Apparently this may be an issue? A response for another thread mentioned this.... I had always assumed that is what you did(Heartfelt) to charge the beads.... I have a habit of dumping a capful of DW into my tubes, shaking them up and putting them back in the humidor....

I assumed that since they suggested that you add water with a syringe, adding water directly to the beads was A-OK. (that is not to say that I have not heard about the spray bottle method)

Anyway, my beads appear to be doing their job fine....but they are fairly young and in a perfect world, I'd prefer to do things "right."

Being that I have another 2lbs coming, as I am going to have to start a coolerdor or vinodor here.....too many cigars to buy, not enough time to smoke them all....
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I have 2 lbs in a coolidor right now, I just spray bottle them. 65 RH beads holding a rock solid 64 RH. They are heartfelt and they work great.

I think the heartfelt tubes suck personally.
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Heartfelt beads are supposed to be recharged by directly adding water.

Shilala beads are not supposed to be recharged by directly adding water.
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Adding water to heartfelt beads is fine. Adding to shilala beads is not fine.

The difference is in the type. You will be fine with your beads.

Supposedly the shilala beads steam and bubble or something when you pour water on them.
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No issue. I use a spray bottle and spray directly through the mesh bags to moisten my beads. When I dont feel like digging around for the bag that is on the bottom, I just spray water on the glass door and let the moisture be absorbed by the beads. :-)
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My god your lazy. :-)
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Hrmm, I was sort of correct, but here's an excerpt directly from Heartfelt:

"You can put a container of distilled water, like a bowl, next to the beads and let them absorb the distilled water in this way. When they have absorbed all they can remove the bowl. This method is effective but takes a while for the beads to absorb the water.

The method I use and prefer is using a spray bottle. I purchased an inexpensive spray bottle at the grocery store and filled it with distilled water. When the beads need water I just spray them until they have absorbed enough distilled water. This method will work well if you have the beads in a bag or dish.

" If my beads are going white, should I add distilled water until they are all clear? "

The optimal is to have about 60% to 70% of the beads clear. Don't try to get them all clear because if you do they cannot absorb any sudden rise in humidity in your humi."
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Thanks for the quick replies everyone.... This place is such a wealth of info...

They have been great for my little humidors....?

The plan for the 2lbs is four 1/2lb bags.....

The consensus is the mesh bags are easy, painless and as effective as any other method?
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If I make even 20 percent clear I am looking at a spike in RH. Anyone have this problem? I have been having problems with HF beads in a Vinotemp. I can't keep the RH below 70. I am in Ga and winter is dry. Why is the Vino making the RH rise? I know because I put everything back in a cooler and it stabilizes. I have checked for leaks as well. What am I doing wrong? I have owned beads for years and this is the first time I am stumped.
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I use 2 lbs in tupperware containers each with 1 pound of beads. They work great in a 120 quart cooler. I didn't bother buying the mesh bags. YMMV
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Ankle high stockings also work as bags. :-)

The problem is the change in seasons. You will see similar posts next spring and also this past spring.

1) Unplug your Vinotemp, you dont need temp control until next summer.

2) Fill up any empty space in your Vino with empty boxes, the boxes will retain moisture and help stabilize the Rh.

3) If you have a half empty box, put your calibrated hygrometer inside a box. It is the Rh of your cigars that is important not the Rh of the air in the Vino.

4) How are your cigars smoking? How do the wrappers feel? If your cigars are not tunneling or giving you some other kind of weird burn then you are ok.

5) Dont sweat things too much. Sometimes it may take 3-4 months for a wine cooler to stabilize. Every time it cycles you will notice a drop in Rh, but you seek long term stability and must trust in the beads. :-)
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The cigars seem fine. Granted we are talking about less than a week. My problem is high RH not low. That is what baffles me.
Unplugged indoors should mean stabilization. Right?
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I do what you've described - I dump a cap full of water directly on the beads. I've been doing it for years and have never had a problem. They work just fine and seem to remain intact. I'm talking about the heartfelt beads.
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Check the humidity inside one of your boxes. Then just give it a few weeks. I seldom look at my hygrometers anymore. I check the beads once a month or so. If the Rh is too high, it will take several weeks for the beads to absorb the excess moisture.
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:-)
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Been spraying my heartfelt beads for almost 5 years. No negative effect that I can tell.
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Same for me, with the spray method. I've had the same beads (although added more) but gone from a desktop to cooler to eventually a vino now and worked great in each.
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I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that pouring water directly onto the beads as described by OP will cause the beads to break because the ones on the top are going to take the majority of the water and over hydrate :-)
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Been dumping water into my bead sacks for years.

I think its kind of like the "be gentle with me" admonition. Rarely last past the first filling.
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:-) :-)
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