I have done the wipedown method in my main humidor. I have calibrated my hydrometers. I have used beads, humidification bricks (with the wire mesh on the front that stick to your lid via magnets), etc. This is a losing battle. I might just go to tupperware. Seems I can get a better chance at 70/70 that way. I am at my wits end with this. Are the electronic humidors worth it? Or do you have to fight with them as well? I am game for a wine-a-dor, or a specifically made electric humidor.
Have you checked youre humi for leak's. It shouldn't be completely air tight but it should be tight enough that there is a slight woosh of air as the lid is closed. I had a problem like this once and it was a bad seal on my humidor. After determining were it was leaking I used some food grade silicone to seal up the leak and it has worked like a champ ever since.
The seal is a great thing to check. Also I know some of the guys and gals here have had good luck keeping hard to regulate humidors regulated using kitty litter. Might be worth
a shot. AAlso jjust cucurious but are you sure you had enough beads etc for the size humidor you have.
I had headaches with my tower when I first got it. A few hours and a roll or 2 of masking tape and I had the door sealed.
To check the gap between the lid and the humi I used a dollar bill. If it could slide through, it was too big of a gap.
Sounds like the symptoms of a leak for sure. How many cigars do you have in it and is it close to capacity? Humidors seem to stabilize better when they are full. Lastly, why are you shooting for 70/70? My preference for RH is 65%, I think 70 % is too high, it creates burn issues etc where @ 65% cigars seem to smoke and burn better IMO
Like most said already it does sound like a leak problem for sure. I mean it's completely normal to have fluctuations in a wooden humidor but you shouldn't have to fight with it all the time. A good two way humidification device (Beads, Bovedas etc.) should take care of maintaining RH.
My wooden humidors fluctuate 1 or 2% which is not a problem. My Wineador and coolerdore don't fluctuate at all.
It is a 100 capacity humidor. I got it from Cigars International. I am going to give it the flashlight test soon. As for the beads I have in it, it is a large blue canister of them (rated for up to 200 sticks. There is a slight swoosh when i close it. AND there is a piece of cedar that joins the lid to the box. Seems snug. Even has a key lock. Just put the warm distilled water in it. We shall see.
I'm an Official Wineador Ambassador (ok, there's no such thing, but I love mine). I use a Newair cc-300. There are smaller ones. And if you order from here, be sure to look for coupons online because you can get it for significantly less. I also use kitty litter, which has been FABULOUS. Just my two cents.
http://www.air-n-water.com/product/cc-300.htm
A picture would be helpful - as noted, air gaps in smaller (e.g. table tops) is problematic.
I allow a small amount of leakage for my larger humidors (built in and cabinet) to ensure adequate air circulation. The larger humidors require electronic humidifiers capable of throwing off a lot of humidity and moving air.
A good test for lid seal is to close the lid over a dollar bill. Then pull the bill out. It should slide out, but there should be good resistance.
I was having this same issue, trying to get my humi to 70/70.. but I finally realized, after reading the numbers I wrote down for about 2 weeks, that my humi was steady at 68/66 +-1 ... Which is fine.... I'd say do your tests to ensure your humidor isn't the issue.. if not, I'd be happy with anything in the region of 65-70/65-70 .... After all, the goal is to ensure your cigars are well kept, smokable and flavorful... Not so much to be crazy about obtaining the false perfection of "70/70" ..
Quoteddub10 - 2/13/2015 3:49 PM
I was having this same issue, trying to get my humi to 70/70.. but I finally realized, after reading the numbers I wrote down for about 2 weeks, that my humi was steady at 68/66 +-1 ... Which is fine.... I'd say do your tests to ensure your humidor isn't the issue.. if not, I'd be happy with anything in the region of 65-70/65-70 .... After all, the goal is to ensure your cigars are well kept, smokable and flavorful... Not so much to be crazy about obtaining the false perfection of "70/70" ..
X2
Rubbermaid container or Igloo cooler ($20 at Target), Boveda packs or Silica cat litter, Spanish cedar trays or boxes. I've had nothing but headaches with wood humidors, especially in the varying super dry/super humid weather we have in SoCal. Since switching to the afore-mentioned plastic ware.....zero problems, my cigars are in perfect condition. I'm not sure why cigar smokers are obsessed with wood humidors. They simply don't keep a proper RH level.
Also, you will find that your cigars will smoke waaaaaaay better at around 65% than 70%.
Best of luck with your RH issues. Cheers!