humidification pillows(at least that's what they look like to me). They come in 5 different RH levels and I went with the 72 which will range from 68-72%. one of the workers uses them and said she replaces them every 6 weeks and that aside from that they're care-free. anyone have any expirence with these?
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  • kaspera79kaspera79 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,144
    dwayne3307:
    kinda on this topic but a little different...i went to my local shop today looking for something to replace the sponge humidifier i have now. after a few minutes talking with the workers they suggested going with Boveda(brand name) humidification pillows(at least that's what they look like to me). They come in 5 different RH levels and I went with the 72 which will range from 68-72%. one of the workers uses them and said she replaces them every 6 weeks and that aside from that they're care-free. anyone have any expirence with these?
    I have used water pillows in the past. When I first started out, it was the only method I used and with a good result. Whenever I have and overflow or need to keep cigars out of my humidors for a short period of time water pillows serve me well in zip lock bags or tupperware containers. Many of us use them when passing cigars to each other.
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  • dwayne3307dwayne3307 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 272
    thanks for puting my mind at ease
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  • j0z3rj0z3r Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 9,403
    kaspera79:
    dwayne3307:
    kinda on this topic but a little different...i went to my local shop today looking for something to replace the sponge humidifier i have now. after a few minutes talking with the workers they suggested going with Boveda(brand name) humidification pillows(at least that's what they look like to me). They come in 5 different RH levels and I went with the 72 which will range from 68-72%. one of the workers uses them and said she replaces them every 6 weeks and that aside from that they're care-free. anyone have any expirence with these?
    I have used water pillows in the past. When I first started out, it was the only method I used and with a good result. Whenever I have and overflow or need to keep cigars out of my humidors for a short period of time water pillows serve me well in zip lock bags or tupperware containers. Many of us use them when passing cigars to each other.
    I don't know if you were aware Kas, but I'll assume that maybe you weren't. He wasn't talking about the water pillows, but the Boveda Humidification packs designed to act as a humidifier. Here is a link to the product website: Link!

    And if I'm mistaken in my assumption, I apologize for making an ass not of u, but of me. :D
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  • kuzi16kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    i never liked the bovida packs.

    not because they dont work, because they DO work. very well in fact. I dont like them because you have to buy new ones every few weeks/months. with beads i paid more, but i never need to buy them again.
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  • dwayne3307dwayne3307 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 272
    at least now i have a legitimate excuse to go to my local shop. lord knows i don't need any more cigars. eventually i'll move to the beads though.
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  • kaspera79kaspera79 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,144
    j0z3r:
    kaspera79:
    dwayne3307:
    kinda on this topic but a little different...i went to my local shop today looking for something to replace the sponge humidifier i have now. after a few minutes talking with the workers they suggested going with Boveda(brand name) humidification pillows(at least that's what they look like to me). They come in 5 different RH levels and I went with the 72 which will range from 68-72%. one of the workers uses them and said she replaces them every 6 weeks and that aside from that they're care-free. anyone have any expirence with these?
    I have used water pillows in the past. When I first started out, it was the only method I used and with a good result. Whenever I have and overflow or need to keep cigars out of my humidors for a short period of time water pillows serve me well in zip lock bags or tupperware containers. Many of us use them when passing cigars to each other.
    I don't know if you were aware Kas, but I'll assume that maybe you weren't. He wasn't talking about the water pillows, but the Boveda Humidification packs designed to act as a humidifier. Here is a link to the product website: Link!

    And if I'm mistaken in my assumption, I apologize for making an ass not of u, but of me. :D
    Yeah joe I did believe he was talking about the water pillows we all use and ship stuff between each other. Now that I researched your link they are not the same. But hey it's not the first time I've beem wrong. No asses here. just a misunderstanding.
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  • dutyjedutyje Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,263
    kaspera79:
    No asses here
    Maybe you haven't been paying attention to our avatars.
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  • kaspera79kaspera79 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,144
    dutyje:
    kaspera79:
    No asses here
    Maybe you haven't been paying attention to our avatars.
    Well, I didn't want to wake that up again.. but okay, maybe a few.
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  • LukoLuko Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,004
    And he has a thing for water pillows...shhhhh, don't tell Doodie.
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