Coolidor question
 

Hey all, my brother has fallen down the slope pretty hard and had to upgrade to a coolidor that he is having problems with. He got a 70 quart and is using a pound of beads which is twice that is recommended.
He is mainly keeping boxes in it but he can't keep the humidity down, it is staying between 70-75%. He keeps the coolidor at his shop which is not heated and the temperature drops down into the 40's. He has put the beads in almost dry to help with the high levels. He has heard that with cold temperatures the humidity level will go up in a confined space like a cooler. Does anyone know if this is true and if so what would you recommend to try to reduce the humidity. If he opens the cooler for a couple of hours it does drop but then by the next morning it's back to the 70's. We're in the DC area and the humidity is fairly low now so not sure what to recommend to him. So any help would be appreciated.

MarioF

Re: Coolidor question
 

What RH beads and has he taken the beads out and dryed them since the onset of this project?

Re: Coolidor question
 

Has the hydrometer been calibrated?

Re: Coolidor question
 

After calibrating, check the seal on the cooler :tu

Re: Coolidor question
 

He's using Cigarmony beads at 65%
His hygrometer has been checked with the salt test over 24 hours and is within 1 percent
The seal was really tight

Thanks for your answers so far

Re: Coolidor question
 

Take the beads out and forget it for a while. I have a cooler that I have no humidification in and it stays around 62%.

Re: Coolidor question
 

:tpd:

Also, the cigars may currently be overhumidified.

Re: Coolidor question
 

If there is any room in the cooler, some empty cigar boxes or the wood from broken up cigar boxes will help absorb excess humidity and will help regulate it in the future.

Re: Coolidor question
 

Open the lid a couple times a day to let the moisture escape. I have three coolers and only have beads in one. But I dont pay a lot attention anymore, they dont even have hygrometers. As long as things are smoking well I dont stress. :2

Re: Coolidor question
 

Is he using a digital hydrometer?

I read on another forum there may be an issue with some digital hydrometer. If the temperature is 67 F or less, then it adds 5% humidity to the real humidity. If the temperature is more at 68 or more, then it is the correct humidity. There was a thread I think on ICC.

I purchased the round digital meter from heartfelt and tested it and found this to be true.

Re: Coolidor question
 

Also, if there are frequent temperature fluctuations, it could be bad for the cigars. I would recommend that he just move the cooler, perhaps to a closet in a temp controlled building?

Re: Coolidor question
 

:tpd: except that you have to know the humidity in the shop.

While I do have gauges and calibrate them, I've found that watching the beads closely seems to be a reliable method as well. Oh, and one thing to remember: keep the beads spread out. A pound of beads in a small ball isn't the same as a pound spread out in a shallow pan.

Re: Coolidor question
 

Doesnt the humidity go down when the temp goes down? When i have a power outage and the vino resets to the lowest temp setting the RH drops til i turn the temp back up.

Re: Coolidor question
 

If your beads are working properly they should maintain the RH. If the RH is not being maintained then one ore more of the following is true

• Coolidor is not sealing well
• Beads are not working
• Hygrometers are not correct

You have tested and calibrated the hygrometer and you have said that the coolidor seals well, so maybe the beads are not working. Are they new? You might try putting some of the beads in a ziplock with a hygrometer to verfiy that they are at 65%.

Also, (all things being equal) when the temp goes down the RH goes down -- air is less dense at lower temperatures.

Re: Coolidor question
 

That Is Always The Case In My coolidors.:tu

Re: Coolidor question
 

Thanks Michael.:tu

Re: Coolidor question
 

I Thought You Were Right, Greg!:)

Re: Coolidor question
 

:tpd: and :tpd:

Plus - Is your hygrometer at the top of the cooler or the bottom? Humidity will be higher at the bottom.

Re: Coolidor question
 

Humidity should be higher at the top of the cooler since water vapor is lighter than atmospheric air.

Re: Coolidor question
 

Sorry, I had it reversed!

That would be the reason my hygrometer is kept at the top of my cooler!!;)

Re: Coolidor question
 

Thanks everybody for your help, we had heard that when the temp goes down the humidity would go up which didn't sound right. Personally I think he just needs to let everything balance out for while and see where it goes. He's only had it for a couple of weeks and is stuffing it full of new boxes. I'm going to tell him to stop buying for a while (which his wife will appreciate) and let the beads and wood do there job. Thanks again.
Mario

Re: Coolidor question
 

While this may be true -- the cigars are overhumidified -- this should not result in higher overall RH in the coolidor, at least not for very long.

If the beads are working correctly they should absorb the excess moisture (until the beads become saturated, but then you should be able to tell when the beads are saturated).

Re: Coolidor question
 

Relative humidity is inversely relative to temperature. It is a percent of maximum. Hotter temps at a constant pressure hold more water vapor.
So in a sealed container, if you cool it down it will go up in RH because it will hold less water vapor. Cool it down enough and it sweats. This is what happens to an iced drink on a hot day.
Your RH should always be measured at 60-70 degrees to get a good idea of what it will smoke like. If you take a cold 70% cigar into a warm room it will smoke dry. Take a warm 60% cigar outside where it's freezing and it will smoke wet.