So we had a pretty wicked thunderstorm and me being the COMPLETE MORON i am, decided meh, surge protector? whats that? why do i need that? (at least my computer and external hard drive were plugged into one *phew*). So now my vinotemp won't control the temp. The light and temp gauge still works but thats about it.

I'm getting paranoid about possible beetles hatching. The vinotemp gauge says 74 but my oregon hydrgo's say 76-78. My humidity is still at a solid 65-70. I do live on the ground level and we have no basement. So throwing it in there is out of the question.

If anyone has an ideas or solutions they would be VERY much appreciated.

Oh.. its been about 2 days.. anyone know how long it takes them to hatch?
[Reply]

Everything I have read and a unfortunate incident recently, points to about 6-10 days from being layed until they hatch. Unfortunately cooling your cigars, treatments done by the manufacturers and so many other factors arrest this cycle at an unknown point. But if 10 days go by and you don't have beetles you are probably okay.

That said the best thing at this point if you are really worried is to freeze your cigars.
[Reply]

I've thought about it but i dunno if i can do that. I feel like freezer burn would just destroy them. I REFUSE to put my steaks in the freezer because of that. If i have 2 steaks and they need to be cooked that night or be frozen.. i'll cook em and find something to do with them. I do know some people swear by the freezer method and it you can't taste any freezer burn but i think its so implanted in my head it would be a mental thing. But i'll throw a couple of cigars i don't care about too much and give it a whirl.
[Reply]

Depending how full the Vinotemp is, you might be able to get away with just putting ice in the bottom and opening the drain (if it isn't already). Just the ice being in there should drop the temps at least 5 degrees. Gotta keep replacing the Ice and keep an eye on the humidity (extra evaporating water), but it's a temp solution til you can get the cooler replaced.
[Reply]

Now that is a MacGyver moment right there.

And dry ice would be even better if not for the CO2 gas. hmm
[Reply]

Double bag your sticks and slowly adjust them in and out of the freezer (ie. 24hrs in fridge -> 2 or 3 days in freezer -> 24hrs in fridge -> back to room temp) and you'll have no problems.

In this situation your choices are:

1) Freeze your collection, follow a freeze process for all new cigars and don't worry about beetles again.

2) Buy a new vinotemp or have the existing one repaired so temp control works again.

3) Do #1 and #2.

4) Do none of the above and risk it.

Personally I'd vote for #3.
[Reply]

hmmm dry ice... with some flashing lights on the bottom of my vinotemp.. :-):-) this is sounding better and better the more i think about it! i finally gave up and threw them in the fridge. next step, freezer :-)

edit: running upstairs to throw on a 2nd freezer bag!
[Reply]

icepacks instead of ice - less cleanup/melting
[Reply]

Freeze all cigars for 72 hours then put back in vino :-)
[Reply]

Instead of using regular ice, get some of the reusable/refreezable BlueIce packs. I use these every summer in my garage humidor (freezer portion of an old unplugged standard upright fridge/freezer). I have 4 of them, & I use 2 at a time. When the 1st pair is no longer cold, I replace with the frozen ones & put the warmer ones back in the 'real' freezer. Have I mentioned I live in AZ? Never had a beetle problem, keeps my stash below 75 degrees all summer long.

Helpful tips - Keep the packs in the upper portion (cooler air is heavier so flows downward). And put a dish towel under the packs so excess moisture doesn't mess up your sticks.

Of course, your other option is to start smokin double-time! :-)
[Reply]

thats what i've decided to do is freeze em. Never done it before and i hate to do it but i'd rather do it then run the chance of beetles tearing through my stash. On the bright side... i can go back to using my awesome desktop humi instead of using it as a shelf to show off my cigar stuff!

doin the double freezer bags
1 day fridge
2-3 days freezer
1 day fridge
1 day back in vino still in bags
take em back out after that.
[Reply]

Dry ice isn't a bad idea either. I don't think some CO2 Gas will hurt any cigars. Could always just zip-lock them if you are concerned. Won't get the added RH from the normal ice melting either, or have to worry about water. :-)

Can probably find Dry Ice at a local grocery store. It's usually not that expensive.

Freezing won't kill beetle eggs, as an FYI. Most cigars are shipped from the manufacturers flash-frozen, but they can still hatch beetles if kept high enough temp for long enough. Freezing will kill any larvae that have already hatched though. If you're only looking at a couple days so far, probably not much to worry about. I'd look into cooler options though if it's going to be more than 4 or 5 days. Maybe just crank up the AC in your place for a few days. If ambient temps in the house are 70 or 65, the Vino will follow suit.
[Reply]

my vino is currently sitting at a solid 77 degrees F. I guess its time to start looking into other options :-).
[Reply]

My cabinet is from 75 to 80 degrees all year, and I can't get any beetle lovin' whatsoever. I smoke from there all the time cause I don't like cold cigars.
Go figure, right?
[Reply]

knock on wood! knowin my luck id get em. better safe then sorry!
[Reply]

Could it be a blown fuse? I never really took my Vinotemps apart.
[Reply]