Possible answer to some humidity problems.

[bballbaby]

I don't really use a hygrometer any more. I can tell by feel and how the cigar smokes.

I'm with Fred on this one. Sure i look at what my hygros say, but in the end, i pick up several sticks to see how they feel. If it's soft and mushy, it's wet, if it's hard like brick, it's too dry. if it makes a slight cracking sound when i give er a squeeze, she just right. I also refresh the "sponges" about once a week. I pick those up and feel them as well...you can tell when one is empty versus full.

I will say i'm about 1 step away from ordering the 65% bead things just so it'll be more consistent. I nkow that when i firt refresh my sponge hygros, the humidity is higher, for obvious reasons.

luckiley for me, the wife is taking a very keen interest in cabinet humidors, which will mean i'll be using the whole elctric hygro that's all computerizationised. I assume they would be inheritently more consistent.

 

[Jwrussell]

Good luck with the whole cabinet search, I'm jealous! Unfortunately, I guess the whole winecooler thing isn't ugly enough for the wife to want to spend the money on a cabinet yet.

I understand what you and Fred are talking about, and that's great, but I like being able to be SURE. And to do that, I need hygros. I like being able to just glance at them and see that everything is ship shape (or not). That's why I love the hygrosets so much. You can adjust them so you don't have to worry about adding or subtracting before you know what the RH is. This whole issue puts a serious crimp on that.

 

[dpricenator]

I will say i'm about 1 step away from ordering the 65% bead things just so it'll be more consistent. I nkow that when i firt refresh my sponge hygros, the humidity is higher, for obvious reasons.

Dude, order the beads, theey are the best thing to come to the world of cigars since fire.

 

[bballbaby]

Since fire...good one. But what came first, the cigar or the fire.

 

[bballbaby]

ok, maybe that doens't make much since...

 

[N2Advnture]

In my most humble and non-scientific opinion, not a chance in hell Mark.

:rofl:

...I checked this multiple times last night with all of my hygros. All three of them did the exact same thing at the exact same temperature. Further, I watched one go from 67-68 in my wine cooler and it did the same thing. I hadn't been in the winecooler messing with anything for over an hour at that point. It never varies. It's always exactly 5% and it's always at the change from 67-68 (or vice versa).

Combine that with this: Since yesterday afternoon I've been checking my hygros quite a bit (through the glass, without opening the door) and if I take this discrepency into account, those hygros that are at 67 or below match up, once I've subtracted 5% from them, with the ones at 68 or above.

Thanks for the confirmation bro, I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page :thumbsup:

 

[rick12string]

Thanks for the clarification, it sounded as if JW was pulling them out of the humidor to check this anomaly and wanted to make sure we were all trying to get to the bottom using the same test.

What hygrometers have you tested this on so far?

Madelaine
Western Caliber III

Thanks again,
Mark

The two hygrometers we see so far having the problem is the Madelaine and HygroSet. None of the WD Cal III's I tested had that RH jump at the 67-68 temp change. I don't know if any other hygros have the same problem. I guess it would possibly depend on whether they use the same chip or not.

 

[daniyal]

I agree, the chart is confusing for cigar smokers but I now wonder if pulling the hygrometer out of a relative humidity enclosure into the ambient humidity environment if that is what we are seeing on the hygrometers with the change in humidity readings coinciding with temp changes.

Any thoughts?

No I don't think that is the problem plus I don't think the sensors on the hygrometers at least the HydroSetsII's I have is so sensitive as to register an immediate change in the environment.

I agree with Rick and JW here that the humidity increases as the temp falls but I have been blessed with an extremely hot spell of late and the temp in humidors is reading around 80F and relative humidity has gone down (at least that's what the digital units say) strangely enough the analogues I have in the humidors are reading a steady 65%RH.

I think its just me but I find a good analogue hygrometer is worth the price and has no sensors in it to throw off the reading. Any one else here have an analogue that's spot on?

 

[N2Advnture]

Jason & Rick, PM coming in regards to exchanging for more testing :thumbsup:

 

[Jwrussell]

Back at ya Mark.

I retested the two rectangular hygros today and sure enough, both exhibit this issue. One I just received a couple weeks ago, the other I've had...hell...I think for at least a year now.

 

[sauzatime]

I’ve seen some threads and posts with people having humidity problems and this may be one possible answer.

Info discovered on some digital hygrometers.
I have a round Madelaine digital in a Boveda test kit as I’m writing this and have found out that when the temperature fluctuates between 67 and 68 degrees F, the humidity reading jumps 5% RH. At 68 degrees it reads 73% RH but when the temp drops to 67 degrees the RH reading jumps to 78%. If the temp goes up to 68 the RH drops right back to 73%. I found this previously with another digital hygro brand also. I got the exact same results. I stumbled across this by accident because I just happened to be looking at the readings right when it changed from 68 to 67 degrees. If the temp in the room hadn’t gotten that low or I did the test in the summer, I never would have caught this. I contacted the retailer of one of the hygros who in turn contacted the importer who contacted the manufacturer which you probably guessed is in China. It seems to be a problem with the chip and a lot of these digitals are made by the same manufacturer for different brands. From what I’ve been told, they are working on a new chip to eliminate this problem.

Point being;
When you check the calibration of your digital, be aware of the temp when checking the RH reading. If you’re at 67 degrees F or lower and the RH seems high, try just turning on a desk lamp above the test kit. You don’t need to put it real close to the kit. The radiant heat from the light shinning on it will raise the temp of the black hygro in a minute or two without heating up the bag rapidly which could effect the actual RH in the test kit (but not by that much if at all). If your temp is 68 or higher, put the kit in the frig for a minute or two to bring the temp down to 67 or below. Then take it out and watch it rise with the ambient temp, focusing on that 67-68 degree change. If the RH reading jumps you have an explanation for why your humidity jumps around in your humi if the ambient temp gets down around that range where you keep your humidor.
This is not however the case for all digitals. I found that the WD Cal III doesn’t have this problem and I’m sure others are probably fine as well.
Hope this helps some folks.

Dang it...when I read this I was hoping it wasn't going to affect me. Temps around here have been good for testing this lately, and I've discovered the most recent adjustable hygro I bought has this exact problem. When sitting at 68 degrees, the RH is 75. I stick it in the fridge (with the door open) to cool it somewhat quickly, at the exact instant that the temp drops one degree to 67, the RH jumped 4 percent to 79.

So I'm guessing the 68 degree and warmer RH reading is the correct one? That's too bad...because mine will almost always be cooler the 68 degrees.

I'll be testing my other round adjustable hygro today and tomorrow.

Thanks for posting this info rick12.

 

[rick12string]

So I'm guessing the 68 degree and warmer RH reading is the correct one? That's too bad...because mine will almost always be cooler the 68 degrees.

I think it would depend on the temp you calibrated your adjustable hygro at in the first place. You probably calibrated it at 68 degrees or higher (assuming you did it at room temp in a Boveda test kit) in which case that would be the correct range but if you did calibrated it while the temp was 67 or lower then I would think the readings your getting in that range would be correct.

 

[Jwrussell]

If the temp is never going to go above 68 where you keep them you could take the step of calibrating them and then adjusting the hygro so it reads 5% low when above 68 degrees.

Mark, any word on this?

 

[sauzatime]

I think it would depend on the temp you calibrated your adjustable hygro at in the first place. You probably calibrated it at 68 degrees or higher (assuming you did it at room temp in a Boveda test kit) in which case that would be the correct range but if you did calibrated it while the temp was 67 or lower then I would think the readings your getting in that range would be correct.

If the temp is never going to go above 68 where you keep them you could take the step of calibrating them and then adjusting the hygro so it reads 5% low when above 68 degrees.

Mark, any word on this?

Both good points gentlemen...thanks.

 

[sauzatime]

Well, I've confirmed...my other hygro has the same problem. Not the end of the world here...but annoying that I frequently have to do a double-take at some readings. Too bad this issue doesn't happen at something like 60 degrees. Having this happen at 67 and 68 sucks...our house flips around those temps often enough (especially in the "cooler" months...which is about 6 months here!) to make it really annoying. :argh:

 

[Jwrussell]

That does suck. Sorry man. Hopefully the manufacturer can figure out a way to get this fixed.