Anyone Here Keep Their Humidor at 75/60?

[choinga]

Just curious...

I bought an end table type humidor and during the summer months (I live in Austin, TX) it's literally impossible to keep my house below 75... Right now we're averaging 100 outside temps for a couple weeks in a row now...ugh.

Anyway, my new table will go in my office where it's nice and dark, no direct sunlight - my current 150 count humi stays at 75/65 in here - but I haven't had it all that long to know what the long term effects, if any, are at keeping stoges at that temp/RH.

Anyway, I've got a couple pounds of both 60 and 70 beads coming from HF, I've got an Oasis XL - so RH is not going to be an issue. I just dont think, that at least for about half the year I'll be able to keep my humidor below 75. I know everyone likes to keep theirs about 10 degrees cooler than that when possible - just curious what folks think about it. If my temps are higher - that's why I'm thinking about going with 60% beads instead of 65 or 70%.

Thanks in advance!

[BigMacFU]

You'll be fine with 60%.

[hypersnyper694788]

Its hard for me to get the temp down in the humidor here in florida. Also mine is new and its at the end of the seasoning process so the RH is a little high too. Right now its at 74 RH and 77 degrees. The sticks still feel good and draw just fine so im not to sure what to think about it. As long as they still draw nice and taste good im happy.

[ashauler]

Its hard for me to get the temp down in the humidor here in florida. Also mine is new and its at the end of the seasoning process so the RH is a little high too. Right now its at 74 RH and 77 degrees. The sticks still feel good and draw just fine so im not to sure what to think about it. As long as they still draw nice and taste good im happy.

How long have your sticks been in that environment? Long enough to acclimate and equalize to that RH? 74% is, imho, too high for smoking.

[hypersnyper694788]

How long have your sticks been in that environment? Long enough to acclimate and equalize to that RH? 74% is, imho, too high for smoking.

Probably not quite long enough to be honest. I am trying to get it down to 67-70. I just dont want to drop it to fast and mess them up. It was at 75 like 2 days ago, so its coming down slowly but surly.


EDIT : It is at 73 RH today, still coming down

[choinga]

awesome - that's good information to know...

I know everyone is paranoid of beetles, and rightfully so, and my understanding is that they can hatch anywhere above 75 degrees...but I know there has to be a ton of people keeping their cigars in that temperature zone. I live in TX and during the summer it's all I can do to keep my house at 75-76...we don't have basements down here so there's pretty much no relief.

From what I've read, if your humidor runs a little high on temp you want to compensate by lowering the RH...if you're at 75 or 76, at least from what I've read, you're probably shooting for a 60% RH - maybe 65% if that makes you feel better. I'll have a bunch of 'those kind' of cigars in my humidor as well and the consensus is they are happier at a little lower RH that the Nic's or Dom's.

I've got a new humidor now (end table cabinet) that I'm seasoning with 70% beads...but I'm going to drop it down to 60% beads when I load it with sticks.

I'm trying the cabinet out now in what I think is the coolest room in the house - it's definitely the darkest...I'll be happy if I can maintain 75/60...there's no way that's going to be a harmful combo.

I'll keep everyone posted...and update with pics. My humidor came from FL so the hygro already showed about 55% up top and when I stuck my Oasis and digital hygro in the bottom it was even closer to 60% (the two compartments are seperated) so hopefully I'll only have a couple days or so of tweaking this thing out before it's ready...

[victory01]

This is my very humble opinion, but most of the year my coolidor stays at around 70/70 but does jump up to 75/75 at times in the heat waves of summer from weeks to months on end. I haven't had any problems yet. Some of my sticks actually smoked better at higher rh...the Man O'War comes to mind. When I inspect my stick before smoking and find it a little too moist, which is very rare, I put it aside for a little while before smoking.

I used to be very anal about my rh and temp. It was nice having the feeling of taking care of your sticks but it can get to the point where it drives you nuts. I have been to both Cuba and DR and when I think about how hot and humid it is over there it eases my concern. After ditching the hygrometer last year I have felt some weight off my shoulders.

I would keep track of a new cabinet or humi just to be sure, but if you have beads in there, I would be pretty confident everything will be just fine.

[choinga]

thank victory.

Actually, as it turns out it appears as though my cabinet humidor was pre-seasoned. I fired my Oasis XL up on the bottom shelf and it's set for 60% and my hygrometer on the top shelf/drawer is reading about 68% and 73 degrees. So, I'm in pretty good shape. I'm hoping the RH will come down a little - I'd like to stay in the 63-65% range at that temp...I think that's as low as I'm going to get it to go in the summer months down here.

Good point on the Cuba/DR thing...I've watched videos - one from the Cohiba factory in Havana comes to mind where these guys are rolling stoges with boxes of very expensive cigars all around them in cabinets that clearly are not temp/RH controlled. Now, they probably don't sit there like that for years, I'm guessing - but it definitely makes you wonder why we obsess over a specific temp and RH. :)

[hypersnyper694788]

So you guys are saying that you can compensate for a higher temp with a lower RH. Well when I put freeze packs in my humidor to try and get the temp down it will bring the RH down too. So it will go down to like 63RH and 75 degrees. Thats about as low as i can get the temp. So is that a good place to be at? Around 63/75

[ashauler]

So you guys are saying that you can compensate for a higher temp with a lower RH. Well when I put freeze packs in my humidor to try and get the temp down it will bring the RH down too. So it will go down to like 63RH and 75 degrees.

You have it backwards......if you keep the moisture level constant, and lower the temperature, the RH will rise.

ETA: If you search around on here, there is a chart somewhere that shows the relationship of temp to rh.....shelby07 posted it, iirc.

[choinga]

I think is the chart you are referring to. You'd have to reduce the amount of moisture in the cabinet to attain the lower RH%, but from what I've read if you can't get the temprature down in your cabinet (say below 75 degrees) you're better off lowering the RH. IE; 75 degrees - tune to 60% RH.

Temperature, water vapor pressure and relative humidity required to equal 70% RH at 70 degrees (13.15mmHg).

Temp, Water Vapor Pressure, Relative Humidity

66 16.37 80.33%

67 16.95 77.58%

68 17.55 74.93%

69 18.17 72.37%

70 18.79 70.00%

71 19.45 67.61%

72 20.11 65.39%

73 20.81 63.19%

74 21.51 61.13%

75 22.25 59.10%

76 23.00 57.17%

[hypersnyper694788]

I think is the chart you are referring to. You'd have to reduce the amount of moisture in the cabinet to attain the lower RH%, but from what I've read if you can't get the temprature down in your cabinet (say below 75 degrees) you're better off lowering the RH. IE; 75 degrees - tune to 60% RH.

Temperature, water vapor pressure and relative humidity required to equal 70% RH at 70 degrees (13.15mmHg).

Temp, Water Vapor Pressure, Relative Humidity

66 16.37 80.33%

67 16.95 77.58%

68 17.55 74.93%

69 18.17 72.37%

70 18.79 70.00%

71 19.45 67.61%

72 20.11 65.39%

73 20.81 63.19%

74 21.51 61.13%

75 22.25 59.10%

76 23.00 57.17%

Hmm so considering the temp inside my humidor i need to really get the RH down.

[TachyCoventry]

Hmm so considering the temp inside my humidor i need to really get the RH down.

If you submit to Mr Choinga's theory. I prefer my own experience and that says that if I can keep my humidor at 73 degres and 69 RH it's all good. Since I can do that even while living in Florida, I'm going to say whatever to that huge list he provided.

[hypersnyper694788]

If you submit to Mr Choinga's theory. I prefer my own experience and that says that if I can keep my humidor at 73 degres and 69 RH it's all good. Since I can do that even while living in Florida, I'm going to say whatever to that huge list he provided.

If i could do that i totally would. But my house was built in 1950 and insulation is slim. Keeping my AC at only 78 my electric bill was $277 last month. Thats pretty high for a house thats only 1026 sq ft . So getting the temp down in the humidor is not very easy especially since its a built in shelf unit. I have to keep opening it to keep the RH below 70. I guess while my temp is above 75 i will try to keep the RH below 67. Once the weather becomes a less hot and my house can keep a cool 75 with out killing my wallet, it will become much easier to keep the levels where they need to be. Still the sticks smoke right and taste good so im ok with it. Once that changes ill start to worry.

[mail man]

Just curious, but have you calibrated your hygrometer...just to make sure it reading correctly?

[hypersnyper694788]

Just curious, but have you calibrated your hygrometer...just to make sure it reading correctly?

Supposedly it came calibrated from Xikar already. I guess it couldnt hurt to re-calibrate. I have heard of the salt test, is that the best way?

[mail man]

Supposedly it came calibrated from Xikar already. I guess it couldnt hurt to re-calibrate. I have heard of the salt test, is that the best way?

You are not supposed to do the salt test on a digital one, the best way that I know of, would be to get the calibration pack from Boveda.

[hypersnyper694788]

You are not supposed to do the salt test on a digital one, the best way that I know of, would be to get the calibration pack from Boveda.

Well good thing i never did the salt test then Do you know how much the calibration pack goes for?

Thanks

[mail man]

Well good thing i never did the salt test then Do you know how much the calibration pack goes for?

Thanks

I believe they are around $5.00, check with your local B&M, they should carry them.

[hypersnyper694788]

i believe they are around $5.00, check with your local b&m, they should carry them.

b&m?