To recharge or not recharge..that's the question.

[Eville]

How can you not be sure when to refill the beads? If your humidity is dropping and the beads are white, add water. If your humidity is too high and the beads are dry, let them air out a bit. If your humidity is where you want it, keep the beads in that condition. It really isn't that difficult. Sorry if I sound like an ass, but it isn't a difficult concept to implement once you have been given directions.

[JStrider]

When my humidity starts dropping I usually put a shot glass of water in the humidor for a few days and roll the beads around in their container a bit every day

doesn't really seem to spike the humidity... but I don't think it fully charges the beads either... but this way they don't crack and split... so I figure they will last longer doing it this way.

[craig]

When my humidity starts dropping I usually put a shot glass of water in the humidor for a few days and roll the beads around in their container a bit every day

doesn't really seem to spike the humidity... but I don't think it fully charges the beads either... but this way they don't crack and split... so I figure they will last longer doing it this way.

Best answer .

Reference: CCI Technical Bulletin #10, Silica Gel, 1984 ISBN: 0-662-53370-4
An oldie, but the most-referenced scientific publication in the field. Government here runs on a cost-recovery basis so it isn't free. I bought it; can't really say it is worth the money, but it should be available in a University or museum library. https://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/bookstore/...ry-e.cfm?id=18

(Mind you, I just get out a spray bottle of distilled water.)

[pmp]

How can you not be sure when to refill the beads? If your humidity is dropping and the beads are white, add water. If your humidity is too high and the beads are dry, let them air out a bit. If your humidity is where you want it, keep the beads in that condition. It really isn't that difficult. Sorry if I sound like an ass, but it isn't a difficult concept to implement once you have been given directions.

Humidity can drop because of a poor seal, seasonal changes, additions or subtractions to the contents of the humidor.

Simply stating that its time to refill your beads when your humidity drops is idealistic and will probably work a percentage of the time but realistically, there is no clear way to measure when they are actually depleted. This is a real downside to beads.

[NullSmurf]

Spray? Shit...I soak mine. Ambient RH is in the 30's here. My beads never absorb. They always output. I fill a drinking glass with distilled, then dunk my tubes. I shake the excess off, then put them back in. That lasts me about 2-3 weeks.

I'm going to take the opportunity to "answer" the gazillion hygrometer questions. Whether yours reads right on the money or not is not as important as watching when they start to drop. That is what I'm watching. Dropping RH tells me its time to recharge my beads. Otherwise, I trust the beads.

[Shelby07]

Spray? Shit...I soak mine. Ambient RH is in the 30's here. My beads never absorb. They always output. I fill a drinking glass with distilled, then dunk my tubes. I shake the excess off, then put them back in. That lasts me about 2-3 weeks.

I'm going to take the opportunity to "answer" the gazillion hygrometer questions. Whether yours reads right on the money or not is not as important as watching when they start to drop. That is what I'm watching. Dropping RH tells me its time to recharge my beads. Otherwise, I trust the beads.

Well, yeah... if they're always soaked of course they'll never absorb.

Seriously, I think that the beads do need to be able to absorb some moisture even here in Denver. Unless you keep a constant temperature in your house (assuming your humi is pretty airtight) the RH can rise quite a bit at night when the temperature drops.

Right on with the money with the hydrometer answer. Screw the actual reading... watch the cigars themselves to determine the "optimal" reading, then recharge when it drops.

[Eville]

Humidity can drop because of a poor seal, seasonal changes, additions or subtractions to the contents of the humidor.

Simply stating that its time to refill your beads when your humidity drops is idealistic and will probably work a percentage of the time but realistically, there is no clear way to measure when they are actually depleted. This is a real downside to beads.

I disagree. There is a very clear way to measure when they are depleted. They turn white. The reason for the beads being white doesn't matter as far as the beads are concerned. The only reason they will turn white is if humidity in the enclosure has dropped below whatever level beads you have. It makes no difference why the humidity is lower, only that it is. That is when water needs to be added.

If they are all clear, it means humidity is too high and you need to let some of the water out of the beads by putting them in front of a fan, setting them out, etc. Again, it does not matter what made the humidity raise, the fix is the same.

[Humidor Minister]

Another thing I've had happen. When my battery gets low, my hydrometer starts to read very low. Usually around 45% humidity. Might be time to salt test your gauge as well.

[pmp]

I disagree. There is a very clear way to measure when they are depleted. They turn white. The reason for the beads being white doesn't matter as far as the beads are concerned. The only reason they will turn white is if humidity in the enclosure has dropped below whatever level beads you have. It makes no difference why the humidity is lower, only that it is. That is when water needs to be added.

If they are all clear, it means humidity is too high and you need to let some of the water out of the beads by putting them in front of a fan, setting them out, etc. Again, it does not matter what made the humidity raise, the fix is the same.

Moving from slightly opaque to slightly translucent is hardly a "clear way to measure". Its much too subjective and really not quantitative in any way whatsoever.

The change in the cystals is much more definitive which makes them my suggestion for anything under 300 ct.

I have a lot of customers who swear by them too.

[bigwhiteash]

Crystals are useless to me, they have no ability to absorb excess humidity, something we have plenty of here in the south.

Beads are very easy to use, they can be placed nearly anywhere, they're adaptable to changing seasons, (Basically, I keep them dry in the summer, and wet in the winter), and worry free... when My rh starts to drop, I just spray them down a bit. Simple!

[craig]

Moving from slightly opaque to slightly translucent is hardly a "clear way to measure". Its much too subjective and really not quantitative in any way whatsoever.

The change in the cystals is much more definitive which makes them my suggestion for anything under 300 ct.

I have a lot of customers who swear by them too.

Use the right beads.

Crystals do have their uses, but a blanket recommendation is disingenuous.

[Eville]

Maybe I was blessed amazing vision, but I don't have much of a problem distinguishing between too dry:

and too wet:


I would say that it is a very clear way to measure, pun most certainly intended.
To each their own, but I believe, and I am certain many many others will agree with me, that your grievances against beads are largely unfounded.

[pmp]

I don't think you would ever want your beads to look like that under normal circumstances. Normally they go from slightly opaque to slightly translucent with some being more or less to the extremes.

[pmp]

Use the right beads.

Crystals do have their uses, but a blanket recommendation is disingenuous.

Which beads are you referring to? I'm open to suggestions. Hell if you find beads better than heartfelt I might even carry them on my website.

[craig]

Ha ha ha...nice try. If your beads look like that your cigars are either dryer than an old christmas tree or sopping wet. My beads never look that dry or that wet. But its probably because they are never dry as a bone or saturated completely. I'm guessing your beads don't look like that either unless you are trying to prove a point. Under normal use they pretty much go from slightly opaque to slightly translucent with some being more or less to the extreme.

I'm not making any blanket statements. My recommendations are the same as they have always been. They are posted on my website in my cigar primer. Beads are a necessity for cabinets and anything larger than 300 ct. Under 300 ct its a clear victory for gel. Hell, the gel might even be better but nobody sells prefilled elements for larger applications....at least yet. I'm working on this right now. I have a supplier for bulk crystals and I'm going to attempt to do some research on how this would work in a few of my cabinets.

If you want the list of cons for using gel, its basically that gel doesn't come in different RH levels. It basically hovers around 67-70. If you want your humidor at 65 you are out of luck.
But thats really not a big deal. From my experience the RH-rated beads don't really work as advertised.

Your statements are blanket as they ignore the seasons/parts of the country when/where ambient RH is greater than humidor RH. Beads adsorb moisture to regulate RH much better than gel (or foam). Gel (or foam) without PG solution won't regulate RH at all. Gel with PG (or impregnated with PG) is better at releasing moisture, but worse at absorbing moisture - when compared to the same container volume as (good) beads.

Gel is no different than green foam, except it holds a lot more water. That's why gel is such a great upgrade for active humidifiers like Cigar Oases. Gel is also waaayyyy cheaper than beads - one can purchase all the gel one will ever need from a crafts store for a few bucks, or enough for hundreds, if not thousands, of humidors from a local garden center for a few bucks more.

Note I am not denying that gel will work 'better' than beads for a lot of small humidors in a lot of situations - 'better' in the sense of needing a smaller-sized container for the same humidifying effect when ambient conditions are dry. (BTW, I do use gel in the winter where the humi is too small for an active humidifier. I use beads + active humidification everywhere else. In the summer, beads only.)

Finally, in these days when lots of "humidors" use cedar veneer and MDF, buffering capacity has to come from somewhere, and I'd prefer that my cigars be the buffer of last resort. Beads buffer. Most unfinished wood buffers. Gel doesn't buffer very well (in the packaging that is used).

Which beads are you referring to? I'm open to suggestions. Hell if you find beads better than heartfelt I might even carry them on my website.

Beads doped with Lithium-chloride:
http://www.fuji-silysia.co.jp/englis.../art_sorb.html

I'm pretty sure those beads are what n2adventure (cigarmony.com) uses based on performance data Mark has posted elsewhere, and he does (or used to) wholesale the puck-ifier, which looks like it would fit into your line-up nicely .

I don't know what beads viper139 (heartfelt) uses.