Hello, I've got a quick question. My humidity is to high in my humidor, what do I do? I've heard of putting cedar strips in it, but where would I get those from.

In addition to adding the cedar strips to your humidor which can problaly be obtained from a cigar store, I would move the humidor to a cooler place. Heat will also cause an increase in the humidity level. It may take a while before you change the level but will improve the smoking condition of your cigars, More even burn, less canoeing, and relighting.

kaspera79 to the rescue. Thanks again. My humidor is in my basement. This is the coolest place in my house, but maybe the most humid also. So, I guess I'll move it upstairs where it will be warmer but less humid.

you can also prop the lid up a slight bit on the humidor and let out some humidity.

I use heartfelt beads in my humidor. Anything below 65% Rh and it brings it up. anything above and it brings it down. Its kind of slow at bringing humidity down but it does it.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Yep, the beads are the best way I have found to bring the rh down. Dry beads will absorb the excess humidity and moisture. Easiest way I have found to keep rh right where you want it. :)

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'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

Since you have different humidity levels in your house, I would move the humi upstairs and prop the lid open a little like kuzi mentioned till you reach the desired %.

What type of humidifier are you using? When you are able to get the humidity down to the % you want, would that humidifier then be able to maintain the desired %?

I'm with kuzi and pilot when it comes to using beads for overall humidity control, they're great. There are other devices made that do a great job, beads are what I happen to choose.

Moving it to a better location or propping up the lid very slightly i.e. setting a match in the way so it can not close completely are you best bets. I'm not a big fan of the beads, but I know a lot of guys are so I won't go into that. However, the cedar strips will do nothing in the long term, as soon as they get up to the same humidity as the rest of the humidor they'll have no effect. Its a common misconception but adding cedar to your humidor isn't a solution to high humidity.

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the cedar can be added and it will drop the humidity-- but only if you take the cedar out and replace it with more unseasoned cedar. If you keep them in rotation it shouldnt be a problem.

on more than one occasion you (madurofan) have made mention that you are not a fan of the beads. I have been using them for years and i love them. this can only lead me to two conclusions

1) you have never used beads
B) you have used beads and hate them due to some major problem that you have had wth them.

being that this is a forum where we are all trying to soak in as much info as we can would you please give your opinion on why the beads are not good (at least to you). Maybe you have a bit of info that will make others think twice and therefore make a better decision. Maybe your opinion will lead to someone else having a better cigar experiance. I was curious about this before when I read this once. if i am not mistaken this is the third mention of it and my curiosity has gotten the best of me.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Kuzi I have used the beads for a very short time (2 months out of last summer). First let me say that once you start using a system like the cigar oasis any passive humidification will annoy you. Second I live in the very humid Virginia Beach area. The whole appeal to the beads is supposed to be that they maintain humidity not just keep it humid but will also absorb any excess humidity. I placed the proper amount of beads in my humidor (in the tubes) and used the 50/50 solution. I could not get my humidor under 80RH but every time I would take them out the humidity would drop within hours. I replaced the tubes even tried using half the beads it called for and my humidity stayed to high. I finally sent an email to Heartfelt asking if I was doing anything wrong and got no reply. I ended up sending three emails and got no reply and the boys at my local tobacconist tossed me a couple Boveda packs and said we recommend these over the beads. As soon as I stuck those in the humi it maintained a perfect 69%. Now I may have been doing something wrong but the fact that Heartfelt wouldn't help me out is why I'll never use them again. Because it may be partially out of spite is why I've never gone into specifics and left it at I'm not a fan.

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Just out of curiousity how long would a pound of beads last you in a 100 ct humi?

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madurofan:

Just out of curiousity how long would a pound of beads last you in a 100 ct humi?

A pound is alot of beads to a 100ct humi. I'd figure since the manufacture recommends oz. to so many cubic inches, I'd say a year or two the least..

Thanks Mark I was just curious as to how long they lasted. I knew you wouldn't use a pound all at one time but I wanted to compare prices between beads and the Cigar Oasis. I guess if you're going through 3 lbs or more a year in one humi is where it would get to the point where it'd make sense financially to buy a Cigar Oasis.

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madurofan:

Kuzi I have used the beads for a very short time (2 months out of last summer). First let me say that once you start using a system like the cigar oasis any passive humidification will annoy you. Second I live in the very humid Virginia Beach area. The whole appeal to the beads is supposed to be that they maintain humidity not just keep it humid but will also absorb any excess humidity. I placed the proper amount of beads in my humidor (in the tubes) and used the 50/50 solution. I could not get my humidor under 80RH but every time I would take them out the humidity would drop within hours. I replaced the tubes even tried using half the beads it called for and my humidity stayed to high. I finally sent an email to Heartfelt asking if I was doing anything wrong and got no reply. I ended up sending three emails and got no reply and the boys at my local tobacconist tossed me a couple Boveda packs and said we recommend these over the beads. As soon as I stuck those in the humi it maintained a perfect 69%. Now I may have been doing something wrong but the fact that Heartfelt wouldn't help me out is why I'll never use them again. Because it may be partially out of spite is why I've never gone into specifics and left it at I'm not a fan.

1) Heartfelt beads never "wear out", all you have to do is add a little distilled water when the rh starts to drop which leads to my next point. 2) I live in New Orleans with very high humidity and they have always worked perfectly. I have never heard of anyone using the 50/50 solution on them before. They are designed to be used with distilled water only. I suspect this was the problem you were experiencing. I used the oasis and Boveda before the beads and founds the beads better because: For me they kept the rh just as stable as Oasis and also took care of excess rh due to the high humidity of where I live and with a lot less work and expense. I really liked the Boveda. They worked great just like the beads but with large humis they got very pricey replacing the packs regularly.

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'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

madurofan:

I placed the proper amount of beads in my humidor (in the tubes) and used the 50/50 solution.

And you should only use distilled water in the beads, never 50/50. The propylene glycol will "clog" the beads, making them ineffective. I too use beads, but for the longest time was not a fan as they never seemed to regulate well. Than I placed a foam type element back in the lid for extra storage, and voila, they work perfectly. I live in the Northern Rockies (MT), so an arid environment is what I contested with. The other thing too to remember is that if in a humid environment, not to saturate the beads, and possibly leave even more of them white (say 60% to 75%), giving you more absorbtion capability :)

But if you like active humidification, than that is what makes you happy, and go with it :D

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"Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exsists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us yet."


Calvin, speaking to Hobbes

I appreciate both of you guys letting me know that the 50/50 solution was probably the issue this could be helpful for others. I however have no interest in the beads especially if made by heartfelt. Like i said its a spite thing. But I've also heard other people have issues with the beads not putting off enough humidity(smoke=fire you apparently had this issue too) or not absorbing enough excess humidity. I have just found that I can control my RH better with the cigar oasis and by slightly opening my lid. I've also found if I keep my humidor full it keeps the rh more stable. If someone is using beads not made by heartfelt and has had success let me know. I might give them a shot instead of buying a new round of boveda packs for my travel humidor, as right now I'm using the water pillows that came free with my latest ccom orders.

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