I know this has probably been asked before, but I did a quick search and did not find anything.

I think I am going to finally get a cabinet humidor that can hold my collection and have plenty of room to expand (I am just in the initial planning phase). I am thinking about something in the 100-150 box range with a drawer for singles.

My question is for the BOTLs who have temperature controlled cabinet humidors (whether it is a customer made, an aristocrat or something else like a vinotemp), do you use active humidification or passive?

I am trying to budget and am wondering if I can just skip the active system and go with beads (placed around the inside in several places).

A little background, I live in CA close to the water, so the RH in my house is typically around 60% to begin with. So, in my current humidors I use 65% beads and add water about once every six months. And when I do add water, it is usually only to half of the containers of beads. My humidors are typically 63-65% which works fine for me.

I do plan on getting something that is temperature controlled however, as I would like to be able to keep my cigars around 65F.
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Franky, Aaron, I would not have a 150 box sized humidor without active humidifcation....the peace of mind of not having to check the hygrometer on a daily basis and wet/dry the beads would be reason enough for me.

Bob Staebell has the latest Set and Forget humidification system for a 150 box cabinet for $299....well worth it IMHO. :-)
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I am thinking I would like an aristocrat but would probably have to go with something a little smaller, maybe a 50-60 box size.

Otherwise I am looking at the vinotemp cabinets as well.
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Unless you keep it packed full, every time you open that door those beads are going to play catchup doing their job. Go active plus beads for the best.
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I have an idea for a cabinet that will allow you to control flow of humidified air to various levels of the humidor. I build custom cabinets too. Check out my site at www.humidorminister.com. No cabinets but you might find the desktops interesting.:-) I can build just about anything though and do it specifically to your needs.:-)

BTW, hows that new Patron on your Avatar? I've been meaning to try it.
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I've had my Aristocrat for only a short period time. The set it & forget option is the only way to go. Bob will really work with you when you are in the design/customizing phase. I got what I wanted plus a few extras Bob added and love it. It has maintained 65% RH and 72 degrees after it stabilized which only took a couple of days. Aristocrat is the way to go!


Chris.....


:-) :-) :-) :-)
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montecristo,
Living near the ocean can pose it's own unique challenges with cigar storage. Consider the relationship of humidity & temperature. If you have 60% RH at an ambient temperature of 75 degrees, then lower the cabinet humidor to 68 degrees, the RH will probably rise to 67-69% without adding any moisture at all from the humidification system.

However, the 60% is not a constant so there are days or times of the year when the ambient RH is lower & more humidity is required, so one needs to have some sort of system to add moisture.

My observation over time is that folks in generally high RH environments need to have both an active humidification system & plan on adding beads to help reduce moisture as needed. There is a fine balance of temp & RH that is a bit more difficult to achieve when living near the ocean. Plan on taking a bit of fiddle time to get the temp/RH right for your particular circumstances.

One client in Florida commented to me that roughly half the year he had no water at all in the humidifiers & the other half year would add a small amount. Others rarely add water at all.

For the rest of us who generally use hvac systems most of the year the ambient RH is generally in the 40-50% range which makes it easier to balance temp & RH since the need is almost always to add moisture at any temperature. Even then, adding beads to moderate RH during the rainy seasons in a temperature controlled humidor is still a good idea.

cheers,
Bob Staebell
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Understatement of the year :-)

So many people are looking for the "right answer" for RH and everyone's circumstances are different. What works for one in one state may not be the same for others elsewhere. I think the key is to just start with a solid base line and plan an adjusting as needed. It took me months to figure out what my 300 ct and 2 wine coolers wanted.

Now that I know they stay rock solid with little tinkering :-)

Chas
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+ 1 for active + beads

For my customers who purchase cabinets I usually recommend a large CO or hydra with a lb of beads in the bottom. If you get the unit with drawers, a mod for fans that allow air to more effectively pass from bottom to top is a cool idea too. There is a write up on it around here somewhere.
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Thanks Bob,

I need to send you an email anyway to get some thoughts on an Aristocrat. :-)

Luckily for me, my house does not seem to fluctuate all that much, between 56-60% RH pretty much throughout the year. Then in terms of temp I am looking at 60-72F maybe a little higher for a week during the summer. Although this is still higher than I would like hence the reason for wanting a humidor with temp. control.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I will probably get an active system in addition to beads just for the piece of mind.
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I live near the beach in SoCal and had problems getting the RH down in my Aristocrat. I experienced mold problems in the reservoir/filter. After months of tinkering with it, I stopped using the active humidification and switched to beads. It has been holding steady since. :-)
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Interesting, this is sort of why I asked the question. In my vinotemp, I have about 1.5 lbs of 65% beads that are almost completely dry and the RH is usually 66-67% (and yes my hygros are calibrated :-)).

Thanks for the input.
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