Recharging Boveda Packs-Pics

[Joss]

Hi Guys,
I learnt to recharge Bovedas after reading about it here and a few google searches but theres not much in the way of pics so I thought this might be useful for anyone who wants to try it-

Start off with your dry Bovedas- once they start to feel like they're solidifying around the edges they need re charging. Even ones that are completely solid like a cracker can be rehydrated but it will take longer, maybe a couple of weeks. You need a good tupperware type container with a good airtight seal. The ones that clamp down are good as you get a decent seal.



You should use humidor solution, this is basically distilled water with anti fungal additives. You could collect your own distilled water from a steaming pan, kettle etc but it wont contain the anti mould properties.

In a small ramekin or shot glass, pour the solution liquid. Some have advised using a sponge in the dish so that theres more surface area evaporating the liquid but I haven't tried that myself. Make sure theres a gap between the lid and the dish so that its not stopping the liquid evaporating.

Arrange the Bovedas in the container around the dish of solution.



Seal them babies in.



Keep checking them but it could take a few weeks if they are very dry. Putting the tub in a warm place or sunny window seems to get things going faster.

Once you've recharged them, keep them in a ziplock bag, they wont lose moisture here and can be used in rotation as and when you next need them. If you get enough for the humidor and some extra, you wont run out and can keep refreshing the dry ones.



According to the Boveda website, you can never overdo it by putting too many into the humidor because they are self regulating. More in the box will mean they'll last longer before drying out.

Not saying this is the definitive or only way to do this, but it worked for me [emoji3]

[cj121]

Recharging Boveda Packs-Pics

Good idea to pop up a pictorial Joss. Here's one with a sponge

And I would respectfully suggest not using humidor solution due to it being just that, a solution containing propylene glycol. I've no empirical data to support how evaporated PG impacts upon Boveda packs, or indeed if it reaches an evaporative state and would be absorbed. However, the packs are a salt based system to regulate humidity and may be effected. Just used distilled or deionised water. Purists say distilled.

[Wigan]

Excellent info guys. I had unintentionally ended up on a belt and braces system and had both boveda and xiklar with PG Solution in both the desktop and scuba box. Now thinking that it wasn't such a good ideae?

[butternutsquashpie]

Good idea to pop up a pictorial Joss. Here's one with a sponge

And I would respectfully suggest not using humidor solution due to it being just that, a solution containing propylene glycol. I've no empirical data to support how evaporated PG impacts upon Boveda packs, or indeed if it reaches an evaporative state and would be absorbed. However, the packs are a salt based system to regulate humidity and may be effected. Just used distilled or deionised water. Purists say distilled.

As a chemist (not one who works in a chemistry (or whatever you UK lads call a pharmacy there), an actual chemist), I would highly recommend using Propylene glycol only if you are using a sponge. Sponges contain a lot of pores and dark corners that is great for bacterial/ fungal growth. Left unattended for weeks, they can get musty and difficult.
Either that, or just microwave the things every week to prevent that (always microwave your sponges, people!) And of course, always use new, unscented sponges.

As for the Propylene Glycol, I see no error in using it. Given that boveda packs have the pores (or whatever their marketing dept. comes up with) that only absorb water, it should be fine. Besides, if the salt is a standard ionic stuff, you can dabble propylene glycol on it no problem.
I would only respectfully suggest not using it to keep your wallet just a bit more heavier. Propylene Glycol is one of the biggest rackets when it comes to cigars and jacking up pricing.

And as mentioned by the original post, use a sponge or something to increase surface area. Something like kitty litter or silica gel would work much better than pure water. But if you're patient, just water is fine.
It does NOT need to be distilled or deionised. Just add a bit of salt to prevent bacteria/ fungal growth if you're gonna leave it in there for a long time.

[cj121]

That's an informed point about the pores on the Boveda packs. Good stuff

And you're saying regular tap water is fine too? [MENTION=13379018]butternutsquashpie[/MENTION]

[butternutsquashpie]

And you're saying regular tap water is fine too? [MENTION=13379018]butternutsquashpie[/MENTION]

Should be. Depending on your municipal supply, one could leave the water out for a day to de-chlorinate it first. That's just a very cautious step... I don't even do that anymore, lol.

Bare in mind that distilling water is just turning it into a gas then back into a liquid. That's what's happening in the recharging station that we're building. We're pushing the gaseous water to a saturation point in the air so that more can condense (turn into a liquid) in the packets themselves. This is a sort of distillation in itself. Impurities from the tap water (mainly salts like lime, slake, etc) cannot be transfered this way but any gaseous chlorine can.
Then again, how much chlorine is even in the water to begin with? IMO, very little.

[cj121]

Excellent info guys. I had unintentionally ended up on a belt and braces system and had both boveda and xiklar with PG Solution in both the desktop and scuba box. Now thinking that it wasn't such a good ideae?

Jeremy may have a take on this but I imagine there may be some conflict in what RH is being given out as PG solution regulates at 70% and Bovedas have different levels as we know. Just my logic being applied, which as we have read here, can be flawed

[butternutsquashpie]

Jeremy may have a take on this but I imagine there may be some conflict in what RH is being given out as PG solution regulates at 70% and Bovedas have different levels as we know. Just my logic being applied, which as we have read here, can be flawed

You people are overthinking this . That's my job!!

But yeah, it's a very 'wutevs' situation. In my new tupperdor, I put 4 packs of miniBoveda 72s, a large pack of Boveda 69, a Xikar crystal humidifer (that's supposed to keep at 70), and half a pound of beads (that are supposed to keep at 65). It's been stable at 65 for the past 3 days and will remove the 72% packs once it gets to 66 or 67 and see how it goes.
Just toss in humidification system and say "fuck it all" to everything else, lmao.

[Edamski]

I've done a few sets now with a bit of tap water and about 6-8 bovedas. Come back in a couple of weeks and they're ripe for the picking! Nice and easy [emoji4]

[Wigan]

All good info.

1) I am sure I read somewhere that we have quite high chlorine level in the water in uk. Intentionally that way to help protect our teeth/ keep us docile depending on which conspiracy theory you read.

2) Nobody said I f I can keep topping up my xiklair unit with PG whilst that and my boveda are in the desktop humidor and it will slowly recharge my boveda?

[butternutsquashpie]

All good info.

1) I am sure I read somewhere that we have quite high chlorine level in the water in uk. Intentionally that way to help protect our teeth/ keep us docile depending on which conspiracy theory you read.

2) Nobody said I f I can keep topping up my xiklair unit with PG whilst that and my boveda are in the desktop humidor and it will slowly recharge my boveda?

1. Chlorine is fine. You have chlorine in your stomach at all times.
Fluoride is what you should watch out for. Originally a waste product from mining companies in American 'liberated' Guatemala, it was made into a commodity when they persuaded the government to use it in water supplies instead of chlorine. Now we use both for some god forsaken reason.

2. Yes with an if; no with a but.
Yes it will, very slowly. No, I wouldn't count on it in practice.

Ample recharging humidity is above 80 or 85. I hope your humidor isn't that high.
On top of that, it's not a good idea if it sucked water away from your humidification device.
You're also wasting valuable humidor real-estate!!

Sent from the Enigma via Tapatalk for BlackBerry.

[Wigan]

I mean to say fluride not chlorine

[wayne_w]

Would it be acceptable to just drop the Bovedas into a pot of distilled / deionised / tap water?
If they are designed to self regulate through their permeable packaging, would that mean that they couldn't get water logged??

Just a thought to speed up their regeneration

[Budgie Smuggler]

I'm not 100% on this, but water permeable fabrics such as eVent & Gore-Tex don't work well when the outer layer is saturated, so I wouldn't advise placing the packs in water.

I simply put mine (anything up to 6 at a time) in a large Tupperware container with a ramekin of water and forget about them until they're needed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Edamski]

I wouldn't recommend submerging then, they won't like it