Specials at Heartfelt week of Sept 20

[Viper139]

This week's Special is pretty basic. We are offering 10% OFF on all Humidity Bead products until Saturday September 26th.This includes all Humidity cases, Bulk Humidity Beads and all of the Humidity Tubes.

Heartfelt Humidity Beads (http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/categories.asp?cat=Humidity+Beads)

The ongoing Month of September Special is 10% OFF on all Blazer Lighters in stock.

Blazer Lighters (http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=Blazer+Lighters)

We also have some very nice NEW Lighters from Xikar to offer so please take a look at them.

Xikar Lighters (http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=Xikar+Lighters)

David "Viper139"

[Lascaux]

brilliant stuff i shall be ordering some beads later this week! :biggrin1:

[Jimmeh]

How do we rate these beads? Ive seen them mentioned a few times - whats their advantages?

[PoohBore]

They regulate the humidity. So if its like mine and too damp they absorb the mositure and release it if it gets too dry.

Excellent stuff !

[Deano]

People swear by the beads. Keep them at a damn constant 65/70/75% humidity (depending on what you buy). I use them.

[rollzst]

Just a warning to those UK residents wanting to place an order with heartfelt. I recieved an order from them recently with a large customs bill. David puts the full price of the items on the package so with most orders there will be a customs bill. I suggest trying kitty litter instead or ordering from a uk company.

[eggopp]

Ive never tried beads but not sure my humidor is big enough, ive one small box that stores about 50 corona size and a humijar

[Lee Nub]

Great, I have a fairly large order coming from them

[G-man]

Kitty litter is the same and works the same.

[cj121]

Great, I have a fairly large order coming from them

Lucky you in respect of the order Lee, but bugger about the potential.

I had a series of mailings to and from David at Heartfelt about my beads not holding their set point. Fair play initially to the bloke as he sent out a calibration kit for me to test my digi-hygro. That proved accurate and I never heard off the bloke again sadly. Take from that what you will about customer service and follow up.

[El Catador]

I had a series of mailings to and from David at Heartfelt about my beads not holding their set point. Fair play initially to the bloke as he sent out a calibration kit for me to test my digi-hygro. That proved accurate and I never heard off the bloke again sadly. Take from that what you will about customer service and follow up.

Hi cj, which beads did you go for (65/70% etc), and was the problem that the beads failed to reach their set point, or went too far past it?

I bought the 65% in loose format and had to tinker about with the delivery method in order to achieve the right target.
How are you using them, in a mesh bag or by some other method?

Cheers
El http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/kitty.gif

[Lee Nub]

My Heartfelt order came in today , and yup a whopping charge along with it :mad:

[G-man]

Next time have them shipped to me ! ! !
Dam You guys will never learn.
The meaning of learning is in the asking !
My Heartfelt order came in today
and yup a whopping charge along with it
equal LESS cigars :eek: I when will you learn ?
I promise you all the kitty litter works the same
and you can source it in the UK .
60 % of the brothers here use it and there is no difference !

[cj121]

Hi cj, which beads did you go for (65/70% etc), and was the problem that the beads failed to reach their set point, or went too far past it?

I bought the 65% in loose format and had to tinker about with the delivery method in order to achieve the right target.
How are you using them, in a mesh bag or by some other method?

Cheers
El http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/kitty.gif

Hey El C. They were 65% beads when they started out, but they drifted to 69-71% after about three months, which was/is bizarre. Tbh, if I run them almost dry, I can keep a steady 67%.

I use them in place of foam in my 'Humidorous' unit. It looks like this, but with more vents I guess
http://www.cvtobacco.com/delux.jpg

[cj121]

My Heartfelt order came in today , and yup a whopping charge along with it :mad:

Bugger Lee. I recently heard HF orders were shit magnets, sorry to hear about that. Hope it was still worth your while mate?

[Lee Nub]

Not sure if I'm allowed to post values on here, so if its wrong please delete the post. On an order of 60 dollars goods, about 20 shipping I was charged 15 pounds

What annoyed me most was I was at the post office picking up an item I missed , they gave it to me then, they didn't even have to bring it to my house

[cj121]

I'm sure it's cool mentionng charges on a legitimately purchased overseas product such as these.

Geez, what a pisser. I wonder how come it attracts so much tax/duty. We seem to get overcharged for everything on our wee isle don't we?

[PoohBore]

i had some cedar veneer delivered this week. £8 handling fee. I dont mind the £12 vat but i £8 to do an online payment :-(

[El Catador]

Hey El C. They were 65% beads when they started out, but they drifted to 69-71% after about three months, which was/is bizarre. Tbh, if I run them almost dry, I can keep a steady 67%.

I use them in place of foam in my 'Humidorous' unit. It looks like this, but with more vents I guess
http://www.cvtobacco.com/delux.jpg

How odd.
I was using them to start off with in a single desktop humi.
For me, they went the other way, started dropping to the low 60's then high 50'S.
No expert, but wondered if if might be due to the humidification device not allowing the moisture through effectively enough (I was using the same kind of kit as you, and had put a fine mesh inside to prevent the beads from falling through).

I changed it for a clear plastic cup with a lid (drilled with large holes) which I stood in the bottom of humi (also allowed me to see how much water the beads were holding). Still not ideal, as I have to take it out once a week and either tilt or shake the beads to get the moist (clear) beads nearer the surface.
I've noticed the humidity levels decline even if the beads are still very clear underneath (perhaps they are acting like a barrier and holding the moisture in?).
Anyhow, not the end of the world because they're holding around the 63/64% level, but it makes me wonder how reliable/stable these things are. Perhaps I need to think again.
By the way, I've measure the variance using different digital hygrometers, and they all show the same (to within a couple of points) result.

[SeanP]

How odd. I changed it for a clear plastic cup with a lid (drilled with large holes) which I stood in the bottom of humi (also allowed me to see how much water the beads were holding). Still not ideal, as I have to take it out once a week and either tilt or shake the beads to get the moist (clear) beads nearer the surface.
I've noticed the humidity levels decline even if the beads are still very clear underneath (perhaps they are acting like a barrier and holding the moisture in?).

You should either think of putting more holes in the cup you are using or switch to a mesh bag or tube. The key with silica is airflow and air contact along the entire mass. It's the interstitial space that allows more moisture to be picked up and given off. It sounds like you are drying the top beads while conserving the moisture in the bottom since you are lacking airflow. Once the airflow is increased you should see less maintenance and better RH stability.

HTH

[El Catador]

You should either think of putting more holes in the cup you are using or switch to a mesh bag or tube. The key with silica is airflow and air contact along the entire mass. It's the interstitial space that allows more moisture to be picked up and given off. It sounds like you are drying the top beads while conserving the moisture in the bottom since you are lacking airflow. Once the airflow is increased you should see less maintenance and better RH stability.

HTH

Cheers Sean

I have to agree.
The plastic cup is an interim measure until I've devised a more suitable container (something with a greater surface area). I wouldn't recommend it as a solution.

It doesn't quite answer the issue of why the humidity levels were so inconsistent during the time they were housed in the original humidifyer though (almost identical the one pictured), as I would have expected a device of this size (with this amount of vents) to have provided a sufficient surface area to allow the moisture to freely evaporate.
However, I'm going to switch the beads into a couple of travel sized 'soap-dishes' (greater surface area) and monitor how it effects the levels (and maintenance requirements).

The main issue, at least as far as this humidor is concerned, is that the device needs to be floor mounted (it's glass topped), and I'm pretty certain that, as the top beads dry out, they're acting as a barrier to the moisture laden ones beneath. This wouldn't be an issue if I could mount it on the lid as the moist beads would always be in contact with the vents (gravity and capillary action permitting).

Hopefully, I can get it to work more efficiently. As you say, maybe I should have just gone for a mesh bag in the first place.

Anyhow, cheers sean (cj, etc), I'll keep you informed of progress.
http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/kitty.gif

[Lee Nub]

Well I replaced my original humidification with 65 per cent beads, a couple of days later its showing 71 per cent

I have seasoned my new humi, put the beads in with minimum water and it is reading 71 per cent

Both hygros are callibrated so I know they are fine

Can't understand why they are doing this

[Smallclub]

I have mixed results with my 65% Heartfeld beads (in mesh bags)…

[cj121]

Well I replaced my original humidification with 65 per cent beads, a couple of days later its showing 71 per cent

I have seasoned my new humi, put the beads in with minimum water and it is reading 71 per cent

Both hygros are callibrated so I know they are fine

Can't understand why they are doing this

I've has similar issues Lee:frown:. Have a read around the forum for some insights (sadly not solutions)

[SeanP]

Well I replaced my original humidification with 65 per cent beads, a couple of days later its showing 71 per cent

I have seasoned my new humi, put the beads in with minimum water and it is reading 71 per cent

Both hygros are callibrated so I know they are fine

Can't understand why they are doing this


I've has similar issues Lee:frown:. Have a read around the forum for some insights (sadly not solutions)

Few Questions:

Did you both get these in the post reading 71%RH or did they drift to 71%RH over a period of time?

Also what type of container are you storing them in?

What are your initial RH readings (prior to re-hydrating)?

What is the RH reading after hydration?

How much DI are you using to hydrate them?

I think we can figure out what's going on and get you back on the right track with little issue :cowboyic9:

[cj121]

Sean,

I'm going to move this topic (minus the Heartfelt Specials bit) over to the 'Humidor section and rename it, unless anyone has got any objections? I guess testing can be intepreted in a couple of ways:smile:

[Lee Nub]

Did you both get these in the post reading 71%RH or did they drift to 71%RH over a period of time? -Over time

Also what type of container are you storing them in? - 2 x 7 drawer Humis

What are your initial RH readings (prior to re-hydrating)? 1st Humi - 65%
2nd Humi - 88% (newly seasoned)

What is the RH reading after hydration? - Both humis showing 71%

How much DI are you using to hydrate them? - Not much, majority of beads were white.

I think we can figure out what's going on and get you back on the right track with little issue

[SeanP]

Sean,

I'm going to move this topic (minus the Heartfelt Specials bit) over to the 'Humidor section and rename it, unless anyone has got any objections? I guess testing can be intepreted in a couple of ways:smile:

Good idea!

Lee - I will comment on your post once it's moved to a more appropriate place :thumb: