Is it possible to have too many beads?

I got a new Humi from a friend, and I gave my old (but still only 2 months old!) humi to a friend. I told him to go to Heartfelt and get some beads. He needed 1 oz for the size humidor -- he bought 4oz!!! :-)

Will that cause any problems for him, or will he just have the world most stable humidor?
[Reply]

Only downside to having more beads than recommended is the space the beads take up eat into cigar space. :]
[Reply]

Should be fine. Rh will actually recover faster after opening with extra beads. Just be sure only 50% are clear. He also will have enough for his next humi. :-)
[Reply]

from what i understand you can never have too many, only too few. But as JKim stated above its a space issue. 4 oz will only help the stability and rebound time of the humi
[Reply]

I believe that you can have too many beads that are charged with water.
I think a mix of ~ 60/40 charged to uncharged beads is the best way to have them function properly.

If all beads are charged then there is no buffer for moisture to go.

Tom
[Reply]

If he lives here in the N.E. he's going to be happy to have the extra beads.

The dry winters here make it difficult to keep my humidors stable, and I use twice the reccommended amount in my end table humidor which has no leaks or seal problems and is rock solid in the summer. Even at that during the week I am adding water almost weekly.

A lot of others have the same problem up north.
[Reply]

If you have the space, more is a good thing. Less maintance and faster recovery. I have about 6 pounds spread throughout my humi.
[Reply]

More beads = Faster recovery time. I believe that I needed 1/2 a pound of beads for my cooler. I bought 1 pound. The humidity remains very stable. I wet about 95% of them b/c it is not very humid in Cincinnati.
[Reply]

elderboy02,

What RH% do you use?
[Reply]

The more RH Beads you have helps the RH to recover quicker and reduces the frequency between needing to add distilled water.

You can't have too many RH Beads.

Just don't over saturate them with water, there should be ZERO standing water on them. There should be approximately 20-30% of them dry.

I hope this helps

~Mark
[Reply]

Excellent -- thanks all. I'll tell him not to worry.
[Reply]

I use just a bit over 1/2 lb. per 120 quart cooler and get along fine in very dry Wyoming. I set a little bowl in each cooler and put distilled water in them. Don't spray beads anymore and both coolers hold right at 65-66% (depending on whether the fan is on or off.)

WyoBob
[Reply]

Good info Mark.
When I first started with beads (I"M A BEAD NEWBIE) I wet them all and let them drain in the dish rack. I put them in and was wondering why the RH stayed so high for so very long.

Ya need empty beads for it to work...
YES!!
Thank You
tom
[Reply]