Seasoning Humidor

[bhands]

I was just wondering if you ever had to reseason your humidor? (like after 3000 miles you should change the oil in your car) i did the initial seasoning when i first bought the humidor but should i reseason it to get better humidity consistency?

[DeeDubya]

I was just wondering if you ever had to reseason your humidor? (like after 3000 miles you should change the oil in your car) i did the initial seasoning when i first bought the humidor but should i reseason it to get better humidity consistency?

I think the purpose of the initial seasoning is to get moisture in the dry wood of a new humi quickly by wiping it down. Otherwise it might take a few days and several recharges on your humidifier before the RH ever came up to normal.
The consistancy might be affected more by how closely you monitor your hygrometer and recharge the pads or beads. I use a combination of 1/2lb beads and two 2x3 pads and recharge them weekly. My humi is a 300 count but of course I don't ever have that many in there. I can usually keep it within 70-71% and have not had a mold problem. IMO 65% is too dry.
The average ambient RH in La Habana, Cuba is 78% so I like to think that 70% is not too high.

[bhands]

thanks for the info that really helped

[mauied1101]

I was just wondering if you ever had to reseason your humidor? (like after 3000 miles you should change the oil in your car) i did the initial seasoning when i first bought the humidor but should i reseason it to get better humidity consistency?

Not if it's been seasoned properly (initially) and then kept at the desired RH. Your sticks will dry out before your humidor will - and if they do and it does, then check the seal on your humi. If the seal is fine, then use beads. Some folks say that your humi may not be fully "seasoned" until it's 75-80% full of sticks at a set amount of time.

I think the purpose of the initial seasoning is to get moisture in the dry wood of a new humi quickly by wiping it down. Otherwise it might take a few days and several recharges on your humidifier before the RH ever came up to normal.

Just a word of caution - there are different ways to season a humi - some folks do the wipe down like DeeDubya mentioned - I would caution against that as a sudden/quick wipe down may shock or warp the wood. After I set up a new humi, I put a glass of distilled water in humi, close the lid, and keep it closed for 24-36 hours to let the wood absorb it slowly. You'll be able to see the water line go down - it's that dramatic. Yeah, it takes more time, but it's fool proof. Plus, if you have a digital hygro or use beads after that, all the better.