Humiderator

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Will this work for a temperature controlled humidor?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Hell if I know


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muse435

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In my apartment the temperature sometimes fluctuates +/- 20 deg f during the day. As a result my humidor is starting to become hard to maintain. I was thinking of taking my old college mini-fridge and a Ranco ETC set at 67 deg F, then putting my humidor inside of. Any thought?
 
I've heard that typical refrigerator compressors really suck the moisture out of the air when they kick on ... But I haven't tried it myself to know for sure. Set at such a warm temperature maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

I use a thermoelectric wine fridge (a vinotemp I got on clearance at Target) as a temperature controlled humidor and it works great. I have drawers inside filled with singles and box storage as well.

Edit: This is the on I got for about $100: http://www.vinotemp.com/View.aspx/2882/18-Bottle-Thermoelectric-Wine-Cooler
 
Humidity is what you're primarily concerned with. Does your apartment get above 80°F? If so, the dreaded cigar beetles are a concern and something to maintain temp would be good. Why not just a plastic or styrofoam cooler to reduce the temperature fluctuations of the humidor? Refrigerators tend to suck humidity out of the air (inside the fridge)... I don't know if that would be a big concern or not if the refrigerator was set to 67°F.
 
Humidity is what you're primarily concerned with. Does your apartment get above 80°F? If so, the dreaded cigar beetles are a concern and something to maintain temp would be good. Why not just a plastic or styrofoam cooler to reduce the temperature fluctuations of the humidor? Refrigerators tend to suck humidity out of the air (inside the fridge)... I don't know if that would be a big concern or not if the refrigerator was set to 67°F.

I live in NC and it has started to get higher than 80. My understanding from a thermodynamic standpoint is,

The colder the air temp, the denser the air, therefore less room for moister resulting in lower relative humidity. (that is why you have to defrost your freezer)

My thinking then was with such a small space inside the mini-fridge it would stay on for only a short time. but this is mostly an assumption on my part.
 
That's close but not quite right. You're right that colder air has less capacity to hold moisture, but when you lower the temperature of air the RH goes UP (not down). As you keep lowering the temp, at some point the RH reaches 100% and then you get condensation. That's why cold beers 'sweat' when it's hot and at least somewhat humid: the air very close to the beer glass reaches 100% RH (because it has been cooled by the beer glass) and the moisture from the air condenses on the glass. It's also why cold fronts often cause rain. Also explains why we often have static and humidity problems when it's cold (because we are heating cold air, which makes the RH go down).

If your humidor was at; say 80* F and 70% RH, and then you chill the entire humidor relatively quickly, at some point you'll have water droplets (or at least a fine mist on the walls) inside the humidor because the RH would reach 100%.

EDIT: and just to add one more thing, RH is dependent on temperature as well as the moisture content of the air. Dewpoint, is purely a measure of the moisture content and is independent of temp. Of course, dewpoint is given as a temp which kind of confuses the matter.
 
That's close but not quite right. You're right that colder air has less capacity to hold moisture, but when you lower the temperature of air the RH goes UP (not down). As you keep lowering the temp, at some point the RH reaches 100% and then you get condensation. That's why cold beers 'sweat' when it's hot and at least somewhat humid: the air very close to the beer glass reaches 100% RH (because it has been cooled by the beer glass) and the moisture from the air condenses on the glass. It's also why cold fronts often cause rain. Also explains why we often have static and humidity problems when it's cold (because we are heating cold air, which makes the RH go down).

If your humidor was at; say 80* F and 70% RH, and then you chill the entire humidor relatively quickly, at some point you'll have water droplets (or at least a fine mist on the walls) inside the humidor because the RH would reach 100%.

EDIT: and just to add one more thing, RH is dependent on temperature as well as the moisture content of the air. Dewpoint, is purely a measure of the moisture content and is independent of temp. Of course, dewpoint is given as a temp which kind of confuses the matter.

fair enough. how would this affect the humidor though?
 
fair enough. how would this affect the humidor though?
The RH in the humidor will change with temp (you already knew that), I was just letting you know which way it will go. What you are suggesting should work well, you may have to clean the inside of the fridge a little more often.
 
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