How accurate is temperature gauge on digital hygrometers?

[slowburning]

I have 9 digital hygrometers (from 3 different manufacturers), one in each humidor.

It seems like the temperature gauge on all of them stays at 79 degrees. During this past summer, temperature gauge display shown 85 degrees on all of them. Out of curiousity, I places some of them in front of the air conditioner, while I was shivering standing in front of the air conditioner, the temperature gauge on these hygrometers didn't budge a bit.

Hence my question, how accurate is temperature gauge on digital hygrometers? Does anyone else experience the same thing?

[JAX]

I'm not sure how accurate the temp is on those things....I've got two diamond crowns myself and I will say I've always felt the temp ran high.

To test, I've moved them into a VERY noticably cold part of the house only to see a degree or two drop; if I'm lucky. This summer they both ran 78.

[jjmolleck]

great...now i have to be paranoid about humidity AND temperature....thanks

[Mowee-cr]

What I would do is calibrate both. The temp is easy, just get a regular thermometer (the old glass kind) set both out and see if they read the same. Then I would test the hygrometer part. Do the salt test to check the humidity accurary.

(If you do not know the salt test, you get a ziplock bag...put the hygrometer in it. Get a bottle cap and put some salt in it and add enough water to make a paste...usually a few drops...you do not want it too wet nor too dry. Leave it in the bag with the hygrometer for several, at least 5, hours. Do not let the salt touch the hygrometer. The RH should read 75 percent.)

[JTokash]

I have three digital hygrometer/thermometer combos, one is a cheapie bought at Wal-Mart for about $5 and the other two are about $20 each and have indoor temp/humidity and outdoor temp (though I just bundle up the outdoor wire so I get two temperature readings in the same space on those two).

So out of five temperature readings on those units, as well as the thermometer on my atomic clock on my desk and an old mercury thermometer I have seven total temperature readings to compare in this room....... and all of them are within one degree of one another.

Humidity on the other hand... those three units span 6% from one another when placed all at once in the same salt test box.

Then you have the issue that some digital hygrometers are temperature compensating for the humidity reading and others are not. The two more expensive ones I have change the humidity reading automatically as the temperature changes.... but that's another story.

-JT

[slowburning]

Originally Posted by Mowee

What I would do is calibrate both. The temp is easy, just get a regular thermometer (the old glass kind) set both out and see if they read the same. Then I would test the hygrometer part. Do the salt test to check the humidity accurary.

First thing I do when I get them (I normally buy 3 to 4 at a time) is to perform the salt test to record the humidity readings, and note the difference before put them to use. Then I perform the salt test on the ones already in the humidors. I try to perform the salt test every six months or so.

My main issue with these temp/humidity combos is the temp readings always run about 15-20 degrees higher than the actual temperature.

For instance, temperature in my home is now about 60 degrees, but the temperature reading on these things still read 75, and they've been sitting next to the window for about half an hour.

Over the last couple of years, I've learned to ignore the temp readings (knowing they are off) and focus on the humidity level.

Originally Posted by jjmolleck

great...now i have to be paranoid about humidity AND temperature....thanks

Sorry bro, that wasn't my intend, just bitching about the temperature accuracy on these things.

[Stinkdyr]

Bump this up again...just to say, if you put too much water in your dish of salt and your temp is more like 75 degrees, then you might get a hygo reading of 70%. That is what happened to me. Maybe this can be of help to someone. btw, Caliber III says in its instrux, DO NOT do a salt test on this instrument...it is already calibrated!!!!!

[Rev2010]

My Western Caliber III is extremely accurate. It reads the humidity at the correct level of the beads I use, and the temps match my house thermostat. Couldn't be happier with it.


Rev.