Coolidor Project

JamesTanner · 05/23/2014 11:55 AM

This morning it read out at only 52 degrees and the beads were fairly dry. I think the boxes absorbred some of the humidity. Anyways i added significantly more water to the beads. Relative humidity is already going up now. I will let you guys know what it is reading at tongiht.

JamesTanner · 05/24/2014 08:30 AM

Okay I have it reading up at around 70 degrees and 74 percent humidity now. The beads needed more water is what it was. I dumped any excess water out of the beads and now I am crossing my fingers I will be down into the high sixties. Going to give it another day and see what its at tommorow but i think I am on the right track. Question, the mimi cat litter creates a bluish water at the bottom of my tupperdor container I have the beads in, hoping that does not affect the cigars? Its 95 percent crystals with 5 percent blue crystals and I think that is where the blue is coming from obviously.

ROTHNH · 05/25/2014 08:43 AM

Sounds like you're doing fine with your new Coolidor.

Just remember, you need to open it for a minute every couple of days or so -- it needs air to work properly, since the cooler seals too tightly.

Machine646 · 05/25/2014 09:29 AM

Let us know how it works out. Im thinking about going Coolidor direction. Was gonna buy a bigger humidor but tired of having to keep up so many humidor . One coolidor and a desk top would be great.

Rebecca Silverwolf · 05/25/2014 11:53 AM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/23/2014 11:55 AM

This morning it read out at only 52 degrees and the beads were fairly dry. I think the boxes absorbred some of the humidity. Anyways i added significantly more water to the beads. Relative humidity is already going up now. I will let you guys know what it is reading at tongiht.

The boxes will absorb a significant amount of water, which is a good thing. Getting the boxes to the RH you want will help prevent rapid drops or raises in the overall RH of the coolidor. When I assembled my coolidor, I gave the boxes several days to season with the humidification device before I added any sticks.

JamesTanner · 05/25/2014 10:49 PM

Thats what I am doing Rebecca. Right now I am at 67 degrees and 71 for my humidity. The only thing I am worried about is this summer with the rapid fluctuations in temp. I am going to keep my coolidor downstairs and hopefully the swings won't be as bad. I am aiming for 65 for the humidity. Maybe a tad more. Once I get there I am going to add the sticks. I may have to take some beads out or add a few dry ones to get down to 65. But so far so good. What is the optimal range for temps? I know humidity is between 65-70 but I am talking about temperature. Also will cigars age if stored in a coolidor?

hebron · 05/25/2014 11:00 PM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 7:49 AM

Thats what I am doing Rebecca. Right now I am at 67 degrees and 71 for my humidity. The only thing I am worried about is this summer with the rapid fluctuations in temp. I am going to keep my coolidor downstairs and hopefully the swings won't be as bad. I am aiming for 65 for the humidity. Maybe a tad more. Once I get there I am going to add the sticks. I may have to take some beads out or add a few dry ones to get down to 65. But so far so good. What is the optimal range for temps? I know humidity is between 65-70 but I am talking about temperature. Also will cigars age if stored in a coolidor?

There is an article on here that also covers temperature: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=10

Regarding the temperature fluctuations, I've also worried about that and there is a thread on that topic: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?topic=28142.0

Cfickter · 05/26/2014 09:53 AM

How about a pic?

hebron · 05/26/2014 10:15 AM

QuoteCfickter - 5/26/2014 6:53 PM

How about a pic?

JamesTanner · 05/26/2014 11:38 AM

Thanks for the links they were very helpful. I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71. I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter. Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67. I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me. Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before. I cant seem to figure it out. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

hebron · 05/26/2014 11:45 AM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 8:38 PM

Thanks for the links they were very helpful. I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71. I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter. Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67. I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me. Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before. I cant seem to figure it out. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

Patience is a virtue when seasoning and preparing humidors or tupperdors. Let it stabilize before adding cigars. I use 65% Boveda packs in my tupperdors.

Your computer is probably saying the file is too big; well because it's too big. The upload limit here is 100 KB, meaning that you might have to crop, re-size and compress for image. There is even an article for that: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=49

The Burn Ward · 05/26/2014 12:53 PM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 2:38 PM

Thanks for the links they were very helpful. I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71. I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter. Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67. I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me. Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before. I cant seem to figure it out. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

I've read you can use a hair dryer to dry over saturated beads/KL. Never done it my self.

Cfickter · 05/26/2014 04:24 PM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 3:38 PM Thanks for the links they were very helpful. I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71. I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter. Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67. I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me. Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before. I cant seem to figure it out. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

If you are using the Geek albums you are limited to 100kb. Your phone is probably taking way to large images. Probably in the 5Mb area You can:

Adjust the MB of your phone app

Put them on a Pc and resize

Or, I don't know about the Galaxy but the iPhone lets you chose a file size if you email a picture to yourself or anyone

JamesTanner · 05/26/2014 05:33 PM

Thanks for the tips guys. I will try to get a pic up as soon as possible. Man there is a link for everything on this site! Still reading at 71 humidity and 67 degrees. I think I am going to take out a bit of the KL and see what that does. I guess I could get the cigars in there now I just have OCD about the littlest things. I really want to be at 65-67. Maybe I should just got with the boveda packs at some point. I just figured this would be alot cheaper. I will get there. Being new i will probably end up trying everything and doing what works best for me in time.

Mojo66 · 05/26/2014 05:48 PM

Bovedas are the easiest solution and they do come at numerous RH levels. Heartfelt beads also come in different RH settings and are very easy to use but do require some maintenance.

Both those 2 solutions will keep your RH exactly where you want it in a coolerdor.

The KL and other silica beads are just as good (meaning they are capable of holding steady RH) but the RH level will be reached by "playing" with the dry vs. damp bead ratio. At least this is my experience.

I have used or am using all of the above but the KL that I can't get here in Quebec.

Good luck with your project and do post pics, we want to see.

JamesTanner · 05/26/2014 06:08 PM

I will try and post pics asap. When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter? Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

Mojo66 · 05/26/2014 07:10 PM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 9:08 PM I will try and post pics asap. When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter? Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

I always put little spacers (broken spills) to keep boxes lids slightly opened. To me, it helps the air flow and the distribution of humidity.

JamesTanner · 05/26/2014 07:18 PM

Thats exactly what I was thining of doing Mojo66.

hebron · 05/26/2014 11:14 PM

QuoteMojo66 - 5/27/2014 4:10 AM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014 9:08 PM I will try and post pics asap. When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter? Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

I always put little spacers (broken spills) to keep boxes lids slightly opened. To me, it helps the air flow and the distribution of humidity.

Good tip, thanks

Cfickter · 05/27/2014 05:03 AM

Don't get shocked if you load cigars and the RH drops. After you get your RH set and stabilized I suggest added the cigars in to the coolidor in stages.

JamesTanner · 05/27/2014 12:21 PM

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity! Added the cigars this morning when I checked. So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything. If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi). Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

JamesTanner · 05/27/2014 12:24 PM

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity! Added the cigars this morning when I checked. So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything. If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi). Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

hebron · 05/27/2014 12:39 PM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/27/2014 9:24 PM

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity! Added the cigars this morning when I checked. So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything. If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi). Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

That's good advice from Chuck. How many sticks are we talking about? It's important to not do everything at once, let it sit for a while and stabilize. Don't water the kitty litter if the humidity drops when adding cigars right away, you might get a humidity spike. Patience my friend, patience.

ntanner · 05/27/2014 04:04 PM

You should wait at least 24 hours after adding stick's before youre RH is leveled off, then you can tweek thing's a bit if need be.

JamesTanner · 05/27/2014 08:30 PM

Something weird happened. Last night when I added the sticks all at once I was at 68 temp and 65 humidity. I have approximately 200 sticks in the coolidor. The type of cooler I am using is an Igloo and the seal seems really tight. This morning it was about the same. Now tonight the temp is the same but the humidity has gone up to 68 instead of 65. I should however mention this afternoon I added about 20 more cigars that were very fresh. This stuff gets confusing. As long as I am in the sixties for both temp and humdity I am not going to worry about it. I just don't want the humidity getting over 71. I wonder if all the fresh cigars I put in the box all at once spiked the humidity because they were all over humdified more than under humidified. Maybe this is what happened? I just have to keep checking it every 24 hours or so and make sure it stays stable. If the humidity rises any more I am going to take some beads out. I would say my temp downstairs stays at around 67-68 degrees during the day not sure about night. Hopefully my cooler lid is air tight. I think it is. I think my next coolidor I am going to use boveda packs. Maybe more expensive but I do not have to worry about dust and as much maintenence. I think I am on track with where I want to be though.

Have your guys ever used the little boveda packs for travel. I bought some Arturo Fuente Sun Grown in a 5 pack and they come in a nice ziploc, sturdy bag with a small boveda pack. I think I will use this for when I travel and want to take a few sticks with me. Anyone thinking of going with kitty litter it does create some dust especially if it is not that moist fyi. I have mine in nylon in a tupperware container with holes in the top to avoid any dust getting on my cigars. I wonder if heartfelt beads do the same thing as far as dust goes? You don't have to worry about the dust unless you shake the bag around so its really not that big of deal. Anyways I am rambling. I am going to try and post a pic up for you guys soon.