Mixing packs of Boveda

[Smoker]

Hi all,

Last week I sent a question to Boveda, but they haven't responded. Now that I have joined FOH, I'm sure you guys know the answer to this one!

Main section of original message:

I would like to know the effect of placing two different Boveda packs into a sealed bag. For example, placing a 65% and a 69% pouch into a bag or container. Would this create an environment of 67% RH, or would one of the packs dominate the other? Would this affect the life of the pouches, or would it be just the same as placing two 67% pouches into a container (if you made 67% packs of course)?

________________________

Thanks for the help!

[Baldy]

I don't mix mine but why wait for an answer? Take two different Boveda packs, place both into an airtight tupperware container with a hydrometer and find out for yourself.

Boveda says do not to mix.....predictable.

http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/boveda-60g/

[danny]

I've actually tried this. From my experience, the lower Rh of the two will take on moisture while the higher Rh will expend moisture. I tried this with an 82/69, 72 with 69/65/62, and 69 with 65/62

I then figured if moisture is moving in a direction from the higher Rh to Lower Rh then I could place different bags in different areas of the humidor/tupperdor to create a flow of humidity. This has actually worked out pretty good with a mix of 1 or 2 69's and 4-5 65's; rotating locations every few weeks or so.

[Fugu]

Hi all,

Last week I sent a question to Boveda, but they haven't responded. Now that I have joined FOH, I'm sure you guys know the answer to this one!

Main section of original message:

I would like to know the effect of placing two different Boveda packs into a sealed bag. For example, placing a 65% and a 69% pouch into a bag or container. Would this create an environment of 67% RH, or would one of the packs dominate the other? Would this affect the life of the pouches, or would it be just the same as placing two 67% pouches into a container (if you made 67% packs of course)?

________________________

Thanks for the help!

Wouldn't make any sense. What you'd get at least, due to diffusion effects and lacking mechanical air circulation, would be producing an inhomogenous moisture in your container/bag with a 65% rH near the one and 69% rH near and around the other pack with a gradient building up between them.

Suggestion: Buy a 67%-pack if you want 67%... (they do them)

[TheGipper]

The higher RH one will eventually turn into a petrified little brick. Accidentally put a 72 in with a bunch of 62s and that's what eventually happened to the 72.

[JohnS]

Suggestion: Buy a 67%-pack if you want 67%... (they do them)

It's not available on their website (at 67%).

http://www.bovedainc.com/store/general/

I wonder if you've seen these somewhere else. You can get 67 gram packs though.

[TonyAccardo]

They don't average out between the two like you'd think. If you put a 72 in with a 62, your humidor will be 72rh until that pack expends itself and then it gradually moves down to the 62rh level.

[PapaDisco]

The higher RH one will eventually turn into a petrified little brick. Accidentally put a 72 in with a bunch of 62s and that's what eventually happened to the 72.

Same here when I switched from 69 to 65. Eventually the 69's die of dehydration and the 65's plump up. The effect might be less noticeable in a leaky humidor, but eventually the higher rH will give it up. If it's a small space and the 69 is chock full of hydration, then you might temporarily reach a point where the 65 is completely full and the 69 still weakly humidified and your hygrometer will read 67 but that's just temporary and by chance. It won't last.

[Smoker]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I will stick with my 65s for now, but in an ideal world, I would have liked 66 or 67, and as far as I know, they do not make them.

[Fugu]

It's not available on their website (at 67%).

http://www.bovedainc.com/store/general/

I wonder if you've seen these somewhere else. You can get 67 gram packs though.

They have that in their range of safety data sheets

So it basically exists, but perhaps not in production atm?

May be, Smoker, you should specifically ask about availability of that package instead of the mixing-question. Higher propability of getting an answer, as it is so much simpler....

[Smoker]

Well, I was also curious about the mixing, because it seemed a bit of a conundrum to me.

[TonyAccardo]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I will stick with my 65s for now, but in an ideal world, I would have liked 66 or 67, and as far as I know, they do not make them.

Kitty litter, when left to its own devices, likes to even out at 68%rh. You can "train" them down to less of an rh value, but if you just rehydrate without any thought or intentions to train it, they will usually settle at 68%rh.