Re-Gen Beads

M

mtb996

Gorilla
I know this has already been discussed, but what methods are you all using to re-gen the beads in your humis? I have always kept my beads in bags in tupperware containers and just prayed them a few times with DI water when they got white. I knew many beads broke apart, but since they were in the tuperware, the dust didn't matter.

Now that I have bags in my Vino, I am not using a container or tupperware, so am subjected to the white powder going everywhere when I spray the bead bag. What are the options to prevent this from happening?

thanks!
 
The best option is to NOT spray water on your beads.
When you do, it breaks the beads down. Broken beads mean less efficiency.
Sooner or later you'll be left with a pile of crumbs that are less tha 1/6th as efficient as whole beads.
If you'll place a distilled water soaked sponge in the humi and allow the beads to gather water vapor slowly, they'll serve you far better in the long run.
It takes time, and requires a bit of patience, but it'll protect your investment and keep your beads in their best working order for a long time to come. :tu

I suppose I should mention the process, since I brought it up.
This is from the instruction sheet that I send with all my beads, regardless of what kind they are...
If the RH%age is lower than you like, place a small distilled water-soaked sponge in a pan or dish and sit it in your humidor overnight. Take the pan/sponge out in the morning and then wait to check your RH%age in the afternoon.
If it's still low, simply put the sponge back in, leave it overnight, remove it in the morning, check in the afternoon, and repeat the process as necessary. If you wish to hasten the process, simply use more wet sponges in more areas of your humidor.
 
I picked up a travel sized spray bottle at the drug store that sprays a 'mist' of water. Have used for over a year without breaking beads.
 
Here is an excerpt from Steven Weintraub's document titled "Demystifying Silica Gel". This excerpt can be found in section 5.1.B-sub-titled "Adding Moisture"

The direct addition of water through mist spraying or immersion is not recommended, since the high heat of decrepitation causes silica gel beads to crack and fragment. Although silica gel retains its hygroscopic properties, the overall response time of silica gel in a tray will slow down because of denser packing from the mix of large beads and smaller fragments.
Click to expand...


Anyone who has experienced the "snowy powder" in one of their humidors knows first hand what this paragraph is referring to. In this same section of Steven Weintraub's document you will find other methods of rehydrating Silica Gel Beads that do not cause this condition.

If you care to download the document in a PDF format I have posted it on one of my web pages. If you are the type of person that finds this "nuts & bolts" stuff interesting you'll love all of this technical data and a bit of history regarding Silica Gel.

http://web.mac.com/tzaddi/iWeb/Cordero/Tobacco_files/silica_gel_SW_2003-1.pdf

—Richard

Steven Weintraub is a Conservator/Environmental Consultant
 
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