I had my humidor at 65% for about 3 months. But for the last month its been reading 62%. I have shilila beads in, and don't understand why the humidity dropped down to 62% after a few months. Are they Ok at 62% or should I do something? Thanks,
Jon
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Hygrometer may need calibrating, try calibrating it before anything. And 62% isn't bad, its on the dry side, but some people prefer their cigars a bit drier.
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Most hygrometers have an accuracy rating of +-2 or 3. If you like how your cigars are smoking, 62 is fine.
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Thats the ambient RH, put one of your hygros
in one of your boxes for a few hrs. it might read even lower.
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62% isn't too low if you like how they smoke at that level. If you don't, I believe the beads eventually need to be re-charged.
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62% is where i keep my Humis. Definitely not bad for the cigars in any way.
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As others have said, 62% is fine. I keep mine between 60-67%. They all seem to smoke the same for me in that range.
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62% is fine. I try to keep mine between 62 and 65%. As long as you like the way they smoke then your good to go.
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That's what my shilala beads did as well. They just need a recharging, I find the beads only last around 2-3 months max with my climate, and I need a secondary humidity source to back them up. So really, the beads work for some, but not for others, all depends on your climate and how often you open your humidor.

Try investing in a Humicare jar to support the beads, it's been working for me.
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If this works for you that is great, however it is not something I can recommend. Humicare jars just pump moisture into your humidor, which indicates to me that there may be a leak. It is normal for the RH in a humidor to fluctuate as the ambient RH changes with the seasons, but a steady drop (that requires a humicare jar) seems a bit excessive to me.

Again, I am not saying that what you are doing is wrong -- it is working for you and you are happy with it. For me I would prefer to find the cause and solve the problem. A test to verify the problem would be to put your beads and cigars in a Tupperware or other well-sealing container (without the humicare jar) and see how they do.

Just my :-)
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I know you feel this way, as you would selling your product, but I was just sharing my own experience. I have 2 bags of shilala beads and both act the same way in both of my humidors. I am not saying the beads don't work, just that they do seem to lose humidity over time.
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How are your sticks smoking? If you like how they are burning than I say don't sweat it but as others have said your hygro could be off. May be time to re-calibrate.:-)
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Umm, that's how beads are supposed to react. :-) As the Rh in the humidor drops, the beads release humidity to keep things stable. Over time the amount of dry beads increases and eventually you will need to recharge. If this didnt happen, you'd have nice crispy sticks and nice 65% beads, good for the beads, bad for the cigars. :-)
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I was not trying to say that the beads don't lose humidity over time because they can and do.

What I was trying to say is that if the beads are losing humidity so quickly that you need a humicare jar or other moisture source in your humidor then there might be another issue -- which if it were me, is something I would want to find.

I was not trying to say that you are doing anything wrong or that the beads should be working differently.
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:-)
There is nothing wrong with the beads. There is most certainly another issue. To imply otherwise is foolish.
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I think mine is at 60 or even 59... bfd. cigars are tough.
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You're better off keeping humidity closer to 60 than 70 anyhow. Safer and cigars smoke better. Don't fret fluctuations. Your house fluctuates humidity and your humidor is passive.
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Especially here in FL.
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When the heat kicks on for the year, the ambient RH in the house will usually drop like a rock. My Staebell keeps up very well, but you can expect some fluctuations as things settle down.

On the subject of RH, round up a hundred experienced cigar smokers and you'll get answers from 58% to 70%. It's personal preference, to be sure. My cabinet rocks between 65%-68% and my smokes are great.
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This. My humi varies from 55-65 depending on the time of year and how lazy I am. :-) My cigars always smoke fine. Cigars are much more hardy than people give them credit for.
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