Humidor question

[Silencei2]

Question for you all. I got a humidor with about 16 boxes and some loose cigars. I know the humidor is pretty cheap in quality but up until now it worked great.

My question is, as of recently I noticed my two humidifiers (cigar oasis and hydra) have been working a little harder keeping the humidity at 65. That's usually a sign that they need some more distilled water but instead of having a 1-2 month refill period, I've been doing it every 1-2 weeks. I know this can be caused by a lot of different things but I got my eye on a couple.

Do humidity beads have a lifetime like the foam that usually comes with the electronic humidifiers?

Does temperature in the room have an effect on humidity retention inside a humidor?

Do you need to put mineral oil on the door to help with its seal or perform any other maintenance on the humidor?

I guess southern California has been going through some weird climate changes and I'm guessing that would be a huge factor in this whole thing but I'm not sure if I'm just worrying to much or if i should just play along with the frequent refills

[craig]

Do humidity beads have a lifetime like the foam that usually comes with the electronic humidifiers?

Everything has a lifetime. Beads technically do not wear out, but they do absorb stuff and have reduced effectiveness as a result. Still, we're talking years of service.

Does temperature in the room have an effect on humidity retention inside a humidor?

Yes, but not of the magnitude that you are experiencing.

Do you need to put mineral oil on the door to help with its seal or perform any other maintenance on the humidor?

A wipe of the lip with a bit of distilled water may help, but I've found closed-cell foam tape helps the most on budget humidors.

I guess southern California has been going through some weird climate changes and I'm guessing that would be a huge factor in this whole thing but I'm not sure if I'm just worrying to much or if i should just play along with the frequent refills

One-two week refill times implies an air leak to me. Can you point to a pic of the humi. online?

[Eville]

don't put any caulk around the edge to seal. does not work, just ruins the humidor.

[Silencei2]

don't put any caulk around the edge to seal. does not work, just ruins the humidor.

Thanks, good to know

Can you point to a pic of the humi. online?

I have some pictures in my profile. Let me know if those suffice.

I have another humidor I plan on transferring over to. Much better quality but I still want to get use out of the one I'm having problems with

[craig]

Very nice! From the pics, I can't tell the condition of the black door sealing strips, but if a strip has become permanently compressed in places, then an air leak results, especially where the two doors meet.

I've used 3 mm thick closed-cell weather strip foam tape as an inexpensive replacement/adjunct for the door seal on my small display humi.

Good luck!

[Silencei2]

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely look into that.