I give up with this crazy salt test!!!!!

maybe it's my hygro...i don't know...but it's driving me nuts.

i still have the hygro in the baggie. it's still sealed. when i press on it lightly, no air gets out so i assume it's sealed correctly. i took it downstairs to the basement for a moment and forgot it there. an hour later i went to get it. the temp was 60 and the humidity was 80%! ??? i brought it back upstairs. the temp was 70 and the humidity went to 77%. i have it back in the den and the temp is now 73 and humidity is 76%.

i thought the salt test was supposed to stay consistently at 75%. will temp make the humidity in the baggie fluctuate that much? if so, how do i know at what temp 75% humidity is actually achieved?????

How long has it been in the baggie? Also when using a baggie it is best to double bag it, just to be sure.

Needs time to stabilize. At least 8 hours, without moving it to 3 different locations. I always let mine calibrate over night without moving it.

Have you read this yet?
Lopaka's Guide

Also, try not to move it around, I recommend leaving it right next to your humidor, that way you it's in basically the same temp range as your cigars. Rh fluctuates with temperature, but very small deviations. I suspect just the moving about of the test, or the test not sealed completely are factors in our inconsistent readings.

I know it's hard, but try not to get to OCD over humidity... just get your hygrometer close, and don't lose a lot of sleep over it... four or five points either way aren't going to make much of a difference. The way your cigars are smoking is a fine way to determine if storage conditions are adequate. It's really not "Rocket Surgery" :smiley2:

it WAS in a double bag! it seemed ok till i moved it, then my ocd DID kick in! forget it, i'm gonna go play some video games!

Buy beads. That's it.

I don't even have a hygrometer in my coolidor, just tons of beads.

Good luck.

i've been out of the cigar loop for a while. what this about beads? there were no beads that i knew of 15 years ago.

Beads are a "conditioned" silica gel product, completely simplifying rh control. They're conditioned to maintain humidity at a specific level. Whereas typical 50/50 solution will only release humidity, and does nothing to control excess, beads work both ways.

You can find them in a number of places...

Bargain Humidors Has the best pricing, some may say they offer inferior product compared to other vendors, but many I know have shown that to be completely incorrect.. actually finding them more durable and consistently sizes beads than competitors.

Heartfelt Industries Has virtually the same product, at nearly twice the cost, but they also offer convenient tubes for storage.

They are both available in 65% and 70% rh. Aplication is simple for both products... Simply spray them gently with distilled water until about 60% of the beads turn clear, and place in your humidor. Done

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigwhiteash

Beads are a "conditioned" silica gel product, completely simplifying rh control. They're conditioned to maintain humidity at a specific level. Whereas typical 50/50 solution will only release humidity, and does nothing to control excess, beads work both ways.

You can find them in a number of places...

Bargain Humidors Has the best pricing, some may say they offer inferior product compared to other vendors, but many I know have shown that to be completely incorrect.. actually finding them more durable and consistently sizes beads than competitors.

Heartfelt Industries Has virtually the same product, at nearly twice the cost, but they also offer convenient tubes for storage.

They are both available in 65% and 70% rh. Aplication is simple for both products... Simply spray them gently with distilled water until about 60% of the beads turn clear, and place in your humidor. Done

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will this be a good idea?

http://madelaine.com/products_detail...30&category=10

That is a polymer crystal humidifier, simply another implementation of the 50/50 solution. the polymer acts much the same as the foam in traditional humidifiers. and will only release humidity.

The beads I linked to are essentially a " set and forget" system. you only need to purchase them in recommended quantities, (I suggest about 20% more than vendor recommends), wet them down, and they do the rest.


Do some research on Humididy beads, you will find them almost universaly recommended. :smiley2:

is there any way to re-humidify my cigars? the humidity seems right in the humidor, but maybe the cigars need a bigger dose to get them back to normal? i can't understand why they would still be somewhat dry afer a couple weeks in the humidor.

I would never subject my high $ Hygro to a salty enviroment. Properly humidified cigars will still be crunchy when torqued on. My stuff is under 65%. You might wanna lick the cap before cutting them.

I use no beads or gel ect ect as I dont buy into the hype. If you do thats cool by me . I use a cut piece of o-cello sponge in an old typehumidifier holder . O cello has an antifungal agent in it,I cant smell it.

When I was new to cigars and humidors I fretted over humidity and over humidified some cigars and wa-la I got hatched beetles. Do not get all spastic about humidity or it will rule you and take all of the fun out of an enjoyable hobby

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kevin7

I would never subject my high $ Hygro to a salty enviroment. Properly humidified cigars will still be crunchy when torqued on. My stuff is under 65%. You might wanna lick the cap before cutting them.

I use no beads or gel ect ect as I dont buy into the hype. If you do thats cool by me . I use a cut piece of o-cello sponge in an old typehumidifier holder . O cello has an antifungal agent in it,I cant smell it.

When I was new to cigars and humidors I fretted over humidity and over humidified some cigars and wa-la I got hatched beetles. Do not get all spastic about humidity or it will rule you and take all of the fun out of an enjoyable hobby

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from what i understand, beetles are more of a high temp problem than a humidity one. i'd rather NOT worry about humidity, but neither do i want dried out cigars. i wouldn't say they're exactly dry now, but they are certainly more brittle than cigars i kept when i had my old humidor about 15 years ago.

plus, it seems i have to refill my humidifier abot 1-2 weeks even though the humidity level stays at 73-75%.