a couple of newbie q's for the experts

[gottalovecigars]

hello all,

i am so happy that i found this forum. i have been smoking cigars regularly for about 3 months now and boy am i HOOKED. i just invested in a humidor and accessories for it:

- 150 ct cubancrafters humidor
- humiGUAGE? digital hygrometer
- 65% heartfeltindustries humidifier (beads)

i have a few questions that I did not find in some of the other posts.

- When seasoning the humidor (after the wipedown when I place a wet sponge in the middle of the humidor), do I setup the heartfeltindustries humidifier during the seasoning or after?
- Do I need to ever change the beads in the humidifier? If so, how often?
- Do I only add more water to the beads when they turn white? On an average humidor, how often do you add water (once a week, twice a month, etc.)?

Thanks in advance in helping me out.

[Bkcloud114]

hello all,

i am so happy that i found this forum. i have been smoking cigars regularly for about 3 months now and boy am i HOOKED. i just invested in a humidor and accessories for it:

- 150 ct cubancrafters humidor
- humiGUAGE? digital hygrometer
- 65% heartfeltindustries humidifier (beads)

Perfect..... looks like you have everything you need..... the humidor might be a little small after some time here..... so you can always buy a cooler and use the humidor on your desktop

i have a few questions that I did not find in some of the other posts.

- When seasoning the humidor (after the wipedown when I place a wet sponge in the middle of the humidor), do I setup the heartfeltindustries humidifier during the seasoning or after?

I believe you do this after..... you want moisture to be absorbed by the wood, if you put the beads in they might absorb the moisture. Check out this guide which was done by our own Lopaka... http://www.cigarsmokers.com/t3814-th...a-humidor.html

- Do I need to ever change the beads in the humidifier? If so, how often?

No, the beads will last a long time, You're gonna have to check with Viper on how long they actually last. Even if a few of them crack from the moisture, they still work.

- Do I only add more water to the beads when they turn white? On an average humidor, how often do you add water (once a week, twice a month, etc.)?

Wait till you see you humididty start to drop a bit or when they turn white.

Thanks in advance in helping me out.

No problem bro, enjoy your stay

[gottalovecigars]

thanks a lot for your help. i cant wait to get everything by ups next week and get going.

[gottalovecigars]

I am finally all setup. Just one concern....

After I did the salt test with my digital hygrometer...it read 65%

However, after I followed Lopoka instructions on seasoning the humidor, I placed the digital hygrometer in the humidor and it read 75%.

After I filled the humidor with cigars, placed the 65% beads in there...after about an hour it reads 74%. The temperature reads 74 degrees F.

- What should I do?
- Did I do the salt test wrong?
- Is my humidor in an area where it is too hot?

Thanks a million for your help. I really appreciate it.

[BigMacFU]

Definitely keep the temp 70-60 degrees, safer towards the lower. You don't want bugs after all.

As for RH, the beads, if you didn't wet them, will soak up any excess moisture in the air and maintain a 65% RH for you.

[SuperChuck]

Give your humi and beads a couple days to "level out".

Read your beads. When the beads are dry, they're white. When the beads are wet, they're clear. You want them somewhere in the middle (milky kinda color).

If you find your hygrometer is still way off, get yourself a Boveda Hygrometer Calibration Kit. That will give you a definite answer.