Hygro frustrations

SoddyDenizen

I've searched the archives and I think I know what my solution is but I still wanted to toss my dilemma on the table here. On my new 50 count humi I calibrated ( I thought) the analog that came with it. Seems to be 5 to 7 points lower than actual RH. So I purchased a couple of el-cheapo digitals that look like they are made for industrial use to fit in a housing of a machine of some sort. One seems to be stuck at 81 no matter where I place it, humi, room, basement, garage so it is no good I guess. The other seems to be somewhat more stable but I am still unsure of it's accuracy. I have gotten to the point that I am unsure of what my actual RH is inside my box because of an almost 20 point difference between the three hygros. Is there any way to start over and stableize these this to give me a more accurate reading, say within 5 points or so? Also, I have kept a hygrometer in the case with my acoustic mandolin for years with no wild fluctuations, it seems to stay around 45 to 50 where is should be. Not sure what the difference between a hygro for a musical instrument and a humidor is but it seems there is. Guess I will need to break down and get a decent digital. Hopefully I can get one that will fit in the front opening of the box where the analog now resides. Non of my cigars are very expensive but I have a few samplers that I don't want ruined due to improper storage. If anyone has any ideas to help me I would sure appreciate it. Can I do the salt test again? Not sure it will help but I need to try something. Thanks!

The Sniper

Hey Soddy, sorry to hear about your frustrations but take heart! 99.9% of the people have gone thru it and understand the frustration. Here is what I would suggest, which is probably what you've already read by searching the forums (good on you for doing that BTW).

Step 1 - As you said, go ahead and come off the cash for a good digital hygrometer which can be calibrated. I would recommend Xikar, as they seem to do a great job (the round ones more so than the rectangular ones) in holding their accuracy once calibrated, and they have a one-touch system for doing the calibration rather than fiddling with the know and then having to hit the button to lock in the change.

Step 2 - When you order or pick up the hygro, I suggest also picking up a Boveda 75% RH Calibration packet as well. This will reduce the chance of human error (too much salt or water in the mixture) when your hygro is calibrating. The packets are multi-use, meaning you can also put your existing hygrometers (even the one for your mandolin if it will fit) in it and calibrate them after you're done with your new digital hygro, should you decide to go that route.

As for finding a digital hygro to fit where your analog sits in the front opening of your humidor, good luck. I tried this with the first humidor I bought and had no luck, as they were all too small to fit the opening. They good news is you can leave the analog in place (NEVER trust its reading though) and your humidor should hold humidity just fine.

Hope this helped some. I know I am just rehashing the standard solutions here, but I figured if you could take the time to type up the question, I could take the time to type out soem sugestions. :-) PM to you sir.

jlmarta

You don't say whether you used the salt test, the Boveda kit, or whatever when you say you did the calibration. In my opinion, analogs are worthless. they need to be tossed. And digitals ought to be un-cheapies. Better yet, they need to be adjustable. It's worth a couple extra bucks to get the right stuff to protect your sticks. Just my opinion......

And, once you've gotten decent digitals and adjusted them so you can rely on 'em, maybe you should put one in your mandolin case for a while. You might be surprised there, too.......

Roberto99

Sounds like you are bit of a tinker-er! I would defer to someone else about fixing the hygrometers you have. Re-doing the salt test may help you decide what to do with them.(ie. whether or not to throw them out) If your analog is 5-7 points low but stable, go with that knowing it is low, until you can get a better digital. Like said above analogs are notoriously unreliable.

I think that your best bet to have stable humidity is to get silica beads. If you have to go on the cheap. I hear wal mart has some digital hygrometers if you decide your hygrometers are shot. While you're there you could go to the kitty litter dept. and pick up unscented Mimi-Litter for your silica. Personally, I won't go there unless I can't get it anywhere else in my area.

boydmcgowan

The Sniper:

Hey Soddy, sorry to hear about your frustrations but take heart! 99.9% of the people have gone thru it and understand the frustration. Here is what I would suggest, which is probably what you've already read by searching the forums (good on you for doing that BTW).

Step 1 - As you said, go ahead and come off the cash for a good digital hygrometer which can be calibrated. I would recommend Xikar, as they seem to do a great job (the round ones more so than the rectangular ones) in holding their accuracy once calibrated, and they have a one-touch system for doing the calibration rather than fiddling with the know and then having to hit the button to lock in the change.

Step 2 - When you order or pick up the hygro, I suggest also picking up a Boveda 75% RH Calibration packet as well. This will reduce the chance of human error (too much salt or water in the mixture) when your hygro is calibrating. The packets are multi-use, meaning you can also put your existing hygrometers (even the one for your mandolin if it will fit) in it and calibrate them after you're done with your new digital hygro, should you decide to go that route.

As for finding a digital hygro to fit where your analog sits in the front opening of your humidor, good luck. I tried this with the first humidor I bought and had no luck, as they were all too small to fit the opening. They good news is you can leave the analog in place (NEVER trust its reading though) and your humidor should hold humidity just fine.

Hope this helped some. I know I am just rehashing the standard solutions here, but I figured if you could take the time to type up the question, I could take the time to type out soem sugestions. :-) PM to you sir.

+1 to everything here, especially the part about all of us having gone through this at one point or another. One other idea to keep in mind is what I do. I have one digital that I calibrated using the boveda pack as Sniper mentioned, and I rotate it through my 2 humis and overflow tupperware. This way, I'm only out the 18 bucks or whatever the thing cost, and I use that to keep my analog hygros calibrated and accurate, so that they aren't just a decoration.

the two morals of the story are; 1. don't trust an analog hygro 2. even if you have a digital one there's no reason to take out the analog one becuase I think if you do, you'll have a heck of a time getting the seal back depending on where it is.

Oh yeah the last moral of the story is to pick up some beads from one of the two sources people talk about. It really makes a difference. I used the sponge humidifiers and analog hygros for about 6 years because I'm stubborn, and finally made the switch to heartfelt beads and a digital hygro shortly after joining the forum and life is SO much easier now. I trust my beads more than I do my hygros. up front investment is a good thing in this hobby. Plus these accessories can grow with you and move from one humi to the next.

SoddyDenizen

Thanks for all the great help! Yes I am a bit of a tinkerer, it doesnt help that I cant leave this stuff alone sometimes. Guess I will make the investment and get a couple of good digitals for peace of mind and secure stoogie storage, along with the proper calibration kit. Not sure I did the salt test correctly. I found I have an "overflow" tupperware myself so a second unit will help me there until I decide on what size humidor I will need next. Those sticks accumulate don't they? I did look at Wal Mart (which I am loathe to go to) but did not find one, looking at the area with outdoor thermometers and such. Of course there is a WM about 30 miles in any direction from here so I will check a different one. I know it is stressed on this forum to not use the sponge stuff so I went with the gel off the bat. At least the humidification is steady with those. And boydmcgowen, I do like the idea of a single unit, at least for now, to rotate between the good humi and the tupperware. Now I am questioning my mandolin hygro as well. Sniper, thanks for all the good info and thanks for the extensive posts of all the things a noob should know. I have read that three times now, lots of good info! I appreciate you all!