The Lab: Water Pillows
dutyje
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,263
Alright.. So I made a claim in another thread that water pillows are not a very reliable source of humidity maintenance. I ran a test which was validly disputed. I am going to use this thread to post the results of a test, which I will conduct at some point in the near future.
I'd go ahead and start this test right now, but I just put a bunch of sticks in my humidor this afternoon, and I need my hygrometer to monitor the stabilization of the environment over the next day or two. By Sunday, I expect to launch the test.
For this test, I will put 5 cigars in a cigar.com ziploc bag -- the same way I received them, although they aren't all the same cigars. I will put a charged water pillow into the ziploc along with the cigars and the hygrometer, and I will leave a reasonable amount of air in the bag.
I will then stick this bag in my 72-degree closet (ok.. it's actually a 72-74 degree closet), and I will monitor the humidity regularly over the course of five days. I'd go longer, but I want to get my hygrometer back in my humidor.
This work for everybody? Also, I will use the min/max feature of my hygrometer to monitor the humidity and temperature ranges during the experiment. I may even post live results as they come in. Or I may not... depends how bored I am and how often I work from home next week
I'd go ahead and start this test right now, but I just put a bunch of sticks in my humidor this afternoon, and I need my hygrometer to monitor the stabilization of the environment over the next day or two. By Sunday, I expect to launch the test.
For this test, I will put 5 cigars in a cigar.com ziploc bag -- the same way I received them, although they aren't all the same cigars. I will put a charged water pillow into the ziploc along with the cigars and the hygrometer, and I will leave a reasonable amount of air in the bag.
I will then stick this bag in my 72-degree closet (ok.. it's actually a 72-74 degree closet), and I will monitor the humidity regularly over the course of five days. I'd go longer, but I want to get my hygrometer back in my humidor.
This work for everybody? Also, I will use the min/max feature of my hygrometer to monitor the humidity and temperature ranges during the experiment. I may even post live results as they come in. Or I may not... depends how bored I am and how often I work from home next week
Comments
We've got several options here:
1. I can continue the experiment with one of those bags, filled with 5 sticks.
2. I can use a similar-sized (slightly smaller) ziploc from a competitor's (gasp!) shipment with 4 sticks and a pillow
3. I can put 7 sticks in a store-bought ziploc (10.5 in x 10.5 in) with a pillow.
4. I've got a 137 cubic-inch (Glad brand) tupperware container. I can put in 8 sticks and a pillow for the test.
The water pillows are supposedly good for 15-25 cigars, so none of these tests should cause any strain on the pillow. I've also got 3 pillows (but only one hygrometer).
One advantage of the bag-tests is that I can reset my min/max counters without opening the bag. One advantage of the tupperware test is that it may become my overflow tupperdor solution
Thinking about it, I'm leaning toward using the original cigar.com ziploc for the first test, running it for three days, and then running subsequent tests from there using containers with a better seal. The thing I like about the cigar.com bag is that it does at least breathe a little, so it may actually provide a decent long-term storage solution if the pillows work.
I'm using a cigar.com ziploc bag, which I have already tested to show it does not create a 100% airtight seal. I have a well-charged pillow in the bag, along with the following cigars:
2 Camacho 1962 Churchill
1 Bolivar Churchill
1 Gurkha Royal Brigade
I realize this is 4 sticks instead of 5, but adding the Onyx Reserve Torbusto would have been a bit overcrowded. I will get my first temperature and humidity reading this evening, and I will reset the hygrometer and report another reading, along with min and max info, in the morning. I will continue to monitor this through Monday and post up the final results.
I hope everyone know I was just kidding about the Gurkha's I just ordered soem G3's and some Triple Ligero's that I'm pretty stoked about.
Then I weigh that against the stogies I could buy for the same money and think, "Well, I haven't had a problem so far..."
72 degrees, 69% rH
Min Temp: 72
Max Temp: 73
Min rH: 67%
Max rH: 69%
Perfect so far (get off my case about temps.. this is a humidity experiment). Welcome to the south. I'm resetting the min/max counters with each measurement.. I'll check again at least a couple times tomorrow.
i have, however, been known to be wrong.
I agree that the manufacturer has no doubt tested the item extensively, but I raised the question because of the poor performance I witnessed in an empty bag test. Besides, I'm having fun
This morning's reading:
Temp: 72
rH: 70%
Min Temp: 72
Max Temp: 73
Min rH: 68%
Max rH: 70%
I just took this evening's measurement:
Temp: 73
rH: 73%
Min Temp: 73
Max Temp: 73
Min rH: 70%
Max rH: 73%
If this humidity rise keeps up much longer, I may need to abort before the 5th day of the trial.
Temp: 73
rH: 74%
Min Temp: 72
Max Temp: 73
Min rH: 71%
Max rH: 74%
This isn't exactly confidence inspiring with respect to long-term storage. It's not even been 48 hours, and the humidity has already climbed to 74%.
Temp: 73
rH: 77%
Min Temp: 73
Max Temp: 73
Min rH: 74%
Max rH: 77%
I like the idea of running a test with cigars in an airtight container. I don't have the inventory right now, and I need to bring these 4 test sticks back under control over the next few weeks. One of the Camachos feel a touch mushy compared to their brethren in the humi, but the Gurkha and Bolivar are still in great shape.
my humi was overflowing so i took a ziplock.. threw in the overflow with the cigar.com pillows i get from COTM and my digital humi..
works like a charm.
i may have to start tomorrow.. ..