Anyone else have trouble with humi beads?

[hp-^]

I've had them for a while but they have not been working whatsoever.

They dry out very fast and do not retain moisture at all.

Have your experiences all been positive?

[BunkyX]

Sounds to me like you have one of three problems, not enough beads, poorly seasoned humidor, or leaky humidor seal. My homemade humidor with a three cubic foot capacity was a problem until I put in the beads and it straightened out within a week. CVheck for any of the three possible problems and correct it you should be fine. Good luck!

[Bobalouie]

Hay HP...
I have the beads too and mine dry out kinda quick ( like every 3-4 days ) but I have to say as long as I keep up on the bead stick as far as re-wetting it with distilled water my stogies stay pretty damm good.
Bobalouie

[SuperChuck]

If your humi is dry, you'll have a little trouble with the beads. The beads are great at maintaining a certain humidity, but they aren;t great at adding moisture into the environment. If the environment is dry (as I assume it is in Ontario in April), it can be tough to get back up to speed.

A couple options I can think of:

1. Soak the crap out of the beads, rewetting them every day or two. Be careful not to get your cigars wet (this is what I do, even though it's not the best solution)

2. Put a small container of distilled water (shot glass?) in your humidor. That'll give the environment a lot of water to use...

[NullSmurf]

I've had them for a while but they have not been working whatsoever.

They dry out very fast and do not retain moisture at all.

Have your experiences all been positive?

If you're talking Viper's beads, you have other problems. What volume of beads are you using and what volume of humi are you trying to use them in? Does your humi seal properly? What humidity are you detecting?