The winter humidification battle - humidity vs central heating

[Smallclub]

Nick, you need more beads, or better beads!
During the winter the humi in my house is around 41 to 45%, and I have no problems to keep my cabinet, tupperdors and cooler at 65%, thanks to Heartfelt beads + Shilala beads?
As for my desktops, they're stuck at 68-69% whatever I do!

[cbob]

You can also try to up the humidity in room where you keep your humidors. It can be as simple as a part filled pan on the radiator or even a wet tea towel draped over the side. Or if you want to be a bit more fancy they have relatively inexpensive electric models that will add some needed humidity to the whole house. Try to keep the indoor RH around 50%-60% and limit the opening of the humidors and you should get better results.

Good advice Sean!
I found this solution to work well for me but I have a relatively small smoking room.
The custom electric humidification system that I built into my cabinet humidors can keep the smokes at a comfortable average RH of 68% most of the year but during the first winter of use, I found that the room RH could get down as low as 38% and this not only caused the wrappers on my cigars to split when they were brought out to smoke but because the humidors are not perfectly air-tight, the humidifier used more water.

The past two winters I've used a room humidifier (actually an identical, moderately priced Honeywell model as used for the humidors) to keep the room at 46-50% RH. Cigars smoke perfectly and I refill my humidor system less often.

FWIW, my measurements show that any room RH less than about 45% causes smoking problems and an RH more than 50% just uses a lot of water without demonstrable benefits. The humidifiers I use cost about $70 ea. here.

[nicwing]

Well from my first 12 hours the 'shot glass' (actually a plastic kids medicine measure) of water in my number 1 humidor has immediately raised the humidity to 65% and the cigars already feel more pliable and 'alive'.

I will try no 2 next and report back but it is great that something so simple works so well.

I am concerned about having an open water source in the humi but I hope that one I have got the humidification of the boxes steady, after a 'dry period' the beads might be able to cope.

[TJCoro]

No Skimping!

This is the exact reason why I abandoned beads and have gone to all electronic humidification. Now i dont worry about any of my humis at all - every time i open them im at a solid 65 or 62 (i keep different humis at different humidities).

We Mexicans know best, right senor Bop?


Umm. As a side bar to the conversations, there is little worse than an unstable humidification of your fine puros - something that often occurs with desk-top passive units, without constant oversight.


I'm just sayin'...






Hey BB! Must be why your head is all cracked and crumbly - hence the bag!

[moidoid]

I think that I might be putting up a Heartfelt thread a little later today to save on shipping costs. I'm having the same problems as you Nic and my plastic humidors don't help much. I've moved them to the cellar but that is fairly dry too so I may be getting beaded up!

[spirit_of_will]

I think that I might be putting up a Heartfelt thread a little later today to save on shipping costs. I'm having the same problems as you Nic and my plastic humidors don't help much. I've moved them to the cellar but that is fairly dry too so I may be getting beaded up!

Just been on the heartfelt site and those shipping costs really put me off buying...

Would be very good to have a UK solution. I've been looking at the kitty litter option from SeanP's thread. Can anyone in the UK point me in the right direction of what kitty litty brand or product name to look for so I don't get the wrong stuff?

[moidoid]

Just been on the heartfelt site and those shipping costs really put me off buying...

Would be very good to have a UK solution. I've been looking at the kitty litter option from SeanP's thread. Can anyone in the UK point me in the right direction of what kitty litty brand or product name to look for so I don't get the wrong stuff?

I'm using kitty litter and it isn't working for me at present. maybe I'm not using enough.

I've put the Heartfelt thread in 'Bulk Buys' now.

[Puff Scotty]

Good advice Sean!
I found this solution to work well for me but I have a relatively small smoking room.
The custom electric humidification system that I built into my cabinet humidors can keep the smokes at a comfortable average RH of 68% most of the year but during the first winter of use, I found that the room RH could get down as low as 38% and this not only caused the wrappers on my cigars to split when they were brought out to smoke but because the humidors are not perfectly air-tight, the humidifier used more water.

The past two winters I've used a room humidifier (actually an identical, moderately priced Honeywell model as used for the humidors) to keep the room at 46-50% RH. Cigars smoke perfectly and I refill my humidor system less often.

FWIW, my measurements show that any room RH less than about 45% causes smoking problems and an RH more than 50% just uses a lot of water without demonstrable benefits. The humidifiers I use cost about $70 ea. here.

Sorry Cbob I must be feeling extra thick tonight... I don't follow either of these statements.
Do you mean your gars split their wrappers in a very short space of time?
Plus, my smoking room/s have just been measured at around 40% & I have never had a problem with RH smoking anywhere inside anywhere, ever, summer or winter...

[cbob]

Sorry Cbob I must be feeling extra thick tonight... I don't follow either of these statements.
Do you mean your gars split their wrappers in a very short space of time?

You have it.
Perhaps you store your cigars at a lower Relative Humidity (RH) or your hygrometers are not calibrated correctly?

It's well known here in The Land of Cold Winters that you can't take your cigar out of a comfy 66-70% humidor and go outside to smoke it in a climate that is, perhaps, only 20% RH. The cigars just "blow up".
When you light up, the wrapper, which is VERY thin and fragile, rapidly dries right out, causing it to split and unwrap.
A similar thing was happening in my smoking room once it had dried out due to winter heating and low humidity.
(During 7-8 months of the year, our humidity here in the mountains and therefore inside the house, is a moderate 60-68% and perfect for smoking)
As I mentioned, once the room humidity gets too low, the relatively "moist" cigar wrappers suffer damage when smoked unless I boost the RH north of about 45%.

BTW, I take a calibrated hygrometer with me on my Cuban vacations. (yes, I know, a bit too anal retentive but... ). When you are on the beach and the humidity is getting up into the 80% ballpark, cigar wrappers and binders suck up the moist air as you smoke and since most of the stuff you buy comes from nicely air-conned storage in the Casa del Habano, the cigar's dryer filler burns more quickly, causing a bad tunnel and a slow smoke.

[Puff Scotty]

You have it.
Perhaps you store your cigars at a lower Relative Humidity (RH) or your hygrometers are not calibrated correctly?

It's well known here in The Land of Cold Winters that you can't take your cigar out of a comfy 66-70% humidor and go outside to smoke it in a climate that is, perhaps, only 20% RH. The cigars just "blow up".
When you light up, the wrapper, which is VERY thin and fragile, rapidly dries right out, causing it to split and unwrap.
A similar thing was happening in my smoking room once it had dried out due to winter heating and low humidity.
(During 7-8 months of the year, our humidity here in the mountains and therefore inside the house, is a moderate 60-68% and perfect for smoking)
As I mentioned, once the room humidity gets too low, the relatively "moist" cigar wrappers suffer damage when smoked unless I boost the RH north of about 45%.

BTW, I take a calibrated hygrometer with me on my Cuban vacations. (yes, I know, a bit too anal retentive but... ). When you are on the beach and the humidity is getting up into the 80% ballpark, cigar wrappers and binders suck up the moist air as you smoke and since most of the stuff you buy comes from nicely air-conned storage in the Casa del Habano, the cigar's dryer filler burns more quickly, causing a bad tunnel and a slow smoke.

Thanks for your answer cbob ... I'll be buggered! Dangerous place you live!. I'm old fashioned enough to have a small conditioning humidor which is easy to keep at 75% if I know in advance I want to smoke specific cigars, my house humidors, somewhat larger, are well stocked & monitored normally throught the year only drifting 68-70% which I find ideal. My cigar storage has controlled temp through aircon & stays pretty stable at around 55% at 15 degrees. So far I haven't had too many problems with wrappers splitting although in '96 I had several boxes where the feet started swelling nastily, it was an glorious summer !!
I have a good idea though, I'll take more holidays to exotic climes in the hope of widening my experience.
I wonder if 'er indoors will wear that one!
BTW if it is "anally retentive" me too & not just Cuba. I saved from disaster a humidor full of quality Cubans relying on an busted analog - dry as camel dung in the Gobi they were - me crying alone raised the RH! (posh designer hotel on Kefalonia -- more naffing money than sense!)

[nicwing]

I just wanted to report back and say that in my view Mr Jibjob69 is a great fellow.

The 'shot glass in the humidor' trick is working out brilliantly. What I have noticed is that if I resist the urge to open the lid more than once a day the humidity has risen by 1% each day and now stands at 66% in my large humidor (which is pretty full). The cigars are much softer and springy and I will be moving them around tomorrow to ensure a smooth regular distribution.

This gentle rise in humidity is perfect and I can see no adverse effects on the cigars.

The humidity in my smaller humidor rose more quickly (there are fewer cigars, more air space and more beads relative to the space) so I have removed the shot glass as the humidity was shown as over 72%, but again the cigars are in great condition.

So many thanks my leafy brother, thanks for the tip.

[jibjob79]

Mr Jibjob69 is a great fellow.

Never heard it said better lol. Glad i could help, at the end of the day it's just physics which is like catnip to us geeks lol.