Glass Top Leaking?

    If you are suspicious that your beloved glass top humidor has sprung a leak, here is a test and fix you can use to get you working again.

The Test (Works best in LOW humidity environments between 40% and 50% RH)

    Grab a one gallon Ziploc bag from your pantry. With the lid closed, lay the bag on top of your humidor. (For larger humidors, you may have to get a larger bag.) Make sure the bag covers the glass completely. With a Sharpie, trace a line that is approx 1/2 inch from the outer edge of your humidors lid.

    Next, cut the bag along that line so that you have a single plastic sheet. Lay that sheet on top of your humidor. The plastic should cover the glass entirely but have that 1/2 inch outer edge of wood exposed. This is so the tape has something to seal against.

    Grab your digital hygrometer. (analog will work fine but may not be as accurate) Place it in an area of the room that you know is NOT humidified. We want to baseline the reading so that it's at its lowest point. Once you've done so (Mine read about 19% at it's lowest), place directly on top of the glass and lay the plastic sheet over it, making sure the glass is completely covered.

    Take good (clear) packing tape and tape the edges of the plastic down. The 1/2 inch bit of exposed wood will allow a good air tight seal. Ensure that there are no air bubbles trapped under the tape and that there are no gaps to allow air to escape or enter the space between the glass and plastic sheet.

    Now leave everything for a day or so. It is good to have your humidor in working order so that your cigars are inside with a fully charged humidification unit. If your glass top is in fact leaking, you'll see the hygrometer start to rise. I had tested my glass top that was leaking and the RH went from 19% all the way to 45% in a matter of minutes. If your RH does not budge from your baseline however, the glass isn't your problem.

The Fix

    You must allow the inside of your humidor to dry a bit. For this, you must have a secondary location to place your cigars. I have an airtight Rubbermaid container with humidification and Spanish ceder strips.

    While your humidor is drying out, take a trip to your local pet shop and locate the aquarium section. Ask if they have any silicon aquarium sealant. It should be odorless and cost about $7.00.

    [Note: if you can locate one, find a syringe (without a needle) This will help you apply the silicone.]

    I had no luck locating a syringe so I had to improvise by taking a needle, and poking a hole in the corner of the tip of the silicone tube. That way I could push the corner right into the seam of where the glass meets the wood of the humidors lid and apply a very very little bead of silicone. I did two passes around the entire lid, then let everything sit for 48 hrs per the silicone drying instructions.

    Once your silicone is dry, season your humidor again by following my seasoning steps.