Boveda - how to recharge them

[piperdown]

I had several threads going on with respect to Boveda packs and how to recharge them.

If you all recall, many chimed in and confirmed they too had been doing this.

Essentially, Boveda packs are a two way humidity device. When new they are fully charged and do have a bit of difficulty absorbing excess moisture if you get a wet shipment of cigars in. They work excellent at maintaining rH within humidors, tupperdores, coolidors and winedors.

After the Boveda packs have been inside your storage system of choice they typically need to be recharged at some point. There are many factors that determine how often you'll need to recharge. A leaky wooden humidor may need recharged as often as weekly. A better sealed wooden humidor may only need charged once every four weeks. A sealed system such as a tuppordor may hold as long as 6 months, depending on how often you open it. In my case I have some Lock N Lock boxes with latches that I haven't had to charge the Boveda packs in over a year since I only open them once a month to allow air exchange.

The time of year can also impact how often you need to charge the Boveda packs and the region you live in. If it's cool and dry in the winter you may need to change more often than someone living in a cool wet region.

Anyway, on to recharging the Boveda packs. When the pack gets flat and feels less flexible it's usually time to start the recharge process.

There are many ways to do this but it all boils down to raising the humidity in a sealed container to allow the Boveda pack to absorb humidity back to it's original charge. This can take up to a few days or a few weeks depending on how much humidity the Boveda pack needs to absorb.

The way I used to setup, and sometimes still do if the packs are really low, is as follows:
I have a sealed Tupperware container about 12x8x6. I have an elevated platform in the center of the Tupperware that I place the Boveda packs on and then pour distilled water into the bottom of the main container. This keeps the Boveda packs out of the water and keeps the paper outer wrapper intact. Close and seal the Tupperware lid and let the Boveda packs absorb moisture to their hearts content. I usually check them every couple of days to see how they are doing. When they are puffy again and flexible they are good to rotate back into the cigar storage units.

You can also recharge them using a large mason jar, plastic jar and even zip lock bags by using water pillows in the charging container. I've noticed it takes a bit longer with using water pillows but the great thing about them is when you have excess Boveda packs like I do you can just keep them in there until needed. This is how I've got mine set up currently although for a pack or two that need a lot of TLC I use the water in the bottom of the container from the preceding paragraph..

I've got a couple different setups like the ones mentioned above and always have spares on hand. Once you get a good rotation going it's fairly effortless.

Some might question why don't I just buy new Boveda packs. Valid question and here's my answer. I've got about 20 'dors in various forms and would be spending a small fortune if I was buying new all the time. With the system I'm using now I only have to replace a few packs a year because eventually they do start to have some issues with absorbing and releasing humidity.

Some of my packs have been in rotation for over three years and are still going strong.

Hope this helps the community.

[AlanS]

This is very helpful and resourceful! Not to mention it can save cash for more Cigars.

[Emperor Zurg]

I have a bit of a variation on the same thing.

1) I charge 1 pack at a time.
2) I do not use distilled water. The evaporating and recollected water is, by nature, distilled.
3) Here's the process...
- a) Place your charging container setup, without the pack or water on a kitchen scale
- b) Push the 'Tare' button to zero the display
- c) Place the deflated pack on the platform
- d) Trickle water into the bottom of the container until the scale display equals the advertised pack weight (i.e. 60 grams for a 60g pack)
- e) Seal the container and ignore it until the water in the bottom is gone

The idea is to put the pack back to how it came from the factory without overcharging it. This way you can ignore it until you need it again without fear of overcharge. I'm not sure how this would work charging packs in mass as I haven't tried that. It might be worth some experimentation to find out but I just don't have that big a setup to have to worry about it.

[Tombstone]

Thanks for reposting the info. I used it and started recharging my packs. Saves a ton of money.

[thechasm442]

Great thread. I am actually getting ready to do this in a few days and this really helps!