Propylene Glycol

[AKDiscer]

I was reading on a site to make sure your humidifier is charged with this before you add distilled water. I'd post the link but my tablet is giving me fits over copy and paste.

Any input on this? Once I get back to a computer I'll post the link if there is confusion on my question.

[grtrx]

use a 50/50 solution of PG and distilled water. You can buy this premade

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/h...juice/#p-48652

[Mad Dawg]

If you're using a credo/floral foam humidifier, the PG-H2O mix is how you charge it initially. Thereafter, just distilled water. If you're using silica gel beads, never add PG, only distilled water.

[AKDiscer]

Originally Posted by Mad Dawg

If you're using a credo/floral foam humidifier, the PG-H2O mix is how you charge it initially. Thereafter, just distilled water. If you're using silica gel beads, never add PG, only distilled water.

Apologies for the noob question, but why? I'm trying to understand why it is important one way or another. Some places I've read say it don't matter one way or another. It appears, to me, that there are two schools of thought. Me, being a technical person, likes to read/hear arguments of logical reasoning from all points of view.

[macsauce13]

The whole idea with the beads is that they are efficient at diffusing water through a porous surface at a constant and convenient relative humidity. If you add something that can clog the pores, over time (or even immediately) the pores will lose the efficiency that made them work.

If you're interested in the beads, search the forum for kitty litter and you'll find all that you need. I'd do the search for you, but I'm short on time. I'm sure one of the other gents here could help.

[Briandg]

PG is hygroscopic; it absorbs water. At 70 degrees and 70% relative humidity, PG will remain stable mixed with about 50% water. So your pad of mixture should be held between maybe 70 and 40% water, because you want to have some water available to keep your cigars from drying out. If you let the water get below 40% or so, it will start drawing moisture out of the air.

So, the idea is getting the PG mixture to remain at a 70-70 balance, which is 50% of each, pg and water. This maintains a 70-70 balance in your tobacco and humidor under most normal circumstances.

Why do you add water, and not PG blend when you refill your humidor?

Because PG does not evaporate. the vapor pressure is far lower than that of water. The water will evaporate, but the PG will evaporate much more slowly, and at a 70% rh, it evaporates very little, if at all.

So you start out with a brick of foam saturated with 50-50 water/pg. You put in a digital hygrometer. As your Rh starts to drop throughout the dry periods, add water in small increments, and keep the Rh between 75 and 60, depending on who you listen to. You keep the RH at those levels by either adding an excess amount of water to raise the RH, or letting the block dry a little to lower it.

Keep in mind that tobacco leaf also absorbs water. It needs to be kept at 70-70 as well, and that happens when you keep your numbers consistent. if the RH starts to drop in the box, it means that there isn't enough water in teh foam. As soon as it drops, the foam will start absorbing water from the tobacco.

[grtrx]

what Brian said... the 50/50 PG/Distilled water keeps a 70% ish humidity in the humi. Like he said PG doesn't evaporate so you don't have to add it very often if ever again.

the two schools of thought I know of with humidification are beads and 50/50 PG/DW.

Maddawg was not busting your chops, he was walking through two methods... and if you add PG to beads, well the beads aren't going to be beads any more.

[Briandg]

If you do choose to go the route of PG, I suggest going to a floral shop and getting the gel beads or crystals that are soaked in water to make wet balls of gunk. Soak the things with 50/50, let them reach full size, then lightly add to them when they shrink a little. You don't want to let them dry out or add too much water at a time, because then you get spots of the plastic that's only water, or not a proper balance of water. Let that happen too many times with any PG system, and you'll get mold, because PG inhibits mold, and water actually supports it. Using the round beads will also have the benefit of the larger surface area, as mentioned before. A foam block is good, but the polymer crystals are not as efficient as the beads. they tend to glump up together and they don't circulate the air as well. You don't need circulation, really, but you have to have a way of letting the moisture make contact with the air.

I see no reason for avoiding the purty colored ones. They aren't scented and they are non toxic. They have no effect on the PG. So get whatever you can set your hands on, and wide and shallow is more important than a deep and full container. Surface area is the key.




http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Rainbow-...bsorbing+beads

[AKDiscer]

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks a ton guys. I love this "brain getting fuller" thing about my new lifestyle.

[CJ3]

Yeah. I don't even bother anymore.

The following are the average daily relative humidity #s for various locations in NY:

70 Albany
73 Binghamton
72 Buffalo
63 New York City, Central Park
68 New York JFK Airport
63 New York La Guardia Airport
73 Rochester
72 Syracuse

Tell me that's not the best part about our climate...