Expert: James Yee - 4/9/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I am all new into the cigar and humidor world.  I purchased a vinotemp 12 bottle wine cooler.  I have not installed any spanish cedar in it nor have I put cigars in it yet.  I trying regulate the humidity. I have a cigar oasis XL plus in it and it is set on 70.1.  I also have caliber III digital hygormeter in it.  When I check the humidity level it easily gets to 80%.  The only time I can get it to 70% is when I open the door.  I have the wine fridge set on 66 degrees.  How do I get the humidity level down?

ANSWER: Hi Lewis,

The first thing you should do is salt test your hygrometer.  Sometimes a hygrometer can be defective or lose accuracy over time so it's always best to test your hygrometer at least once a year or whenever you purchase a new unit to ensure that it is accurate.

To salt test your hygrometer, take a teaspoon of regular salt and pour it into a very small dish or cup.  Add a tiny bit distilled water to the salt and mix it up until the mixture has a "crumbly" texture.  Place this dish in either a Tupperware container or Ziploc bag.  Next, add the hygrometer to the bag/container and seal it.  (If you are using a Tupperware container, just cover the lid.  You don't need to seal it airtight.)  Do not let the hygrometer touch the salt mixture as this can damage it.  Let your hygrometer sit inside this container for 6-8 hours.  After 6 hours, the humidity level should read 75%.  If the humidity does not read 75%, note the difference and calibrate the hygrometer so that it reads 75%.  (Hygrometer models vary so check with the documentation that came with your hygrometer or the manufacturer on how to calibrate it.)  Your hygrometer is now accurate.

If your hygrometer is already accurate, simply turn down the humidity setting on your Cigar Oasis.  If the humidity level is 10% higher than what you set, turn the setting down by 10% on your Cigar Oasis and the humidity in your humidor should be 70% now.  In addition, adding Spanish cedar panels to the wine cooler will also absorb and regulate the humidity more effectively.

Another alternative is to use humidity beads (ie: Heartfelt 70% humidity beads; 16 ounces) to regulate your humidity.  These are available for purchase at most cigar stores and tobacconists.  With humidity beads, it may take some time to determine the correct amount of beads to acheive the ideal humidity level so please be patient.

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

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: Maybe I am wrong how the humidifer works.  I thought it only kicks on when the humidty level reaches a certain point.  So if I have my humidifer on 70 and it is 80 in there it will never kick on to adjust.  I have 2 hygometers in there (the digital) and an analog one and they read the same.  The other thing is the cigar oasis has a reading on it and it seems about 5 - 6 degrees off from my other 2 hygrometers.

The caliber III instructions said to not do the salt test.  It didn't give any reasons.  Would it hurt it?

Also should I just wait until I put the spanish cedar in there to get a correct reading.  I am only putting trays at this point until I can finde somewhere to get shelves.
Thanks for all the help.  This has been a fun new hobby.

Answer
Hi Lewis,

You're correct.  Cigar Oasis units has a sensor that monitors the humidity.  When the humidity output matches your desired humidity setting, the unit shuts off and will not activate until the humidity naturally drops below your desired setting.  For example, if you set your Cigar Oasis to 70%, the unit will turn on and circulate humidity until the humidity level reaches 70%.  When this happens, the unit shuts off the fan that circulates humidity.  When the sensor detects the humidity is below 70%, it turns on again.  If your humidor's humidity level is 80%, the Cigar Oasis will wait for the humidity to naturally dissipate and drop to 70% before the unit activates again.

Because the Cigar Oasis' humidity reading is off by 5-6%, you need to lower the set humidity level on the unit to compensate.  If your Cigar Oasis is set to 70% humidity and your humidor has a humidity level of 75-76%, lower the humidity setting on the Cigar Oasis by 5-6%.  This means if your Cigar Oasis is set to 64-65%, the humidor's genuine humidity level should be 70-71%.

Also, be sure that your hygrometers and Cigar Oasis are not obstructed by any cigars or humidor fixtures (trays and shelves) themselves.  If either the hygrometer or humidifier is obstructed, it can localize the humidity in a certain area in your humidor and this buildup of localized humidity could damage your cigars and cause your hygrometer to give false readings.

It's also best to lower the humidity now instead of waiting to add Spanish cedar.  The humidity safe zone is between 66-74% (70% is considered perfect).  If the humidity drops below 66%, the cigars will become dry, burn too fast/irregular and taste bland and stale.  If the humidity exceeds 75%, it can cause mold to form on your cigars and make your cigars feel mushy/spongey.  80% is too high so you need to correct the humidity level immediately.  Fine tune your Cigar Oasis until your hygrometers read 70% and everything will be perfect.

When you added Spanish cedar panels to your wine cooler, be sure to use kiln dried cedar and not air dried cedar.  Kiln dried Spanish cedar will not warp from humidity.

You can salt test digital hygrometers but as I mentioned previously, you need to be extremely careful because the salt can damage the hygrometer.  Most high-end brands of digital hygrometers are factory calibrated and extremely accurate so they do not need to be salt tested.  Poorer, low-end digital hygrometers however, should be salt tested for accuracy.  

Since both your analog and digital hygrometers show the same reading, they are both accurate.

Regards,
James