I have been using a HumiCare XG 1000 Pro in my cabinet for two years. Overall, it's performed very well. It's much quieter than the Cigar Oasis II XL and the Moist N' Aire active humidifiers. The latter 2 units are more powerful, but the Moist N' Aire tends to over-humidify the cabinet and requires constant monitoring (I wouldn't buy one of these -- you can't just "set it and forget it" unless you enjoy raising tobacco beetles!
) I have two very large cabinets and I use one or two of these large active systems in combination with an assortment of passive humidifiers in each cabinet. The HumiCare is quiet and efficient and is my favorite of the three for this reason.
Unfortunately, I'm having serious trouble with my XG 1000. For some reason, Humi-Care doesn't manufacture a replacement cartridge so, after cleaning the old cartridge several times, I replaced it with some absorbent floral foam. I haven't been able to find foam that fits the HumiCare reservoir, so I cut the foam with a hacksaw (gently) and, even then, none of the bricks I've found are long enough to fill the reservoir completely. Still, this option is better than buying an expensive new XG 1000. Hopefully, HumiCare will begin selling replacement foam for it's flagship active humidifier. Until that happens, I cannot recommend the XG 1000 Pro, despite its advantages.
I am also having serious problems with the HumiCare's built-in hygrometer that regulates when the unit turns itself on and off. The unit worked well with the ill-fitting replacement foam for about a month but since then, the hygrometer has become terribly inaccurate, usually reading under 40% RH. I have several freestanding hygrometers in each cabinet and my cigars are in good shape, so I'm certain the problem is in the HumiCare hygrometer. The HumiCare has a manual regulator that changes the reading on the hygrometer (plus or minus) by about 5% to match the actual humidity level in the box. But with the HumiCare's hygrometer under-reading the RH level by about 30%, this is not sufficient to compensate for the problem. To make matters worse, the HumiCare emits a loud alarm when the perceived humidity level falls significantly below the levels set on the control unit, so I turn the whole thing off at night. Not good.
So does anyone know if it's possible to completely recalibrate the HumiCare's internal hygrometer or alternatively, to permanently disengage the alarm? There is no obvious way to remove the cover on the control unit, and I am reluctant to do anything to damage it. I'm no mechanical genius so hopefully I'm missing something. The hygrometer's inaccurate readings fluctuate wildly, so I cannot simply set it for say, 35%, knowing that it would keep the RH at the correct level despite the incorrect reading. Are the bad readings the result of the poorly-fitting foam brick (which is well-filled with distilled water)? Any guidance here would be deeply appreciated.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone in the CigarBid community!