Question regarding humidity and the heartfelt beads. I've been told that you must have a measure of PG solution mixed with distilled water in order to keep cigars from molding. My understanding is that you can only add distilled water to the Heartfelt beads, you cannot add PG as it ruins them. Won't this cause cigars to mold? I'm considering buying them but wonder if gel with PG would be better for the cigars...

Buy the beads and follow the instructions. I've never been dissapointed.

You do not have to have a mixture of PG to get any humidifier to work. All the PG does is help regulate the evaporation of the water to help maintain 70/70 ratio, and even that always doesn't work.

All you add to the beads is distilled water, and they do work, I've been using them for a couple of years now in all my humidors. And if you want to save even more money, don't even buy the heartfelt beads, go to a pet store and find Exquisicat Litter Pearls cat litter, the clear kind, non scented. Its the same thing as the other beads, silica and water.

You can use a 2 oz dosage cup from a nyquil bottle, fill it with Litter Pearls, add distilled water, then put it in your humidor. I've been using these like I said for some time now and they work wonderfully, and at $9 for 8lbs of beads, a heckuva lot cheaper than heartfelt.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Bluesky5553:
You do not have to have a mixture of PG to get any humidifier to work. All the PG does is help regulate the evaporation of the water to help maintain 70/70 ratio, and even that always doesn't work.

All you add to the beads is distilled water, and they do work, I've been using them for a couple of years now in all my humidors. And if you want to save even more money, don't even buy the heartfelt beads, go to a pet store and find Exquisicat Litter Pearls cat litter, the clear kind, non scented. Its the same thing as the other beads, silica and water.

You can use a 2 oz dosage cup from a nyquil bottle, fill it with Litter Pearls, add distilled water, then put it in your humidor. I've been using these like I said for some time now and they work wonderfully, and at $9 for 8lbs of beads, a heckuva lot cheaper than heartfelt.

Mike

Mike,
I assume the cup is about 3/4 full & the water just covers the Pearls. My question is "how big is you humidor" (inside volume, <1 cubic foot, >1 cubic foot, or much more?). I also assume its on the north side, of a inside-room, ,away from the A.C./Heat ducts,about 3 feet off the floor, out of the sun light, and opened daily, for a few minutes, only.

Boy,thats alot of Assum'

thks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bones,

Don`t soak the beads.

Lay them thinly (1/8 to 1/4 inch) in a flat pan. Add a bit of water to one area only, you`ll see the beads change from "white" to "clear".
"white" means they are dry.
"clear" means they are soaked with water.

Beads will absorb water from moist air and release water into dry air. The equilibrium is at about 65% RH.

However when exposed to moist air long enough they will saturate and become all "clear". The They will need to be dried. Some people use a hair dryer. I have put them outside in the sun on dry, summer, sunny days. Doesn`t take long to dry.

If they are exposed to dry conditions for long enough they will dehydrate and become "white". They will need to humidified. Add some distilled water.

Remember that household air relative humidities can be from 20% in winter to 90% in summer basements. HVAC have there effects. On average RH can be 40 to 80% for extended periods of time and it can oscillate from 40 to 90 on a daily basis.

So maybe half clear, half still white?
Any guess on how much for a humidor about 8"X4"X12"?
Would a divided dish/bowl be a good idea, 1 side dry, 1 side wet.

Half/half. Looking good.

How much? Something that conveniently fits. For example 3 inchs in diameter or so.

The more you put the longer it can be effective without your intervention.

I generally find a two or three ounce cup works fine in most 50 count humidors that are properly seasoned. I use a spray bottle filled with distilled water to lightly spray the beads till they are clear, maybe taking a plastic coffee stir stick to stir them around, that way they don't get soaked. Then I close the lid for a day and check it the following day. Normally anywhere between 62-68% RH is good, and I generally try to keep my humidors below 66 or so. You'll find once you have them set, the beads will hold better, and maybe all you'll have to do is lightly spray them once a month, much easier than foam humidifiers.

In my 96qt marine coolerdor, I use one pound of beads and it holds 68 % for two months or more.

All my humidors are in my bedroom, which is about 75 degrees in the room, and the humidors run about 72 degrees inside, and for Florida thats pretty good.

In my 150 count humidors I use one 2-ounce heartfelt tube in the bottom, with a one ounce tube in the tray. In my 300 count stand alone, I use 2 two ounce cups in the bottom, and a one ounce heartfelt tube in each tray and each tray has its own digital hygrometer, that way I can keep everything consistent within a point or so from level to level. Though I don't use the Heartfelt brand beads, I do like their tubes for the beads as they work very well. The beads excel in this type of setup.

Mike

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bluesky5553,

Thanks guys, maybe I will try a humidor, now that you got rid of the rocket science...