Humidor Bliss...

[EdgeMan]

I want to thank everyone here that has posted information concerning humidors, humidification, RH, temperature and calibrating hygrometers.
I originally hastily created a new thread before searching the site regarding issues with RH in my humidor.
If that wasn't enough I posted the new thread in the wrong section of the forum.
I was gently nudged to use search (which I should know better being a long time UNIX/Linux user).

You can find the original thread here -> http://www.cigarsmokers.com/t12118-c...n-humidor.html.
Instead of amending this post to that thread I am posting a follow-up here, in the correct area of the forum. You can reference the link above for details if you wish.

Now on to the update...

My RH is now at a steady 68% and the temperature is holding between 69-71 degrees.
Humidor Bliss! My sticks are smoking very well at this RH and temperature.

Most of the members here speak very highly of the heartfelt beads and the only reason I did not use the beads was simply because I already had three brand new jars of the Xikar Crystals and decided to give those a shot. As it ended up I only needed two of the Crystal jars to do the trick. My humidity was spiking and dropping and never achieving steady/proper RH levels. I was sitting around 78-80 RH. Some of my smokes were splitting while smoking and practically exploding on me. I had to do something and quick. However, instead of "freaking out" and yanking them all out at once and replacing them with the jars in one big swoop I removed/replaced them systematically to bring the RH down slowly.

I had four original Thompson humidifiers with the crappy floral sponge/fabric inside them. Two on the bottom and two on the top lid. I replaced the four original humidifiers with two Xikar crystal jars as such:

1) Removed one from the top (leaving three crappy ones) and let it settle for a few days. The RH dropped a little.
2) Removed one from the bottom (leaving two crappy ones) and let it settle for a few days. The RH dropped a little more.
3) Removed another one from the top (leaving one crappy one) and replaced it with a Xikar Crystal jar and let it settle for a few days. Things were looking much better at this point.
4) Removed the fourth and final crappy one from the bottom and replaced it with a second Xikar Crystal jar.

At this point I had removed all of the four original humidifiers and replaced them with two Xikar Crystal jars. One in the top tray and one in the bottom of the three level humidor. After two days like this I opened my humidor and it was sitting at exactly 68% RH. The jars claim to hold humidity at 70% but as it worked out with my size humidor at about 75% capacity, two jars hold the 68% steady. And I mean steady. I am fairly certain if I put in the third jar it would be a little on the high side? Maybe not. I don't think putting one extra jar in will raise it above acceptable RH levels because all of the jars put out(release) a steady 70% RH. It may just have the bonus of not having to re-fill as often. Someone may want to chime in here to confirm this. For what it's worth I believe these jars do not need re-filling but every few months or so and maybe even longer between re-fills. Confirmed: The Xikar Crystal Jars normally need re-filling approximately every three months.

Xikar claims that if you use the proper premix PG solution it will release as well as take away humidity as needed(similar to the heartfelt beads). This may be a sales pitch. A Xikar rep told me that it is the PG solution that will reduce as well as add humidity to hold 70% RH. Someone with more knowledge than myself may be able to verify this. Also, the PG solution has an anti-fungal agent in it which is a good thing. I am very pleased with the results.

I have nothing against the beads, I just wanted to try these Xikar Crystal jars. They are holding the RH extremely steady. My hygrometer reads exactly the same RH every time I open the humidor. I mean exactly.

Conclusion:

* I still need to do the "salt test".
* I corrected RH slowly.
* I removed the four original Thompson humidifiers with the crappy floral foam. Methodically.
* I replaced them with two (for my size humidor) Xikar 70% Crystal Jars. (I may need three if humidor is full)
* I used Xikar Pre-mix PG Solution with anti-fungal agent.
* My RH is now a steady 68%. (assuming the "wet-rag" test was close)
* Temp = 69-71 degrees.
* Smokes that were splitting are no longer splitting after a couple of weeks of steady RH of 68%.
* Sticks are smoking great now.
* I didn't freak out. I corrected it slowly and methodically.
* Humidor Bliss!

NOTES: (1) I should have done the "salt test". I will do that this weekend (2) I had no place else to store my stogies while getting the RH corrected in this humidor, thus the reason for doing this slowly and very carefully. A couple of hundred stogies were at risk. (3) Use the Heartfelt beads as suggested by the more experienced users here. As I mentioned, I already had the Xikar Crystal jars.

Thanks to everyone here for your expertise.