way way off

Scored a digital hygro with the latest cigar.com order (HygroSet -- $20). Right now, the weather site says we've got 70% humidity -- this thing reads 52. I stuck it in a tupperware with some damp salt. Dang thing reads 57 I would expect the thing to be a point or three off. But that far? So my question is, if a hygro starts out twenty points outta whack, is it ever going to be reliable? Or am I going to spin the dial twenty times to adjust it and have something useless?

Oh by the way -- I ordered Sunday afternoon and had the package before I got home Tuesday. That's some service.

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Lee.mcglynn

No calibrate button?

Heavy

I had one that was always off by about 15-18%. I eventually replaced it becuase it didn't have a calibration button. Not sure if it would have stayed accurate or not; I just got tired of doing the math everytime I checked the rh!

camgfs

both of mine have a calibration button. Once it's in the container with damp salt overnight, I just pressed it and it went to 70RH. Every time I test now, it's dead on.

insomnniapb

Make sure you leave it in there with the salt completely sealed for at least 8-10 hours. I like to go 24 hours just to be sure. I usually hit the calibrate at around 10 hours and see if it stays for the 24.

webmost

Course it has a way to calibrate the thing. Sposed to twist a dial and hit a button. Tho it's sposed to be calibrated at the factory. Did that thing with the salt, placed the analog hygro right beside it. This morning, analog read 72 or 73, but even when I twisted the button all the way far as it would go, and hit the reset, the digi only said 61. I called c.com, asked if there was a way to reboot the thing, and they think it's borked. Sending a new one. Great people to deal with.

Gotta say, the analog is a whole lot easier to read.

curtpick

Mine took around 3 tries. Look at the calibration knob. Find the mark on it, and place it center of the calibration span. Right when you put it into a SMALL ziplock baggie with half shot glass of salt ( beach sand wet no more) hit the reset button, wait til reading goes to Celsius and change to Fahrenheit if desired. Blow some air into the bag and zip it closed. Let sit AT LEAST 6 Hours at 68 to 70 deg F. If its way off ( +/- 5% ) at 6 hours. Start over until its its reading within 5% of 75 Rh. Again it took me three tries but now its dead on.

kuzi16

insomnniapb:
Make sure you leave it in there with the salt completely sealed for at least 8-10 hours. I like to go 24 hours just to be sure. I usually hit the calibrate at around 10 hours and see if it stays for the 24.

this is what i do but on a longer time frame. 24 hours hit the button, 24 hours to see if it sticks.

webmost

curtpick:
Mine took around 3 tries. Look at the calibration knob. Find the mark on it, and place it center of the calibration span. Right when you put it into a SMALL ziplock baggie with half shot glass of salt ( beach sand wet no more) hit the reset button, wait til reading goes to Celsius and change to Fahrenheit if desired. Blow some air into the bag and zip it closed. Let sit AT LEAST 6 Hours at 68 to 70 deg F. If its way off ( +/- 5% ) at 6 hours. Start over until its its reading within 5% of 75 Rh. Again it took me three tries but now its dead on.

OK I'm gonna try this way three times. If it works, then I owe c.com another twenty bucks.

blurr

Just re calibrated all 4 of mine for the season change here in pa. About the fifth year I've done this, I've learned a few things. The mixture of salt and water to get the wet sand texture is very important. Distilled is a must, tell me your used distilled water? Last, for even my expensive meters, I have to have very small air pockets between the salt and meter in a sealed bag for it to be at 75 in even 12 hours. Sorry but I think you his saying 6 or 8 hours are nuts. Give it 24 hours and check it. Calibrate, if needed, ONLY after 24 hours in that salt calibration bag.

curtpick

blurr:
Just re calibrated all 4 of mine for the season change here in pa. About the fifth year I've done this, I've learned a few things. The mixture of salt and water to get the wet sand texture is very important. Distilled is a must, tell me your used distilled water? Last, for even my expensive meters, I have to have very small air pockets between the salt and meter in a sealed bag for it to be at 75 in even 12 hours. Sorry but I think you his saying 6 or 8 hours are nuts. Give it 24 hours and check it. Calibrate, if needed, ONLY after 24 hours in that salt calibration bag.

All I can tell you is no. Simple tap water. Have done it forever this way. And they are tested against the boveda 65% bags. So nuts maybe. Wrong doubtful.

the water should be clean of course but that meter cares not if its distilled or not. And thus the small bag. Less rh to be stabilized in less oxygen in a small confined place, with a salt catalyst. Not a gallon bag. A simple sandwich will suffice. The amount of moisture in the surrounding air, at the meter, should be somewhere near 75rh even after only 6 to 8 hours. Laws of physics and chem 101. Rocket science its not.

. Now add more oxygen you certainly need more time to stabilize the environment.

webmost

Got it working. Here's the prob: The printed directions that come with the thing just say stick it in the bag and twizzle the dial. They make no mention of center the dial and hit reset before bagging. So once I read how right here, I centered it, punched the trigger, bagged it, left it overnight, yanked it out, dialed down three clicks to hit 75, and put it to work.

As always, this forum rocks

curtpick

webmost:
Got it working. Here's the prob: The printed directions that come with the thing just say stick it in the bag and twizzle the dial. They make no mention of center the dial and hit reset before bagging. So once I read how right here, I centered it, punched the trigger, bagged it, left it overnight, yanked it out, dialed down three clicks to hit 75, and put it to work.

As always, this forum rocks

Glad to hear !