Hygrometers - Calibrating

[Cheeselove]

HI,

Could really use some advice.

I have a humidifier running in my wine fridge (Danby 30 bottle) and my analog (dial) hygrometer is reading 80+% but my digital is reading 51%.

Which is real?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[DeejayDebi]

No way for us to know from here which is real but ...

1. Take a bottle cap large enough to fit a couple of tablespoons in. Make sure it's clean.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of table salt (non-iodized) in the cap, with a coffee stirrer, stir the salt while adding small
amounts of water until it becomes a thick paste. You DO NOT want to disolve the salt with water, just make a
thick paste.
3. Put this cap and your hygrometer in a tupperware or air tight container for 8 hours. After 8 hours it should
read 75%. If it doesn't then your hygrometer is off.
4. For analog hygrometers, ones with needles not digital read outs, there should be a screw in the back where
you can adjust the needle. Adjust it to 75%, then you're done. Make sure you have the tools necessary before
pulling the hygrometer out of the container so it doesn't change while you're looking for tools. If it's a digital
hygrometer most don't have adjustments, so I just tape a small piece of paper to it with the amount it's off. i.e.
+4 or -3. That way if it reads 70 you'll know it's really 74% or 67% or how much your is off.

[H-K-J]

A great thing to know thanks DJD thumbs up fer you  :)

[DeejayDebi]

I know it's posted here somewhere but several years deep! I thik it's in the Library I will check ...


Could have sworn it was but I just put it in just in case.

[H-K-J]

I know it's posted here somewhere but several years deep! I thik it's in the Library I will check ...
Could have sworn it was but I just put it in just in case.

and yes it works, after reading your post I went directly to the cave and took mine out did what you outlined and this morning it was showing 77%
so, +2 not to far off but for piece of mind it takes away the doubt  ^-^ thanks DJD

[Cheeselove]

Thanks so much. I knew the answer had to be to calibrate, but I wasn't sure how.

I'll let you know how it works!

;D

[Cheeselove]

BTW - my Chive Harvest Cheddar came out of the press this morning and it looks AMAZING. Brining it now in the wine fridge, which of course has kicked up the humidity...

[Chris K]

great tip, Debi!

[DeejayDebi]

Your welcome folks sorry sometimes thingsjust get burried so deep you have to re-post once in a while.

[Cheeselove]

I did the calibration test, with both hygrometers inside.

The dial one was perfect, almost spot on. The digital read 55%

Yay, now I know which one is correct.

Thanks so much for the advice.

[Hande]

Yes, dial one are good, and hair hygrometer are best IMHO.
I have a few of both and now I only trust analog.

Hande

[H-K-J]

The one I checked was digital, I have been haveing problems with the thermometer side, The dang thing was reading 102 deg in a room that is 62 deg max, it is inside my ageing container and has ice packs around it to keep temp at 50 deg, couldnt figure out why, that's when I thought the hygrometer was screwy also, after checking it as per DJD post it showed +2% high and the funny thing is after the salt test the thermometer is working perfectly ??? Go figure  :-\

[DeejayDebi]

What luck!