Interesting question. Say you have two identical 20ct humis. One you wipe with distilled water and then slightly heat your container of water before putting it in and closing the lid. The other you simply put the glass of distilled water in and close the cover. What do you think the seasoning time difference would be?
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The active seasoning may be quicker, but it shouldn't be about quick. Some things should not be rushed. I am not a fan of wiping down the humidor with water. Let nature take it's course.
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Corrected.
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I am not a fan of this either.

If I have had difficulty getting a humidor to season, I have boiled a few ounces of distilled water in a glass, then set it inside the humidor on a piece of plastic (to avoid direct wetting or scorching the wood). This has worked well for me several times without warping the wood.
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Usually I've gotten a new sponge, RO water, made it damp, wiped the inside, made it turn colors.....and then left the damp sponge on a plastic bag in the humi for 24 hours, take it out, replace with humidity maker *beads* and let it sit another 24 hours, add water / wet sponge as needed.
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Too each his own, Dan....as I said, I am not a fan of wiping the wood down with water. :-)
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Do you happen to recall any seasoning timings? I am sitting on a 20ct that has had water in it for about 7 days, currently sitting at 61% and seems to rise every 2 - 3 days.
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Using the boilng water method and then 65% beads, I was able to get a small cabinet humi to hold 65% within a couple days, Jeff.
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Thanks Tom, I didn't boil the water, just have a cup in there with beads. I am starting to question the seal a bit... but what do you expect for a 20ct from a Cuban flea market for 10 pesos!
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Dave suggested boiled water when I first set up my new cabinet. It worked very well.
If you suspect the seal, do the dollar-bill (or Canuck fiver) test.
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Why boil the water?
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I think that's your problem. Almost every one I've seen uses a thin ply top (1/8") with solid edging to make the top appear thicker. The outside of the top is varnished while the inside unfinished. This will always cause thin material to warp.
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This whole cigar thing is about patience.
I go with whatever takes forever. It's good for me. :-)
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I'm guessing evaporation. Boiling water forms a vapor and permeates the wood inside the humi. And boiling also gets rid of organisms residing in the water.
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Yeah but if the water is in a bowl inside the humi it is the vapors that absorb into the wood. And when water in the bowl evaporates it is pure (no organisms or minerals). At least that is what I thought! :-)
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I'm a wiper on the cabs.. but they are solid cedar and Mahogany. Probably always preferred to let it be done through evaporation. Difference in time would be a big variable based upon the starting point. The drier the wood the longer the difference would be.

Putting waded up paper towels on a dish soaked in distilled is a way of getting more evaporative suface area ... decreasing the seasoning time. It's much faster than just a container of liquid.
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Bingo.
Evaporating water is essentially, distilled water.
I personally take a slightly damped lint free cloth and give the insides a sparse wipe. Toss in dampened beads and you're done.

1-3 days and you should have stable humidity.
Granted I'm a rookie and I've only done this with 2 smallish humi's, but it worked perfectly each time. I live in Calgary where it is -27 C right now, and the RH in my house is about 20% if I'm lucky.

Good luck!
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:-) Did this with my 400qt and it works beautifully! Just need more smokes now:-)
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I've used the Boveda 84% seasoning packs for my three humidores... Worked great
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:-) Me neither. I'm afraid it will lift the grain and warp it.

I've always used the passive method, but I might have to try boiling water next time.
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