Ambient humidity and seasonal behavior changes

[yourchoice]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

This topic may not apply to everyone here. If you keep your cigars in coolers you are pretty much immune to the 20-40% drop in humidity in areas of the country where we need to heat.

I experience a dramatic change this time of year in maintenance issues related to humidification. All summer long its a once a month reload of the CO's. Environment where I keep things is always 70 degrees. Have 40 lbs of beads spread around in things that I don't recharge all summer. Inside temp of the cabs is always 68 degrees. Seems simple enough.

Humidity in the summer ranges from 55-60% in the office. This makes for easy humi maintenance. Well heating season just started. The humidity in dropped from 50 to 30% in a week. Humidity in the cabs dropped from 64 to 60% in a couple days last mont. Happens every year. Capacity is good, but less than optimally sealed former cigar club cabinets are a pain during the winter. High end electronically controlled cabinets probably are not affected much other than the need to keep up with the reservoirs. The rest of us have more work to do. Turned on the humidification system on the furnace and got the office back up to 42%.

Adjusted the CO II's to the winter setting. Charged the beads for the first time since June. Need to keep up with this now on a weekly basis till springtime.

Thought I'd post this as this time of year many people start posting about their cigars not tasting the same/ flat / losing their palate. Every system (Other than coolers) is affected in some way. Might be that your cigars are a few points different in RH than they have been during the summer and you need to adjust your humidification settings/process.

Thank you for the very timely post. I sat at a solid 65% for most of the year and now am pretty much stuck at 60~61%.

One question related to what I bolded above...How much higher than your typical fair weather months' setting do you dial up your CO II?

[Da Klugs]

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Thank you for the very timely post. I sat at a solid 65% for most of the year and now am pretty much stuck at 60~61%.

One question related to what I bolded above...How much higher than your typical fair weather months' setting do you dial up your CO II?

Depends on which one. Varies on the section or cab. Anywhere from 12 to 1 to 12 to 2:30.

[HK3-]

I don't think mine have changed much.

Maybe I better go have a better look.

Thanks for the useful info Klugs.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by HK3-

I don't think mine have changed much.

Maybe I better go have a better look.

Thanks for the useful info Klugs.

Mine haven't changed at all either, Haliburton.
I employ the HCM beads/hydra method and I haven't had to do anything but attend to one screaming hydra this winter.
I took the foam out of all but one hydra and I just fill them half way with water. Turns out I missed one, so I tore the foam out of it last week.
I can't wait to see what grief this new cabinet causes me. I'm half scared.