Expert: James Yee - 9/5/2008

Question
QUESTION: can i leave it open until it drops? my house is the same temp in almost every
room.

ANSWER: Hi Ben,

Leaving your humidor open might not work and can compromise the humidity.  Do you have a basement?  Basements are naturally cooler than the rest of the house.  If not, try keeping your humidor in a air-conditioned room for a short time.  You don't need to constantly keep your humidor in a AC-controlled room.  You just need to cool the humidor down back down to 70 degrees because prolonged exposure to temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit can cause tobacco beetle eggs to incubate and hatch.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: wel its been about 36 hours and the rh is at 60 again and the temp is at 77 i
have 2 humidification devices one being the stock brick that came with the
humidor and 2 the humi care gel that i just got, so i was wondering are those
bad temps and how can i fix them if they are ?

ANSWER: Ben,

Has your humidor been seasoned yet?  If yes, you may need to re-season it.  3 humidification units should be enough to create 70% humidity but something (perhaps the humidor wood is dry?) is absorbing all the moisture.  Re-season your humidor if necessary and examine your humidor for any gaps or cracks in the corner joints and seams (in case the humidity is seaping out somewhere).  Also check to see if your humidification devices need to be recharged.

As for the temperature, you'll need to relocate it to an air-conditioned room to bring down the temperature.  It's too high right now.  Is the temperature in your home hot? The natural environment temperature can affect your humidor so keep your humidor away from windows or natural sunlight as well as incandescent/halogen lighting or major appliances as the heat emitted from these items can also heat up your humidor.

It's hard to determine what exactly is causing this problem without examining your humidor.  Try removing the gel units and see if everything is back to normal.

James.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well i just checked it again and not the temp is at 73 and the rh is at 58 theres
no cracks and it has that slow wooshing sound when it is closed. it is also in a
cool room and my whole house as ac, so mooving it around hasnt been
changing the temp.   im gettin frustrated with this thing.  ave you ever had a
problem like this with your humidor if so how did you fix it?

Answer
Hi Ben,

Your humidor is having a hard time maintaining humidity so re-season your humidor again and this will regulate the humidity to a more reasonable level.

As I mentioned before, humidor temperature can be affected by the environment's natural temperature and can fluctuate wildly during the course of a day.  Check your humidor every morning, afternoon and night for the next couple of days to see if there is a specific pattern in the temperature rising and falling.  If there is a pattern, it is most likely caused by your home or another external factor.

You mentioned that you're using a digital hygrometer, check to make sure that the hygrometer is properly configured.  For digital hygrometers, people sometimes press the wrong button accidentally (ie: the Min/Max buttons) and this will display incorrect readings. Some digital hygrometers do require configuring so check the manual/instructions that came with your hygrometer (if available).  Also, do not crowd the hygrometer with cigars or place the hygrometer in an obstructed location as that will prevent the hygrometer from providing an accurate reading.  The hygrometer must be placed in an open location where it can easily measure the temperature and humidity flow.

Hopes this helps.

Regards,
James