Expert: James Yee - 10/19/2009

Question
Hi James,

I've noticed the humidity in my humidor has been dropping steadily in the past week or so. I am not sure if this is due to the weather (I'm in Toronto) or if there is a problem with my humidification devices.
My humidity was maintained at 72% since I bought and seasoned my humidor in june. I have used a madelaine crystal jar for humidity and that has worked great until now. Over the past week I've seen it drop from 69% to where I'm now sitting at 62% and needless to say, I'm concerned. What should I do to solve this issue?

Answer
Hi DS,

Yes, it's not uncommon for our humidors to dissipate humidity more quickly during colder months.  What happens is that during autumn and winter seasons, the heating in our home is increased and along with the drier air, this causes our humidors to naturally seep out moisture faster than normal.  As a result, you may find it necessary to recharge your humidification device twice as often during winter.  Check your humidor crystals and if they appear to have lost a lot of moisture, recharge them.  Also, try relocating your humidor to a slightly cooler and less dry room and away from radiators/heating vents and this should prevent the humidity from depleting too quickly.  If the humidity level continues to stay low, check the humidor's interior wood.  If it feels dry, re-season the humidor and this will bump the humidity back up to an ideal level.

Normally relocating your humidor to a less dry room during winter will improve humidor performance but in some cases, re-seasoning is needed.

Hopes this helps.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James