Hey guys,

I've got three oz of HCM beads in a little 50~ count Adorini desktop. I've had them in there for 18ish months, without problems holding around 65%. A couple weeks back I noticed the humidity dropping a little bit, but didn't really think anything of it. Except the humidity kept dropping, it has now been hanging at 57% and won't go back up. When I try and follow the directions for raising the humidity, the beads will go up to 67%(ish) in the tupperware but drop right back down when i put them back in the humi.

I don't think it's the humidor, why would it suddenly develop a leak? Hasn't moved from my desk since i put it there. I don't think it's the hygro, the cigars are smoking like they are a little dry, plus its reading 64% in my cooler with a pound of the same beads.

Any suggestions?
[Reply]

Humidors can develop leaks -- it is a symptom of needing to be (re-) seasoned. The seasoning process causes the wood to swell a bit which tightens all the seams. Over time the wood may slowly dry out. You might want to take a couple of weeks to re-season your humidor to see if that helps.
[Reply]

Alright thanks, I'll give it a shot.
[Reply]

Mine does this all the time. I put a shot glass with sponge and distiller water for around 24 hours or so. I have to repeat this every 2 weeks or so as the rh drops back below 63%. Kind of sucks but I've gotten used to it.
[Reply]

John if you have to do it every two weeks seems like you might not be seasoning it enough, specially if you are only leaving the sponge / glass in there for 24 hours, sounds like it needs a serious seasoning, 24 hours doesn't seem like it's enough time for the wood to really soak in the moisture. :-)
[Reply]

If you are having to do this so frequently your humidor may have a leak. You might want to check all the seams/joints. If you have any glass or a hygrometer that is mounted using a hole through the wood then you should check these areas for leaks as well.

There are lots of threads here that explain how to check for and fix leaks. Just my :-)
[Reply]

I have to re-season my desktop humi about once per year. I find that the tightness of the joints loosens over time, but re-seasoning tightens them back up.
[Reply]