Humidification Beads FAQs

[N2Advnture]

Originally Posted by smitty81

I ordered a heartfelt beads 65% tube, put distilled water in it but didn't overly saturate it. It's been sitting for about 3 days and I noticed that some bead or gel particles are coming out of it beneath it.

Is this common after the first time you saturate it?

I saturated it on friday, added some cigars that had sat in a walk in humidor and now it seems the beads are dried out?

When I tip it from end to end, you can hear them moving around but when i put a light up to ut, they look clear. Could they be dry already?

Im not impressed with this hertfelt beads tube. Harder than hell to tell if they are saturated.

It is common for the beads to fracture (and create dust) if when water is added quickly but it does not affect their performance.

Adding cigars can change your RH level dramatically. Adding dry cigars can quickly deplete any moisture in beads and adding wet cigars can spike the RH.

You may find that a change in season or adding and removing cigars can create small changes in RH levels that would need to be corrected by adding water to the beads or drying them out.

Not that it applies to your situation but having a rise in RH could create enough moisture inside the humidor that the beads would reach their capacity to absorb any more excess RH (RH above the set point of the beads - 60%, 65%, 70%, etc...).

To remedy this (as mentioned) simply use a hair dryer set on low to dry them out.

Also, opening and closing they humidor frequently can introduce drier (or more humid ambient RH) which would affect the RH level.

I would also recommend changing the batteries in your digital hygrometer(s) once a year and calibrating twice a year. Weak batteries can/do give false readings and they can "drift" throughout the year, meaning that the reading can be off.

Also, being a silica based bead and not a gel, they don't expand.

I hope this helps.

~Mark