Humidification Woes...

[Curmudgeon76]

Ron,

Yeah, I found that kind of strange myself. Well, I only payed about 20 dollars for the unit so if it DOES turn out to be rubbish I won't feel too bad about it.

And if it does turn out that it is woefully inaccurate, I supposed I'll just need to purchase another make.

In that situation, can you recommend a personal favorite when it comes to hygrometers? Thanks!

Justin

 

[RonC]

search the vendors of this site. they all sell a recalibratable hygrometer that performs very well. A Humidipak is used to test the hygrometer. Humidipak technology is based on the salt test. Thats why Westerns claim about the salt test is BS

 

[Curmudgeon76]

Ron,

Thanks for the advice. I was under the impression that the Boveda packs were THE industry standard for determining the accuracy of a hygrometer, and I took that to mean ANY hygrometer.

So the Humidpak should be perfectly fine to use to check the accuracy of this model then, regardless of what they claim?

Thanks
Justin

 

[Jwrussell]

That's correct Justin. My assumption is that anyone that says not to use the salt test has probably dealt with people returning products after they've spilled a bunch of salt water on the thing from doing the damn test wrong.

The Boveda test will not harm any hygrometer out there. And don't be surprised if you find that "pre-calibrated" Western Digital turns out to be quite a bit more than +/- 1%.

 

[blessednxs65]

Welcome aboard. While by no means an expert, I highly recommend beads. I just went with them a month or so ago after a few years of throwing money at Boveda packs (which will throw one into a Tupperware dish for transitory and suspect sticks). Best decision I ever made.

 

[Mickeyray5]

Welcome aboard! Give up on a fifty now. You might as well start looking at 150 or 200 count humi if you plan on staying around! When I first found this site I didn't have a humi. Now I have a 250, 100, 50, 20 and the same Monticristo Afrique that you do! It's an addiction, and God help you if you find C-bid!

 

[RonC]

Ron,

Thanks for the advice. I was under the impression that the Boveda packs were THE industry standard for determining the accuracy of a hygrometer, and I took that to mean ANY hygrometer.

So the Humidpak should be perfectly fine to use to check the accuracy of this model then, regardless of what they claim?

Thanks
Justin

the Boveda is the best method bacause it uses the salt test technology
in a factory sealed container that has the correct amt of salt and water. no room for error. the only error that can occur is not doing the test for along enough period of time. The Humidipak is the same technology as the Boveda (Boveda is made by Humidipack)

 

[RonC]

That's correct Justin. My assumption is that anyone that says not to use the salt test has probably dealt with people returning products after they've spilled a bunch of salt water on the thing from doing the damn test wrong.

The Boveda test will not harm any hygrometer out there. And don't be surprised if you find that "pre-calibrated" Western Digital turns out to be quite a bit more than +/- 1%.

in my opinion, the real reason for a company to tell you not too use the salt test was because they were getting too many returns and phone calls after a salt test proved that their advertised claims of accuracy were wrong.

 

[Jwrussell]

Hehehehe, well, that too Ron. :rofl:

 

[RonC]

this exact topic caused a few nice flame wars over on CF back about 6 years ago. It was enjoyable.

 

[rick12string]

First of all, welcome to BOTL Curmudgeon76. Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Work has been crazy. I can hardly keep up with reading posts these days much less writing some. If this continues I’ll be forced to hit the lottery!

Anyway,
I have the Cal III hygrometer and yes you can check it with the Boveda test kit. I spoke with the people at Western Humidor and they told me that the Boveda test kit is what they recommend if you want to see where your hygro is reading at. I agree with Jwrussell about people spilling salt water on the hygrometer. That will surely ruin the sensor. The first one I had read 75%. The Boveda test kits are supposed to be 75.5% (with a +/- 0.5% tolerance). The Cal III doesn’t read to tenths so this was more than adequate being in the +/-1% range. If the hygro reads further out by 2 or 3% you can just do the math or call them, tell them it’s out of spec and they will replace it for you. The Cal III has a 5 year warranty, whereas most I’ve seen in that price range only offer 1 year.

I read somewhere that all digital hygrometers can drift over time and it was recommended to check them once a year. I had my first one well over a year when I re-tested (with a new test kit) and sure enough it had drifted up 4% to 79%. I called Western Humidor, explained the problem and they replaced it with another unit no questions asked.

Some of my friends have the Cal III, multiples in fact. Some were off right out of the box as much as 4-5% and others right on the money and are still reading accurately. Luck of the draw I guess but if you have a problem they’ll take care of you.

If you buy it from JR ($19.95) and it’s not to spec., you can return it and they’ll pay the return shipping and send another if you want.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Curmudgeon76]

Hey all,

Thanks for the input! Did the Boveda test on my Cal III. I left the hygro in the package for 48 hours: at the 12 hour mark it was at 78% RH, at the 24 mark 79% and at the 48 hour mark 80%. Which reading should I go with? I kind of assumed the longer it was in the humidipak the more accurate, but not sure if that's right. So it looks as though mine is around 5% over right out of the box. I may, in that case, call WH and ask them for a replacement.

Also, just ordered my beads so looking forward to getting them and giving them a go in my humidor!

Regards,
Justin

 

[dpricenator]

If you can wait for the replacement go for it. Mine is constantly and consistantly under by 4% I just do the math and use it.

 

[Jwrussell]

I'd send the thing back. While it's not a big deal the only reason I deal with the fact that my remote hygrometers are off is because I have no way of correcting them.

Yet another subtle hint to the people that concocted the self-calibratible hygros to get to work on remote units!

Any regular digital hygros in my cooler are the re-calibratible units that Viper and Mark sell. If I went with something like the Western Digital I wouldn't settle for a unit that didn't read as accurately as it was guaranteed to do. But that's just me.

 

[Curmudgeon76]

Hi all,

Spoke to the folks at WH and told them I'd used the humidipak. They told me that was fine and since my reading was off by 5% (it read 80 rh after 48 hours) they offered to recalibrate it for me. I also put in a new, fresh battery. Sent the hygro back the other day to WH and they said I should have it back within a few days so I'm happy, we'll see how it is now.

Also, excited to have just received my heartfelt beads. They came in a blue humidity tube, so from reading the directions I get the impression I just rotate the tube while I spray it evenly with distilled water until most of the beads are clear but some remain white. Also, I purchased the drawstring bag that was available on the site as well. Should I just spray all the beads while in the tube and then transfer them to the bag?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Cheers,
Justin

 

[Jwrussell]

Justin, that sounds like the way to go. :thumbsup: Enjoy.

 

[dpricenator]

I like the bag better, in the tube, theya re hard to see how many are clear. I use a sack tied out of a pair nylon stockings.

 

[Curmudgeon76]

Hello all,

Just an update on my woes with WH. I sent my cal III back and they received it 3/31. I have been keeping in touch with them, and they told me that my RH when they tested the unit was higher than it should be by like 4 percent which is just about identical to what I got with my Boveda test kit.

I spoke to someone today, who claims that a replacement unit was sent out 4/3. It is now 4/11 and I have STILL not received it. I felt like asking him if he sent it by pack mule. Additionally they couldn't tell me how they shipped it, just that it was either USPS or FedEx, most likely FedEx. I'm getting a bit concerned because they keep telling me I should have it "any day now". Does anyone have any experience dealing with them in terms of honoring their warranty/receiving a new unit? Perhaps I'm just impatient but it seems as thought it's taking longer than it ought to to arrive. Thanks for any input!

Justin

 

[Curmudgeon76]

Dpricenator,

Do you keep the beads in the bag at all times, including when you spray them to recharge? I bought one of heartfelts' draw string mesh bags and it's nice, see through material. So would you recommend spraying them beads to recharge them while they're in the bag then?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Jwrussell]

Justin, I keep mine in the bag when I add water. I actually use a plastic syringe that came with one of my original orders of beads, but either way should work. If you are going to spray the bag though you need to be careful of wiping off excess water from the outside so that it doesn't drip.