The guy at the 1-800 number said the blue beads come precharged so I let it sit. Only got to about 56 %. I then added distilled water and the beads blew the cover off. Still only got 60 %. What do I do?

Basic Troubleshooting questions:

Has your humidor been seasoned, if so, how long ago was it seasoned?

How is the seal, do the dollar bill test:

Test the seal. One of the easiest ways to do this is to get a dollar bill and open your humidor lid. Place half of the bill inside the humidor and half outside. Close the lid and then try to pull the bill out. A properly sealed humidor will make pulling the bill out pretty difficult. If the humidor's seal is not airtight, the bill will come out easily. Perform the dollar bill test on the front and sides of the humidor.

Is your humidor at least half full? This can effect the humidity level.

You have to use a hundred dollar bill... 😳


and if the bill test fails just throw some lettuce in there.... 👍

I always forget the lettuce.... sorry. Rookie mistake.

First of all, 56% ain't that bad. Your cigars will smoke just fine. I keep my humis @ 60 - 62%. I find I have very few burn problems.
Like zero said above, check your seal. The Rh depends on the size of your humidor, how full it is, where it is, where you live, how often you open it and dig around, the seal. In 15 + years of indulging myself in this obsession, err hobby, I'm happy I can keep the Rh in my humidor +/- 4% of 62%.

Sounds full to me. Send me the overflow and the humidity should pick back up. Trust me.

Is your hygrometer calibrated?

Ah yes, I forgot that as well. Perform a Salt Test on it too make sure:

Try the Salt Test:

Luckily, as nature would have it, when salt and water (NaCl and H2O for you studious types), are in a saturated solution at equilibrium, the resultant humidity is 75%. This gives a fantastic reference point to calibrate our hygrometer. There is an easy way to determine if your hygrometer is accurate. Here's the procedure you should use: you need a ziploc bag, a screw-on beer bottle cap (or other small container) a small amount of salt (regular 'ole table salt), and water.

1.Place the salt in the bottle cap (or other small container).

2.Dampen the salt with water. Do not put so much in that the salt gets "sloppy". You want a damp pile of salt in the bottle cap.

3.Place both the hygrometer and the bottle cap full of damp salt in the ziploc bag and seal it well. (It is important not to let air on or out while the test is going on.)

4.Keep it like this for over 8 hours.

After 8 hours in the damp salt environment, the actual humidity inside the bag will be 75%. Compare it to your hygrometer, your hygrometer should also read 75%. If not, you will then know exactly how far off your hygrometer is. If it's off, note the amount and direction that it actually reads and be sure to add or subtract that amount when reading the hygrometer. If the hygrometer has a control to adjust it (either the needle or the display), you can set the hygrometer to 75% immediately after the test.

You should salt test your hygrometer every 6 months or so to be sure of the accuracy.

Ur wordy

Psh. I just copy and paste instructions from the internet.

Thanks, guys. Seal and calibration are fine. Humidity seems to be going up, although as I mentioned, the beads blew the cover off the jar.

Call Lee. It's free.

Better call Saul.

First of all, a lower relative humidity produces drier cigars, which is not necessarily a bad thing if that is your preference. Personally, I prefer to keep my cigars at 70 -72% relative humidity, as measured by an accurate digital hygrometer. Also, the only way RH would be dependent upon the size of the box is if the humidifier is not working properly and therefore is not capable of maintaining the desired RH. A proper humidification device should be able to provide the required RH, regardless of the humidor size or how full the humidor is, assuming the humidifier is sized properly and working as designed. How often and for how long you open your humidor will temporarily lower the RH. However, if everything is working correctly, it should return to the desired RH in short order. All of this assumes that the humidor is sealing correctly.

When a refrigerator is set for a specific temperature and is working properly, the refrigeration mechanicals will maintain that set temperature whether the refrigerator is located in a hot environment or cool environment. The internal temperature will remain the same regardless of its cubic volume if the refrigeration equipment is sized correctly and working properly. The temperature will also remain constant regardless of how much food is inside. When the door is opened, the internal temperature will rise, but once closed is should returned to the desired temperature. If the seal is broken, obviously, all bets are off.

Humidors work very much like refrigerators in that refrigerators are designed to maintain certain temperatures when exposed to a variety of environmental variables. Humidors do essentially the same thing except that they are designed to maintain an internal environment where the relative humidity is controlled instead.