I purchased some crystals at the beginning of the summer. I have not refilled them and they look like they have liquefied as you may be able to see in the images. As you can see there are crystals still present, but there is a liquid covering them that I do not think should be there. I was wondering what would cause this and if I need to replace them? I have not had this problem with crystals before. Any help would be appreciated.
Problem with my humidor crystals
- Thread starter crugg
- Start date
As a old Cigar Smoker, I say "Replace them Dude"... 
...your Cigars will thank you 
Christopher
...your Cigars will thank you Christopher
Could they be a bad mix making them overly effective at absorbing moisture? Alternatively, have you experienced a particularly humid summer?
- Thread starter
- #4
It was the coldest summer in 40 years so that should be it I guess. I think I will go back to my old drymistat humidity tube for now and see If I can extract the excess moisture from the crystals.
i would buy new ones, never seen that before.
new ones will only cost 10-20 bucks.
i like heartfelt beads
new ones will only cost 10-20 bucks.
i like heartfelt beads
You may also want to look into Diamond Crown's humidification system. I REALLY like it. It isn't a that yucky green stuff that doesn't appear to last very long. This is a high quality humidifier.
The way the OP's crystals look reminds me a LOT of a chemistry experiment we did in high school -- take beads of (I think) potassium hydroxide, set them on a plate, and the collect water from the air and turn to liquid. All teh waxy bead totally disappears. I would suspect those crystals have absorbed water from some place with extremely high humidity -- Berkeley may indeed have high humidity, as it's fairly close to the coast.
As cheap as humidification devices are, I would definitely replace the whole device -- jar and crystals. A humidification device is a WHOLE lot cheaper than 8 or 10 cigars, much less 30 to 50.
As cheap as humidification devices are, I would definitely replace the whole device -- jar and crystals. A humidification device is a WHOLE lot cheaper than 8 or 10 cigars, much less 30 to 50.
I retro-fitted my humidifier's with Super-absorbent polymers, and I like them way better than the green florists foam. I bought a 2 lb bag, which will probably last longer than I will, at water-sorb.com.
I have also heard really good things about the heartfelt beads. Doc at stogiefresh.com did a comparison and found that super-absorbent polymers are more efficient at releasing moisture, where the heartfelt beads will do a better job of absorbing moisture if the humidity get too high. I guess it depends what your problem is (over or under humidified).
If you would like, PM me and I'll send you a tablespoon of polymers, which should be more than enough for a few puck or brick style humidifiers.
I have also heard really good things about the heartfelt beads. Doc at stogiefresh.com did a comparison and found that super-absorbent polymers are more efficient at releasing moisture, where the heartfelt beads will do a better job of absorbing moisture if the humidity get too high. I guess it depends what your problem is (over or under humidified).
If you would like, PM me and I'll send you a tablespoon of polymers, which should be more than enough for a few puck or brick style humidifiers.
Can you easily drain the moisture off and let the beads dry out somewhere and see what you're working with? Looks like they just absorbed a lot of moisture this summer like others are saying.
any updates for us?
did you buy new ones, or drain the old ones?
did you buy new ones, or drain the old ones?
- Thread starter
- #11
Update:
Been busy with school work, not much time on my hands as of late. Well I have looked into some more crystals (thanks blazingazn). Looking into Heartfelts. I have not made a purchase yet. As of a few days ago I have switched to my old model of humidifying using an oasis pad. I brought out a new humidor and seasoned it; so the humidor is set at ~67% and has stabilized at that mark. Just have to make the crystal purchase. Thanks for the help guys. I would hate to loose my cigars from those communist lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks again for the help. I usually keep my humidor well kept but slipped up this last summer and was surprised to see this when I opened it one day (especially with the crystals being used). Hopefully some new ones will help.
~crugg
Been busy with school work, not much time on my hands as of late. Well I have looked into some more crystals (thanks blazingazn). Looking into Heartfelts. I have not made a purchase yet. As of a few days ago I have switched to my old model of humidifying using an oasis pad. I brought out a new humidor and seasoned it; so the humidor is set at ~67% and has stabilized at that mark. Just have to make the crystal purchase. Thanks for the help guys. I would hate to loose my cigars from those communist lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks again for the help. I usually keep my humidor well kept but slipped up this last summer and was surprised to see this when I opened it one day (especially with the crystals being used). Hopefully some new ones will help.
~crugg
Toss it and get some boveda paks
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