Do you run your fridgador? If so, do you have condensation? - Page 2

No, I don't have it plugged in so no condensation. 7 17.50%

No, I have it plugged in but there is no condensation anyway. 8 20.00%

Yes, I have it plugged in and I get minimal amounts of condensation. 6 15.00%

Yes, I have it plugged in and I get some condensation. 6 15.00%

Yes, I have it plugged in and I get significant amounts of condensation. 0 0%

No... I don't have a crappy fridgador. 13 32.50%

You are mistaken regarding the vents. They are not open to the outside, they are to circulate air over the Peltier units to keep them from overheating. This is a closed system as are all wine coolers and refrigerators. Sealing the vents will result in premature failure of the unit due to overheating.
[Reply]

Hey Bryan. Sounds like you might want to address those vents pronto!
[Reply]

Originally Posted by bobarian:
You are mistaken regarding the vents. They are not open to the outside, they are to circulate air over the Peltier units to keep them from overheating. This is a closed system as are all wine coolers and refrigerators. Sealing the vents will result in premature failure of the unit due to overheating.

WOW! Thanks Bob! I'm going round in circles with my understanding of this stupid fridge.

hmmmm....

Well, I have the unit on now, but I also took the tape off the vents, so no danger to overheating. But, now I'm confused about my original problem again!... RH stuck at 69% for a month with 24oz of Shilala beads + raw ceder Chasden drawers.

Back to square one I guess :-)

Ugh.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by bsmokin:
...But, now I'm confused about my original problem again!... RH stuck at 69% for a month with 24oz of Shilala beads + raw ceder Chasden drawers.

Back to square one I guess :-)

Ugh.

Take the beads out and put them in a Ziplock bag or a tupperware container with a hygrometer, and check the RH of the beads. It may be that due to the high RH inside your that the RH of the beads has changed. If the RH of the beads is too high, the instructions will explain how to bring it down.

If the RH of the beads is OK then put the beads back in and leave it all alone. It really can take a long time (several weeks) for a humidor to reach equilibrium. Particularly, if you have some wet cigars, temp changes, etc.

[Aside: this is my 1000th post]
[Reply]

Originally Posted by CigarNut:
Take the beads out and put them in a Ziplock bag or a tupperware container with a hygrometer, and check the RH of the beads. It may be that due to the high RH inside your that the RH of the beads has changed. If the RH of the beads is too high, the instructions will explain how to bring it down.

If the RH of the beads is OK then put the beads back in and leave it all alone. It really can take a long time (several weeks) for a humidor to reach equilibrium. Particularly, if you have some wet cigars, temp changes, etc.

[Aside: this is my 1000th post]

Ok... thanks Michael. Will try to test the RH of the beads.

CONGRATS ON 1000 POSTS! :-)
[Reply]

Originally Posted by bsmokin:
Ok... thanks Michael. Will try to test the RH of the beads.

CONGRATS ON 1000 POSTS! :-)

Sidenote. We'll have to start a new thread for Michael! Congrats Brother.
[Reply]

Update: I have been running the fridge now for 4-5 days and no condensation. RH remains at 71%, temp at 63degs. Still waiting for the RH to drop...
[Reply]

Did you have a chance to test the RH of the beads? If so, what were they at?
[Reply]

Originally Posted by CigarNut:
Did you have a chance to test the RH of the beads? If so, what were they at?

No... haven't had a chance. I will do this when I get a chance and post.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by CigarNut:
Did you have a chance to test the RH of the beads? If so, what were they at?

Hey Michael... Looks like I do have a problem with the beads! This is good news, since things make sense now! Right now they are reading 70% instead of 65%...

I'll plan on putting them in the fridge tonight to try and recalibrate them. Thanks for your help :-)
[Reply]

My guess is that the humidity in your humidor was too much for the quantity of beads that you have. Now that you have a closed system, it should be better.

Keep us posted!
[Reply]

Strange, unexpected turn...

I tried to recalibrate my Shilala beads with little success last night...
I put my three 8oz bags in the freezer for 25mins as specified in the instructions. I then immediately put them in a ziplock bag with a hygrometer. The RH plummeted down to 62% RH! Cool, right?! Well, when I checked it again this morning the RH in the same bag (unopened) has risen back up to 70% RH!!! I guess this means the recalibration didn't work, right!?

Is the freezer less effective than the fridge? I guess I'll try the fridge tonight...
[Reply]

The catch with using the freezer is that you need to make sure that the moisture you remove from the beads does not get sucked back in from the temperature/humidity changes while you transfer the bags from the freezer to the ziplock.

This problem can also occur when using the refrigerator, but since the temp/humidity in the refrigerator is less than the freezer you have a little more leeway.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by CigarNut:
The catch with using the freezer is that you need to make sure that the moisture you remove from the beads does not get sucked back in from the temperature/humidity changes while you transfer the bags from the freezer to the ziplock.

This problem can also occur when using the refrigerator, but since the temp/humidity in the refrigerator is less than the freezer you have a little more leeway.

Thanks Michael. I did think of that and made it a point to get the beads back into a bag within 60 seconds of coming out of the freezer... but, still had this problem. I will give the fridge a shot tonight and try to do the transfer more quickly.
[Reply]

Update:

Put the beads in the fridge last night for an hour. IMMEDIATELY but in a sealed bag after. An hour in the bag and the RH was down to 45%. However, this morning the RH in the bag was up to 67%!!! We'll see what we're at tonight...
Posted via Mobile Device
[Reply]

The RH change is not suprising -- humidity goes up with temperature. When the beads are fully at the same temperature as your humi then you should check the hygrometer to see the what the RH is.
[Reply]

My cooler doesn't need to be plugged in. It's Eco friendly.
[Reply]