Pumidor candidate

[shogun89]

Hey guys, So now with quite a large collection im getting more and more worried about lack of humidity having a negative effect on my collection. I was thinking about getting this little greenhouse and putting some trays with water at the bottom along with a fan. what do you guys think?

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-tier-5-f ... 96909.html

[Drax]

Hey shogun, good to see you!

I recall that somebody had a similar setup.... but I can't remember the specifics (I do remember the plastic was opaque...).

If there's any way you can visit a Harbor Freight and check it out in person, I would double-check the smell, which I think will be your biggest danger. Presumably if there is an odor, it would eventually dissipate, but sometimes some plastics can be odd about odors.

The clear plastic means that you'll want to make sure the tea is in a dark area (or at least, not exposed to direct light a lot).

And the only other major concern I would have is how the humidity will interplay with the plastic. It may not be a problem, but sometimes it's hard to say about the possibilities for mold growing on the plastic...

[shogun89]

Hey Drax, its been too long!

I actually saw it for the first time in the store so i was able to get a good feel about it. I did not smell it but i could only imagine that after some time any smell would go away, i guess you would just need to see.

I am well aware of the light and what not and the unit would simply sit inside the closet where my tea is kept currently.

Mold would definitely be my main concern, that is why i wanted to ask around just to see if there is any experience out there. It would be testing new waters, but if it works the rewards would be great.

[G-off-re]

The idea of plastic being used seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Why not just increase the humidity in the closet instead.

[TIM]

The idea of plastic being used seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Why not just increase the humidity in the closet instead.

Could you elaborate your suggestion further, so we can learn? Perhaps using your actual experience and result as a guide line? Thanks in advance ~ T

[AdamMY]

I do not know if this is all plastics, but one thing I will say, is a few years ago, my parents basement started to have a really foul smell that was getting stronger and stronger but always seemed to be there. It turns out in the end after we really worked to track it down, that it was Plastic Tubs and Legos stored in a closet that were letting off the odor. So certain plastics as they age eventually start to let off a bad aroma.

[G-off-re]

I don't have any experience with pumidors but from my experience with these types of thin plastics they tend to get rather off smelling after awhile. Even more so if its exposed to hot summer heat. Maybe this ones different so i could be wrong. Also there isn't a whole lot of airflow inside that thing so that is going to pose another risk once you try and raise the humidity.

[TIM]

Is air flow important to aging puerh if the temp. is cellar condition? Why do you need air flow in aging? Thanks G-off-re ~ T

[shah82]

Drafts are bad, but...

1) You want the bing to breath, just a little.

2) If it's humid, very low airflow has led to some disasters, as one Central European could tell you.

I think the plastic is a bad idea because it might become a good place for fungi-grunge to settle in and pump spores all over your cakes.

[Drax]

I suppose it depends on which "airflow" that we are talking about.

I think that internal airflow is critical -- since this system would have the water source at the bottom, it will need some method to spread the humidity throughout.

If it's external airflow, or air exchange with "fresh" air, then I am less certain of the need (assuming all the plastic odor is gone). Personally, I would probably try to open the system up and give it fresh air occasionally. Would that slow/stop any mold problems...? I have no clue...

[shogun89]

The reason for the plastic idea was because I am currently a college student so I do not have the ability to be changing humidifier tanks every 2-3 days so i thought by bring down the size and putting trays in would make it last longer. Air flow both in and out is definitely a concern.

My final decision is to just wait until I return and get an entire room or closet humidifier, due to the fact that I am not willing to risk the money put into the collection. Does anyone here use a humidifier?

[Drax]

Well, this information will probably not really be useful for you...

The cabinet that I have for my tea uses the humidifiers listed over here -- they're the ones in the upper left. So the cost is probably a deal breaker.

But... to give you an idea of the effort involved, I think they are the 1.5 qt type (the large). The cabinet has 2 of these humidifiers (the cabinet itself probably holds the equivalent of of 40-50 tongs -- hard to gauge). And I usually have to add water to the humidifiers once every two or three months (more often in the summer; more often when I've added new stuff).

It has an auto regulation system, which I think I have set around 68-70 relative humidity. The cabinet itself is "sealed" but certainly not air-tight (there's even a hole in the back for the power cable to make an exit.

I hope that gives you some indication on the scale of things....

[tst]

Drax,

Just out of curiosity, approximately how heavy is your cabinet (empty)?

What are the dimensions (lxwxh)?

Thanks.

[Drax]

The body of the cabinet (outside) is 30" wide x 23" deep x 40" high. Empty, it's probably a couple hundred pounds (solid wood); definitely a two-person lift. It's now jammed full of pu'erh, and I've got plenty more on the outside (wish I had gone bigger, haha!).

You can see some pics of my cabinet in the early stages of storage right here (including some more further down in the thread), and here is CDS's original thread on the topic.

Oh, while searching, I managed to find this thread by TeaEye, which I think is the one I was thinking of as a similar setup to the one shogun is posting about... unfortunately I don't think he's been around in awhile to say how it's been going...

[gasninja]

Drax Does the humidifier you using have a temperature controller on it as well? It seemed to imply that on the site but did not say so specifically I'm using the cigar oasis Xl. For humidity but my main Problem right now is temp. I am using a cupboard. I have converted but it is on an outside wall and is not well insulated so on cold days it gets really chilly in there.