Wine cooler temp help

N

n3uka

Say no to curried goat!
Yes, Yes I know search is my friend :mn but I couldn't find exactly the info I was looking for.

I recently purchased a VinoTemp VT24G 24 Bottle Countertop Wine Cooler off of Epay. I plan on using it for storing my premium cigars and cabs:D All items will be in their box

I have been running it the last couple of days to test the temp and rh before filling it. The temp is running around 60F to 61F rather consistently and the humidity stays steady (haven't put beads in yet so it has stayed consistantly at a rh of 20).

The main question I have is will the 60 to 61 degrees temp hurt the cigars or hinder their aging? I would like to avoid purchasing a temp controller if I am able to. All the posts I found recommend 65 but I didn't see a reason for that temp.

Also, I have a couple pounds of 65 beads. Should I also use an oasis xl, or would that be overkill.

Thanks for the help:)
 
have you seen the thread at the top of the accessories- questions page regarding wine coolers? don't know if that will help. i've always been told that a temp. below 60 just slows down the aging that's all. other than that i'm absolutley no help. good luck.
 
IMO, you're fine around 60ish. I store mine around 63 temp and 63 humidity...that's just me. As long as you're in the 65/65 area, I wouldn't worry.
 
You should be fine...it supposedly just slows the aging but I'm not sure how much 3 or 4 degrees will really slow it down. (Actually, the slower & longer the better btw).

I store mine at 64/64

The one thing I would be more concerned with are the durations of the RH spikes and lows from the cooling compressor kicking on.

Hope this helps
~Mark
 
n2advnture said:
You should be fine...it supposedly just slows the aging but I'm not sure how much 3 or 4 degrees will really slow it down. (Actually, the slower & longer the better btw).

I store mine at 64/64

The one thing I would be more concerned with are the durations of the RH spikes and lows from the cooling compressor kicking on.

Hope this helps
~Mark
Click to expand...

:tpd: . So long as you're not hovering around the mid-50s, it seems like you'll be okay.

To judge whether you're going to have big RH spikes due to the compressor issue that Mark noted, try placing your hygrometer in one of the boxes with fewer cigars in it; this will give you a better idea of how the cigars themselves are doing, as opposed to the rapid changes in the conditions outside the boxes. I freaked out for a bit about the wild variations in my two wine coolers until I saw the suggestion on a thread here. Additionally, you may notice a difference in the degree/severity of the fluctuation between having the hygrometer in a dress box (more variation) versus a cab or SLB (less variation, which helps explain why cabs age SO nicely, IMHO)...

Although I've been running my two coolers for 1.5 years and have discerned no noticeable negative impacts on my stogies from the RH spikes, I'm leaning towards chucking in the towel and ordering a large Aristocrat. Just gotta find that extra $4k I stashed in the mattress last year :r
 
Fill it up and give it a whirl.
The Edgestar 28 bottle TE I used to run kept the temp about the same temp empty, but when I filled it up (everything in boxes) the temp was a steady 67-68 degrees. Others here have had the same experience, and run without any temp controllers.
I would try it first, before spending any money on something you may well find out is not needed.
 
Sean9689 said:
IMO, you're fine around 60ish. I store mine around 63 temp and 63 humidity...that's just me. As long as you're in the 65/65 area, I wouldn't worry.
Click to expand...

n2advnture said:
You should be fine...it supposedly just slows the aging but I'm not sure how much 3 or 4 degrees will really slow it down. (Actually, the slower & longer the better btw).
I store mine at 64/64
The one thing I would be more concerned with are the durations of the RH spikes and lows from the cooling compressor kicking on.
Hope this helps
~Mark
Click to expand...

i keep mine at 63-66/65ish
you will be fine
 
chip said:
Fill it up and give it a whirl.
The Edgestar 28 bottle TE I used to run kept the temp about the same temp empty, but when I filled it up (everything in boxes) the temp was a steady 67-68 degrees. Others here have had the same experience, and run without any temp controllers.
I would try it first, before spending any money on something you may well find out is not needed.
Click to expand...

I've got the same unit filled about 2/3 and my temp sits right around 60-63, but it was just delivered this winter. I'm expecting to see temps closer to what you're seeing this summer. With the TE unit there are no RH spikes or dips, I've only got about 1/4 pound of 65% beads sitting in a glass bowl and it only needs water every 2 weeks, holds steady between 63-65%.
 
Thanks everyone for the help.
You put my mind at ease. I am going
to start prepping it and migrating my
supplies into it.

tiptone - I am curious what you think the capacity
of the unit is?
 
n3uka said:
tiptone - I am curious what you think the capacity
of the unit is?
Click to expand...

Here's a pic of mine as of tonight.

DSC01643.JPG


That's two humidors, eight boxes, one coffin, one 25-count bundle plus a bowl of beads and a bag of cigars awaiting a trade. There's still room behind most of those boxes, I'm pretty confident that I could pull the shelves out, play some box Tetris and almost double the box count.

For reference, the top humidor is the small glass-top from Holts.
 
Thanks for the pic

I am off the next 2 days and will finish cleaning it
and then start filling it.
 
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