HELP. I can't get consistency in my Humi.

Originally Posted by colinb913

Yes you need to salt test it.

Agreed. The crappy analog that came with my humi came 10% off. I used a digital backup so I knew it was wrong, and used the same digital in the bag with my analog when I salt tested. The digital was rock steady, the analog way off.

I think that most quality manufacturers will do everything in their power to make sure it leaves the factory as accurate as possible, but that doesn't prevent rough handling and wild temperature fluctuations during shipping.

Originally Posted by shilala

That's step one of diagnosing your humi. You absolutely have to salt test your hygrometer. Doesn't matter if you just did it last week, it's absolutely critical.

I'm not sure when the dollar bill test came into being, but it really says absolutely nothing about whether the humi leaks or not. If you want to see all the places she's leaking, fill her up with distilled water and turn her over. You'll see exactly how bad she leaks and where.
At that point you can seal the glass with silicone and add some foam weather stripping and a latch and test it again.
If you can get the old girl water-tight, she's going to be air-tight. Period.
Good Luck, my man!!!

You got it all right, Scott! I salute you!

I get fluctuations in my humi too. It goes up and down the 54-68% range, but I'm just owing that to the dry winter weather.

I just threw the sponge humidifier that came with my humi in there with some PG solution to supplement the jar that I already have in there and its been steady at 70% for about three days.

[Thrak]

Originally Posted by BHalbrooks

Oh I don't need a puck, and the gel beads? Interesting! I did the flip test. Needless to say I need to get some silicone... How would I seal the front hole where the hygrometer goes? It had a small leak. The glass was pretty bad though.

I used THIS to seal my glass front\top humi. It worked REALLY well too!

Take one of the wax "blobs", pinch off a little bit, roll it into a long thin cylinder, and smash it into the seam between the glass and wood. I then went back with my thumb and slid along the seam applying pressure.

Its supercheap to do, the wax is odorless and there is no curing time either!

Originally Posted by Thrak

I used THIS to seal my glass front\top humi. It worked REALLY well too!

Take one of the wax "blobs", pinch off a little bit, roll it into a long thin cylinder, and smash it into the seam between the glass and wood. I then went back with my thumb and slid along the seam applying pressure.

Its supercheap to do, the wax is odorless and there is no curing time either!

Holy crap.

How the hell did you come up with that, you resourceful bigger?

Are those fairly easy to deform to the shapes you need? Because I could definitely see this being a fix for some of those people like me that have leaky corners on their humidor baffles...

[Eros]

I have this same humidor. And my humidity has been dropping steadily since yesterday during the end of seasoning. I have beads in there right now. Can I just add one of those humidifying pillows to supplement the humidor until I find a fix for the seal?

[icehog3]

If you have a bad seal, you will continue to have to rehydrate/recharge your humidity source.

[Eros]

Actually I think my seal is ok. I'm not sure why I thought it was bad. I mean it's not world class but it's not bad. But the humidity is still dropping about 1% per hour:/

[icehog3]

You have been working on this humidor for what, a day and a half? Have some patience and see where it ends up staying at a solid RH after a few days.

[Eros]

Ok. Will do. I know I am rushing things which is not what I'm supposed to do. I guess I'm just too excited!

[Hem]

How long would you recommend we keep the bowls of distilled water in the humi for while seasoning? A week? More? Less?

[Remo]

Originally Posted by Hem

How long would you recommend we keep the bowls of distilled water in the humi for while seasoning? A week? More? Less?

A week or two Hem.. then take it out and check the humidity.

[Hem]

Originally Posted by Remo_5_0

A week or two Hem.. then take it out and check the humidity.

Much appreciated brother!

The biggest mistake that I made my first time around was that I started the seasoning process and after a day the hygrometer was reading in the high 90's, being the impatient person that I am, I told myself if was done and started throwing sticks in there.

It's amazing how scientific it is to have our hobby, with the knowledge you need to have from hydrodynamics to botany to chemistry.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by crazyirishman

It's amazing how scientific it is to have our hobby, with the knowledge you need to have from hydrodynamics to botany to chemistry.

The list of applied science is never-ending. In time, everyone learns and understands it all through sharing. That's what's truly amazing.

What can I do to increase humidity? Everyone says that 60 is fine but I would like to get it to 65 if possible! Thanks for all the help guys!

[Jasonw560]

What do you have in there for humidity? That's very helpful. And did you salt test your hygrometer?

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by Minus_Blindfold

What can I do to increase humidity? Everyone says that 60 is fine but I would like to get it to 65 if possible! Thanks for all the help guys!

There are a ton of threads on this site that will help you with humidity. Search is your friend. Read, be patient, and enjoy your cigars.

You might also drop into the New Inmates Area and introduce yourself.

[Hem]

I've got a newbish question....what does it do when you have sticks in there while you're trying to season the humi? Does it prevent the humi from catching the right levels?

[Remo]

Originally Posted by Hem

I've got a newbish question....what does it do when you have sticks in there while you're trying to season the humi? Does it prevent the humi from catching the right levels?

If it's a new humi the sticks will soak up the humidity, you need the cedar to become saturated (no wiping down the wood, could warp) gradually with the distiller water, once the cedar is saturated and holding humidity then add sticks, humidity will fall at first because of the sticks but will come back up.