I Hate Hygrometers

M

mugwump

Gorilla
After fighting with my desktop humidors I finally bought a fridgador and thought I had everything stabilized until my humidity levels went all wonky. First I replaced the battery in my Heartfelt and bought a new HygroSet from Town & Country. Then I salt tested my two digital hygros as well as my home weather station and it came back that the Heartfelt was -6, the HygroSet was -1, and the weather station was spot on. I took them out of the plastic bag, adjusted the HygroSet, and left them out for a day and this is the end result:

hygros.jpg


If this is to be believed then the Heartfelt is a whopping -14, the HygroSet is now +6, and the weather station is accurate since it jibes with other reports in the area.

What the heck? How am I supposed to trust any of this junk when they're this far off and swing so wildly in both directions? At what temperature and humidity level can I trust them to provide an accurate reading? Anyone else have these issues?
 
I have a box full of them. For the most part I do not pay that much attention anymore to what any of them say. I just give my cigars a big hug at night before their bedtime....so far it's worked out well.
 
Don't get caught up with trying to compare them. Its all relative, pardon the pun. Use one, commit to it and be done with it. Once you have it adjusted, its all relative. Got it?
 
Kinda like the old saying:

A man with one clock always knows what time it is.
A man with many clocks never knows what time it is.
 
Because my job entails keeping a close eye on parrot eggs as they hatch I have loooadddss of them and they all differ which is a nightmare, considering if they are wrong I can risk losing a chick worth $1000 as the shell will be too thick and they might not hatch/ get out.
I've had 7 digital ones in a single incubator and NONE of them match another, and the incubator cost me nearly $700...which has one built in and that's wrong too!

The annoying thing is, it's their ONLY job and they mess it up!

I salt tested loads of them and the most accurate ones I've came across (whilst in "real" use) to date are the old style analogue ones used in reptile vivariums and humidors.

You can buy calibrated ones from specialist incubator stores etc with a certificate of calibration and they are obviously going to be accurate, but more expensive.
Until then, go with the reptile/ analogue ones that cost a few $'s.
 
I found with my adjustable ones that I had to retest after adjustment, because when you remove it from bag, adjust it, it may already be off. I found that by leaving it in the bag, you can adjust it without openning the bag, takes a bit of trying but thats how I've done mine.
 
chippewastud79 said:
I don't have many issues with mine. But when it shakes down to it: if they feel right and smoke right, I am over it :tu
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Yeah I had things down pretty good with my crappy humidors where I could tell the humidity level by look and touch. With the new fridgador I'm still trying to get a feel for things and without any sort of trusty gauge I can't be sure where my sticks are at. The last few I smoked were dry and harsh while the hygro was reading 71%. Fun times.
 
Buy a pound or two of 65% beads and keep them half white/half clear. You now have 65% all the time, every time. Send back the hygros and buy cigars with the return money. :tu
 
papajohn67 said:
I have a box full of them. For the most part I do not pay that much attention anymore to what any of them say. I just give my cigars a big hug at night before their bedtime....so far it's worked out well.
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:tpd:

As Barbosa would say, hygrometer readings are really "more guidelines than actual rules". I like to go by how the cigars smoke (easy for me to say as my western caliber III hygromters are very accurate :D).
 
I agree use beads I use 60% myself cause my basement is always about 70% so it equals out pretty good for me stable @65%-65 degrees
 
jjirons69 said:
Buy a pound or two of 65% beads and keep them half white/half clear. You now have 65% all the time, every time. Send back the hygros and buy cigars with the return money. :tu
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I'm using this method but I also have a hygrometer in there. 1 pound of 65% beads. Half white, half clear. So far so good.
 
ripper said:
High 5 King!
The Springfield Precise Temp from Wal=Mart works fine.
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Bought one of those from Wal-Mart.

Did both the Humidipak and salt test back to back at 72*F each for 36 hours and the Springfiiled Hygro was +6 points for each test.
 
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