RH Question
 

I am new here and will head to the introduction section after this post. I had a question though...er multiple questions.

I recently purchased a digital round Xikar hygrometer from my local B&M. I did the salt test in a mason jar with a half shot glass full of salt and dampened it with water. I let it sit for roughly 10 hours (I was a little late on getting to it) and it read 79% 66F. My question is does the temperature make a difference? I had been directed to a website which had the different RH levels for different temperatures for it to equal the same conditions as 70% 70F. Link is here. It states that at 66F a RH of 80% would be equivalent to 70% 70F. Here is where I am confused as hell and maybe I am over thinking. Does the digital hygrometer take into account the temperature to determine the RH or is each independent? Furthermore, would the that make my Hygrometer +3% or because of the temperature is it less than that? I know the RH is supposed to be 75% in the salt test but if the water was over saturated would that make a difference as well?

I apologize for all of the questions but I recently found cbid and kind of just bought 175 cigars (and counting -(P) and I want to make sure that my hygrometer is accurate.

I also am thinking of doing a cooler-dor as my current humidor says it holds 200 cigars but the cigars I ordered are mostly 50+ ring gauge. I bought some KL to use instead of the beads and I know there is some debate over these. This is also another reason I want to know that my hygrometer is accurate is so that I can use the KL and be able to adjust to get the correct humidity.

Anyways, sorry to have a really long first post and I hope I didn't ask too many questions.

Maybe I am just over thinking.
:tf

Re: RH Question
 

I don't have a freaking clue to the answer for your question, but wanted to say that is is a damn good question! I'll be checking back to this thread often.

Re: RH Question
 

If it says 200, bet on 140-150 if that. 50+ ring gauge...probably less, 120-130? Not sure what KL is, but beads are great.

I wouldn't even worry about the hygrometer I just know my beads never fail. I only have a hygro so I know when to recharge my beads. It drops 5-ish points I recharge the beads.

Re: RH Question
 

Welcome to the Cigar Asylum!

You're overthinking things. Keep humidity between 62 and 70 regardless of temperature. It sounds like your hygrometer is simply +4. Your salt test was fine as long as you didn't have so much water that it was separated from the salt.

Re: RH Question
 

The temperature can have a small effect on RH, but 70% is 70%. If your hygrometer is properly calibrated and reads "70%", then the RH is 70% regardless of the temperature.

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Sorry I forgot to spell it out instead of abbreviating. When I said KL I mean the Exquisicat fragrance free crystal kitty litter that is the same stuff as most of the beads I hear. It was $8 for 4lbs versus $10 a pound for the beads at the local B&Ms and places that I can find. I thought I would give it a shot though as I have heard of guys having great success with it.

Re: RH Question
 

Some claim to have success with KL. I cannot argue or dispute their success. But KL is not the same as the beads sold for cigar humidification. Personally, I would not risk my cigar investment using KL. :2

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Crap. I better change fluffy's litterbox media. No wonder she always has that funny look of "I'm going to murder you in your sleep for using cigar beads in here" after she goes pee.

Re: RH Question
 

I'm with Pnoon, there's also the fact that I don't want anything that I smoke or ingest near kitty litter. That and If I leave open my coolidor perhaps my cats could get the wrong impression. You do or are going to spend hundreds if not thousands on your cigars why would you skimp on the care for them? I'd spend the extra $20-$60 (depending on your humidor size) to ensure my cigars were properly maintained.

Re: RH Question
 

:lr :lr :lr :lr

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Yes....and yes. Why skimp on beads (less than $100 for a cabinet) when protecting potentially thousands of dollars worth of cigars?

EDIT: Bill beat me to it. ;)

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http://www.petworldshop.com/pictures...cat-litter.jpg

Here is a picture of the thing of KL. Mine is a little different on the front but same stuff. Fragrance free. The cat is not amused though.

Re: RH Question
 

Re: RH Question
 

:sl :r

Re: RH Question
 

On a serious note, I'm storing thousands of dollars worth of cigars, I'm not going to put that kind of investment at risk by trying to save a few bucks by purchasing something designed to soak up cat urine rather than something that is designed to regulate a set humidity and has been used to great success at that for decades (by museums for artifact preservation). :2

----
Edit - Looks like Tom beat me to it.

Re: RH Question
 

BTW - I did experiment with KL at one point in a smaller storage area with some low cost cigars (stuff that you get for like $9 a bundle of 25 on cbid) just for my own curiosity. Very irregular, lots of humidity spikes and dips. It seemed that it did buffer the humidity, but it didn't regulate it. There is a significant difference between the two.

That was my experience with it.

Re: RH Question
 

I will try the KL and if it starts acting funny I will order some beads. I just am pretty poor right now and put in a lot of bids and did not think I would win at such low prices but low and behold I did. Now I am stuck with all of these cigars :sh :ss. I suppose I can always stick the crap cigars in with the KL and then use my old beads (that have been keeping the tupperdors regulated) in with the Gurkha's, Nub's, and Cain Nubs. I chose weekly shipping to save money so they won't ship until after this coming Wednesday. I still have a while to figure things out. By the way would a old mini fridge work as a fridge-idor?

Re: RH Question
 

I'm thinking we would need more information on your minifridge. Throw up a picture. Was it used for food? Or just beverages?

Re: RH Question
 

If you planning on plugging it in and running it - maybe. Depends on the design.
Just filling it with cigars and leaving it unplugged? - Sure. Just an insulated, nearly airtight box at that point.

Re: RH Question
 

It was used for anything and everything but has not been used in 6 months. I thought it was in the garage but it might have been thrown out or back at my house at school. I guess I should just buy a cooler for a cooler-dor and then buy some beads.

Re: RH Question
 

:tu

Re: RH Question
 

Yup, $15 and you'll get more space, and it won't smell like the last plate of leftovers that were forgotten in there for two weeks.


"Wow. This Szechuan chicken infused cigar really sucks ass. Although the pepperoni pizza aromatic one I had last night wasn't bad..."

Re: RH Question
 

Where can they be had for $15? The only ones I have seen are like $40+. Also, where can I buy the beads from?

*EDIT* Which of these would work best? There is an academy right down the road from here.

http://www.academy.com/index.php?pag...222-00660-0384

http://www.academy.com/index.php?pag...222-01260-0001

http://www.academy.com/index.php?pag...222-01260-6783

Re: RH Question
 

If you are on a tight budget, the Igloo 48qt will work just fine and provide plenty of storage (for now)

Re: RH Question
 

I have no direct experience with the Coleman coolers for cigar storage. You want one that doesn't reek of plastic - you can sometimes air this out easily enough though. It also should have a well sealing lid, it should close with a whoosh and at the last moments, slow dramatically as the air pressure buildup keeps it from slamming down.

Re: RH Question
 

Thanks guys. I will go pick one out tomorrow. Do they require "seasoning" like a regular humidor?

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Nope....add beads and you're ready to go. :tu

Re: RH Question
 

Thanks fellas! Where can I order the beads from? I only have KL and then one tiny thing that has beads in it.

Re: RH Question
 

Wash it out well with dish soap. If it reeks horribly of plastic, you should leave the lid open for a day or so, preferably in an area where some sunlight hits the cooler, to let it vent. Other than that, just add humidification and go.

Re: RH Question
 

Heartfelt beads:
http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/p...Humidity+Beads

HCM (Shilala) beads:
http://www.hcmbeads.com/

Re: RH Question
 

Those are pretty expensive. What about these? http://cgi.ebay.com/Humidity-Beads-7...item1c128f8e25

Re: RH Question
 

Those are kitty litter - very expensive KL at that.

From the auction description:
Also, look at the enlarged photos of the item - notice how the beads are all different sizes? That's Exquisicat.

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Lol well thanks I almost wasted my money.

Re: RH Question
 

A half pound of beads is enough for a 48qt cooler. Get a pair of ankle high stockings at the supermarket for a couple of dollars, and put half the beads in each. I prefer the 65% Heartfelt beads as my cigars seem to smoke better at a bit lower Rh.

Many use KL with success, but the problem is that they are not set to a specific Rh. This will lead to spikes in Rh as Adam said. KL works well if you live in an area with high humidity and can be used in the summer to absorb the extra moisture.

If there is a shop near you, try and pick up a few empty boxes to put your singles inside. The extra wood will help keep the Rh more stable.

Re: RH Question
 

Should I take the blue crystals out or leave them in? Also, do I lay the stockings with the beads in them directly on the wood or in a tupperware dish or something so it doesn't touch the wood directly?

Re: RH Question
 

You can leave them in until you get your Rh beads. I use a spray bottle to moisten my beads(only moisten about 2/3 of the beads), I just spray through the stockings. You can put them in a little plastic container with the lid off so they dont get the boxes wet.

Re: RH Question
 

I don't know if I can pay $50 for beads right now though. I guess this will have to do for now I hope I don't mess them up.

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1/2 pound of Hearfelt beads runs $18.14? http://heartfeltindustries.com/produ...Humidity+Beads

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Oh I guess I miss read. ;s haha I may have to place an order soon.

Re: RH Question
 

I have been having good luck with the KL but I do prefer my cigars in the mid to low 60s.

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If you're using a Tupperware container for your beads, you really don't need a nylon. Simply lay the beads in the container (the most surface area possible the better) then moisten your beads as you wish. Without a nylon, it's easier to see what % of beads are moist/dry.

Re: RH Question
 

WTH?????

:r :r :r

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I thought one good non-sequitur deserved another. :sh

Re: RH Question
 

Tyler KL works almost as well as beads for a fraction of the cost. In fact people who have problems with beads not maintaining RH normally switch over to KL. Now beads are not the same as KL because KL is originally designed to be disposable and beads are not. As far as adjusting RH with KL if its too low spray(with a spray bottle) with more distilled. If RH to high add more KL. When I first heard about KL I thought it was a joke or practical joke. Once you try it spending $30.00 more per pound for nearly same effect sounds crazy. There is a draw back to KL tho. You typically need twice the amount of KL than you would use in beads. If you dont have that much room time to invest in another cooler and you wouldn't need to invest in more beads. I dont know why some hate the idea of KL as much as they do.

Re: RH Question
 

Kitty litter may work, but I feel better with a specialized product when trusting a $1000+ investment. $50 is cheap peace of mind to me. But I don't trust hygrometers either.
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Re: RH Question
 

In general "we", including myself, hate KL because it's probably not the best idea to go cheap on controlling the humidity of thousands of dollars worth of cigars. Everyone doesn't have a problem spending hundreds and hundreds or even thousands and thousands of dollars on cigars but when it comes down to maintaining them and you need like $60-$90 bucks worth of beads for 1,000 or so cigars.....why go cheap now?

1,000 cigars cost what at least $2,500. So for every $2,500 you spend you need like $60 bucks worth of beads. This seems perfectly reasonable to everyone except a few that use KL.

I've never heard anyone switching from beads to kitty liter.

Also I don't want my cat to get any ideas when I open my coolidor.

Re: RH Question
 

So do you buy Royal Purple motor oil for you car? This is said to be the best oil out there? Your car is most likely worth more than a couple grand right?

Re: RH Question
 

No my car is a Nissan lease vehicle, they take care of everything for me.

You're comparing oil to oil and something a cat sh!ts in to something made for cigar humidity.

The two have nothing in common.

Re: RH Question
 

The kitty litter debate has been done ad naseum here, Josh. I disagree that KL subtracts and adds humidity with the same effectiveness as beads, but there is a small minority that diasgree with that, so we can just agree to disagree. I will echo Bill's sentiments and say I won't go cheap when it comes to protecting an investment of $1000s of dollars worth of cigars.