Joe, Your salt may not be we enough. You want a slurry, wet but not a solution of dissolved salt. Salt test a minimum of 24 hours. If you think the hygrometer may be bad, wrap it in a moistened paper towel for a few hours and it should read near 100%.
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I recently pulled a 300 ct humidor out of retirement. During it's 9 month retirement it sat completely empty. Due to my immediate need for this additional space I was only able to season it a couple days. I have 8 oz of 65% humidity beads and the hygrometer has been calibrated. The humidor has approximately 200 cigars in it. I've noticed that I can't reach humidity levels above 58%. Last night I went as far as to wipe down the inside of the humidor with distilled water. This helped raise the humidity to 65% but this only lasted a couple days. I think this humidor is soaking up moisture like a sponge because it sat for such a long time empty. Any thoughts?
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I broke a 50 count humidor out of retirement a few months ago and it took about three or four rounds of seasoning before it held humidity. I didn't put cigars in until it held humidity for a few days. Good luck :-)
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I have found that the best way to properly season a humidor is to simply place a bowl of water in the humidor and leave the lid closed for 7-14 days.

This ensures that the wood has absorbed it capacity of water vapor and will hold humidity properly.

I do not recommend wiping down the wood directly with water as this may cause the wood to warp, possibly ruining the seal.

I hope this helps

~Mark
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I have a wooden humidor that keeps fairly good humidity but it only holds about 50. I was wondering if I could use a water tight plastic box like the ones you use on a boat to keep things dry. Anyone ever tried it?
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A good zip lock bag will work fine. A air tight container isn't the best for storage.
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I already have 3 humi's
1. desktop 20 ct
2. desktop 50 ct.
3. Locker about 400 ct.

Just made another big order and I'm not going to have room. Considering a Cooler. How big of cooler do people normally use? I was looking at Rubbermaid 150 qt. marine cooler from Sam's club. I'm clueless as to how big 150qt. actually is. I know it's about 38 gallons which seems more then big enough. Should I get bigger? Smaller?

Also would a cigar oasis/hydra be warranted/recommended for something of this size? or should I just go with 65% beads? or both? I currently use the 65% beads in my humi's and I like them.
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Bigger the better. When I first got into this hobby I was told buy more storage than you think you will ever need. That was terrific advice.
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150qt cooler dimensions (L x W x H): 42.75 x 19.5 x 19.0

I actually prefer 48 qt coolers without wheels(unless you need a herf-a-dor)
You can get 4 for about the price of a 150qt. They are easier to store and you can separate your stock. Digging through a 150qt cooler for a single box can be a pain. You will need about 8ozs of beads for each cooler. Also you can set up different rh coolers if that is your preference. :-)
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:-) In fact I think I might be picking up a 48qt...if I dont get a vinotemp!
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Biggest you have the space to fit it in is my motto. You don't end up buying your next one because the first one was to big. :-) I bought one of those really big fishing coolers and you can get 1670 cigars in one. Maybe 1690. :-)

It wont fit / stack in the closet though so I only have room for 1 under my desk. Have the big blue Colemans stacked in the closet.
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Ok, I know I'm a fungy but what are beads? I'm assuming something for humidity? Thanks. I didn't think about the cooler idea.
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http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...ighlight=beads


Great reading here.
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I didn't really consider storage of the cooler. A 48 qt might be the way to go as far as not taking up too much space in my house. But in the end it might just be worth it to get the biggest one so I don't have to worry about it for a while.
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Thanks Tabb
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While the 150 qt coolers are really nice I've found that the 120 qt for more than half of the price work really well and hold almost the same amount. So for the same $$ you can get two 120 qts and have 80% more space. :-)
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Here's two for the gurus...

Is the basement a good place to keep the humidor? Temperature stays low but is mold now a concern?

If I had a coolador but no basement and the apartment temperatures reach into 75°F during the day, how can I keep the inside of the coolador below 70°F?

Thanks.
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My coolers live in the basement but my basement is not any more humid (most likely less humid) than the rest of the house so I'm not any more concerned about mold. I'm less worried about beetles when they are in the basement due to the lower temp.

I've heard of guys putting ice packs in ziplocks and toss them in the coolers.
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My cabinet is in the basement. Most of the basement is finished (except the room the cabinet is in) but the ventillation system is running in the room. During the winter it is dry just like the rest of the house. In the summer the humidity does get above 65% so I run a dehumidifier.
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I love the basement for storage. Now, if your basement smells like musty feet...maybe not. :-)
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