Most Commonly Asked Questions about the DryMistat®
Where can I use the DryMistat®?
A DryMistat® will work inside a humidor, a
premium wooden cigar box, a plastic container or even a cookie jar. You might
even try one in a three finger cigar case for portability. Actually any
reasonably well sealed vessel can become a humidor. Your creativity is the only limiting factor.
Place a DryMistat® near the middle of your "humidor". If
using more than one DryMistat® space them evenly throughout your
"humidor". This allows humidification to be balanced in your humidor.
How long until my humidor is stabilized?
Allow up to a week for the relative humidity to become
automatically stabilized when first loading with new cigars. Please note, you
may have to wait as much as 4 weeks to achieve balanced levels in ‘new’
humidors. You should ‘season’ your new humidor before first use to reduce this
time. See the section on seasoning humidors for suggestions on how to
accomplish this. Using a wooden humidor is best way of creating a ‘happy’
environment for your stogies. They are usually made from, or at least lined
with, Spanish Cedar to help control tobacco beetles.
They should be seasoned before first
time use.
Why are there holes in the cap?
The perforated cap does very little to control the
humidity. It's there for two reasons. One, to give the humidification process
an additional jump-start each time you open your humidor. Second, and more
important, the crystals swell significantly when they reabsorb the water. This
causes the air in the top of the tube to become compressed. The holes in the
cap relieves the pressure and helps prevent it from popping off.
How many cigars will it keep fresh ?
Each DryMistat® should adequately humidify 25 cigars. BUT there are many variables which have to be considered in determining how many to use. How many times a day do you open your humidor? How well is the lid sealed? How dry were the cigars when you bought them? Do you live in a dry environment such as Arizona or a very humid area like Florida? Etc. Etc..... If one DryMistat® can’t keep up with the demands of your environment or the cigar load you place on it, just add another one. The DryMistat® should not over-humidify, even if you have as many as 5 or 6 in a humidor.
What if the DryMistat® is too long for my cigar container?
The DryMistat® tube is made of a tough unbreakable plastic. Simply cut the tube down with a scissor. You can make the tube as small as 1½" to fit into a traveling pocket humidor.
The cap popped off inside my humidor. What should I do?
Put as many of the crystal back into the DryMistat® be as you can. If you lost
some you should not add as much water next time you refill the unit. It will
still work, although it will have a reduced capacity. Please note that the
crystals and PG which may have ‘wet’ your cigars are non-toxic.
Why is 70% Relative Humidity the desired level?
The simplest answer is to determine the environment in the
country the tobacco leaf was grown and the cigar was rolled. These environments
were apparently ideal for this type of tobacco. You would ideally like to
reproduce the particular country of origins environment. Most people feel
cigars stay at their freshest between 68% and 72% relative humidity. Only you
can determine your specific needs based on the taste and draw of the particular
cigars you are storing. We have made it
easy for the enthusiast to accomplish this.
The DryMistat® tube was not full when I bought it. Is it still good?
If the level of the crystals in the DryMistat® is
at or above the top line, do nothing. If the level of the crystals is below the
top line and not less than ½” below the bottom line, fill it with plain water
and replace the cap. Wait a few minutes for the crystals to absorb the water
before placing it in your humidor. If the tube was less than ½ full when you
bought it tells you it was not recently been made and has been sitting on an
open air shelf for a long time. You can bring it back to life by using a PG
regulating solution (like the one sold by Xicar). Under no circumstances should regular PG
50/50 be used as it will destroy the ability of the dry to regulate 70% RH.
I have plenty of distilled water. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to using distilled water?
None whatsoever. Distilled water works great, even though
we say plain tap water can be used.
- Should I refill with a PG regulating solution?
That’s a tough one to answer. Maintaining the proper ratio of pure ‘PG to water’ is critical to regulating 70% RH. Too much PG and humidity goes down. Too little PG and the humidity goes up. PG does deteriorate over time in the presence of oxygen, albeit very slowly. If the PG is subjected to sunlight it can deteriorate a more quickly, than when stored in the dark.
NOTE: Under no circumstances can we recommend using PG50/50 mix. It will raise the PG level and therefore the RH in your humidor.
There are some ‘PG ‘regulating’ solutions on the market. They are mostly water with a small amount of PG. We don’t know the amount of PG they are actually replenishing due to ‘bio degradation’ of PG, but do know it’s relatively expensive for a bottle of ‘mostly water’. You probably could use it every time you refill if your humidor has a glass top (remember sunlight deterioration rate) or alternate with plain water and ‘regulating solution’ every other time you refill if your humidor has a solid top (cigars are in the dark). Some may find the convenience worth the cost.
We feel the best choice is to have Pure PG available to you. You then can determine the amount of PG that needs to be added as well as how often to add it. The best teacher for your needs is your particular experience. After you refill your DryMistat® (remembering not to refill above the top line) and replacing it in your humidor and allowing it to stabilize (maybe 24 hours), your hydrometer will tell you if your RH is to high (add ¼ teaspoon (20 drops) of pure PG) or in the unlikely event the humidity is too low (add ¼ teaspoon of water). Time will teach you how much pure PG to add each time you refill in your particular situation. Once you determine this, you can automatically add the precise amount you need each time you refill (and unfortunately for our pocketbook, your DryMistat® will last for the next 20 years). By the way, the average amount in the country is 10 drops per refill.