Advice on how to lower heat level in humidor with No air cond. at home.

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demiurgic

Don't Worry, Be Happy.
So there it is. The culprit. HEAT. Average temp here is sunny 80-90 degree days, hot as hell here in hawaii right now. (pretty nice beach days however and some sweet surf as well. )

MY humi is just not hitting numbers below below 72%-74% RH you guys.

IT's got super DRY 65% beads and it's seasoned pretty well, like I mentioned in my post from a few days ago.
INTERNAL temp o the humi is 77-79 degrees, and thats after placing it in the coolest spot in my house.
I am assuming, the RH needs calibration on digital hygros and not the temp gauge.

I am also assuming the high temp is leading to the higher humidity. right?
is there anything I Can do besides placing the humi under the foundation of our house where its most likely coolest but narly.

we live off grid (solar - 12 volt system) so 'no can' on the peltier. In a cabin type structure in the jungle pretty much, so no solid walls, plenty mosquito netting for wind flow. Think cabin in the jungle, and that is pretty much it.
 
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Maybe you could put the humidor in a cooler with a small Icepack. Just a tiny icepack in a larger insulated cooler. that maybe just enough to lower it ten degrees or so. thats all I can come up with. Just my :2
 
travclem said:
Maybe you could put the humidor in a cooler with a small Icepack. Just a tiny icepack in a larger insulated cooler. that maybe just enough to lower it ten degrees or so. thats all I can come up with. Just my :2
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That's the first thing that came to mind. I just recently switched over from the standard wooden humidor to a cooler. And im very pleased. Much better temp control and with 65% beads rock solid RH
Brian..:tu
 
Bury the cooler...
Rent space at a local B&M...
Ask a friend that lives in a air conditioned space to hold them.

Sorry thats all I could come up with and btw 65 percent humidity is golden imo :)
 
demiurgic said:
. . .

we live off grid (solar - 12 volt system) so 'no can' on the peltier. In a cabin type structure in the jungle pretty much, so no solid walls, plenty mosquito netting for wind flow. Think cabin in the jungle, and that is pretty much it.
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Actually - make your way to Walmart, Target, any large automotive store or order online and pick up one of those electric travel (peltier) coolers designed for a car or truck. They run off of 12 volt - and would be the least expensive way to go outside of digging a six foot hole and lining it with stone.


Ron
 
I am also assuming the high temp is leading to the higher humidity. right?
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I actually don't think this is the issue, or at least not one that you can't overcome. My house has AC and stays around 77, but my humi is rock solid at 65% with my beads.
 
I have a similar problem, as do several of my friends who live in very hot areas, Nevada, Florida & Arizona for example. We all use very large Igloo type coolers, mine is a 150gt Marine Cooler.

During the few months of the year when the temp outside is in the 110 + range, even with air conditioning, the inside temp of the cooler gets into the 77 to 79 degree range at times. We all have a few of the larger size Rubber Maid Blue Ice Packs, Keep a couple in your freezer and one in your cooler. Depending on how well it works for you, the size of your cooler, you can exchange the one in your cooler with a freshly frozen one ever 8 to maybe even 12 hours. They will easily drop the temp within your cooler by 4,5, maybe even 6 degrees. This is what I'm talking about!

http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermai...CUFHNECQHUB2CGWQKA4QGIJCK?prodId=HPProd100633
 
I haven't had good luck with the blue ice packs - if you don't wrap them well with a towel the moisture in the air condenses on them dropping the RH in the cooler. If you do wrap them with towels they don't cool more than a few degrees, which for me isn't worth the effort. Since the sticks have all been frozen I don't have beetle problems and I haven't found any other downside to temporary temperature spikes in the cooler.

Demiurgic, I can't tell from your post if you've calibrated your hygro but if your RH is staying consistently high with 65% beads either your hygro is off or your humi leaks and is letting in humidity. I'd put it in a cooler - might solve both problems. :2
 
nozero said:
Don't those ice packs sweat as they warm, therby increasing your RH considerably?
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Yes, they will sweat a little, however, the sweat created is drawn from the environment they are in. In this case it's the cooler and the only moisture that's available is what's in the cooler. There is no added moisture, and the RH is not effected at all!
 
For those saying "blue ice packs" - exactly where is he suppose to get them from. Since he is living off of "solar - 12 Volt" system I can't see where he would have a freezer (110 volts) in order to freeze the things.


Ron
 
RGD said:
For those saying "blue ice packs" - exactly where is he suppose to get them from. Since he is living off of "solar - 12 Volt" system I can't see where he would have a freezer (110 volts) in order to freeze the things.

Ron
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What the Hell, I missed that!

Dam good point!!!
 
With a 12V power supply available you could get a Coleman 12V Cooler. I found a link to a 40qt 12V Cooler, and I believe they have a 60qt as well. If they are big enough to hold your stash. Get one and set it up as your humidor. Hook it up to your 12V power source and get a 24 hour multi on/off timer. Set the cooling system to go on for 15 or 30 minutes every few hours. That should work perfectly. Of course, you'll have to experiment with the running time and off times until you come up with what works best for you! Here is a link to the 40qt unit:

http://www.roadtrucker.com/12-volt-coolers-accessories/12-volt-coolers-accessories.htm
 
JohnnyFlake said:

Yes, they will sweat a little, however, the sweat created is drawn from the environment they are in. In this case it's the cooler and the only moisture that's available is what's in the cooler. There is no added moisture, and the RH is not effected at all!
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This isn't true. The moisture that collects on the blue ice pack is drawn out of the air which drops the RH. I've had the RH drop from 70% to around 60% every time I've tried it.
 
bazookajoe said:
This isn't true. The moisture that collects on the blue ice pack is drawn out of the air which drops the RH. I've had the RH drop from 70% to around 60% every time I've tried it.
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It's difficult to debate this, since we are apparently having different results. My only thought is that the size of the coolers may effect the end result. I have used one icepack, with very little sweating, and no effect on the RH, in a 150 qt cooler. What size cooler have you used the icepack in?
 
JohnnyFlake said:
It's difficult to debate this, since we are apparently having different results. My only thought is that the size of the coolers may effect the end result. I have used one icepack, with very little sweating, and no effect on the RH, in a 150 qt cooler. What size cooler have you used the icepack in?
Click to expand...

It's an 82 qt. cooler. I tried it 3 different times over the course of a month and the same thing happened each time. The temp dropped about 5 degrees but the RH dropped about 10 points. I think the amount of air space might have an impact more than the size of the cooler. The only other factor I can think of is that I have a circulating (computer) fan on a timer so maybe moving the air around may have exposed more of it to the ice pack causing more condensation...
 
i don't think it should matter if the moisture is in the air (RH) or condensed on the ice pack in the form of water drops, it's still the same amount of moisture & the reading should stay the same-hygros will drop the RH as temp drops, it's just the way they read IME-i'm not a humidity expert, so take it w/a grain of salt, but it comes from what i've experienced w/mine-i just wrap the ice packs in a t shirt & switch 'em out once a day, they drop 7 to 11 degrees in a 50qt. cooler
 
This has become very interesting, with respect to the different results we are having.

wharfrathoss also has good results, with a slightly different set up and a smaller cooler.

As I stated earlier, I have a 150qt marine cooler, which are sealed a bit better than standard coolers. I also use two Oust Fans in my cooler. They run five minutes on and fifteen minutes off, and I have then both running, and off, at about the same times. When I do use the icepack, I place it in the center, high up in the cooler, near the top, in a plastic tray which catches any sweat that may occur, however, the sweat is really minimal. I have about a pound of 65% beads in the center of the cooler and at the bottom. I also use two Caliber III Hygrometers, one high at one end of the cooler, and the other low at the other end. I also change the icepack, when I use them, which is usually in July and August, once a day, in the mornings. With this set up the icepack will drop the overall temp, within the cooler, by about 5/6 degrees.
 
thanks for the feedback, and our respective points of view.

I just got back into my place and checked the humi after 3 days of not opening it. STILL A MIGHTY HIGH 78 degrees and 73% RH. OUTRAGEOUS, and most concerning to me.
Here are my options after reading all the posts, please correct me if I am wrong here with my final decision.

I play tetrus with my propane freezer which is TINY and barely capable of storing all our food.
So that rules out the ice packs. Besides, changing ice packs day in day out is not happening since I travel about.

We have an exposed foundation, a cabin raised 5-7 feet off the ground for better air circulation and I am gonna get a cooler place the humi in it, and hope for the best.


demi.
 
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