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Thread: Best Room Hygrometer

  1. #1

    Default Best Room Hygrometer

    Hi folks,
    I don't post often, but when I do...I post at the Mandolin Cafe!
    Anyway, I DID search the archives first but no joy.
    I'm looking for a room hygrometer, wall mount preferably. I don't care if it's digital or analog...just want it to work. A larger display would be cool.
    The one I've been using seems fairly accurate, but it's very small and is a desk top model.

    I keep my instruments hanging on the wall, I use room humidifiers, so I need a good room hygrometer.

    Seems like EVERY SINGLE ONE I see on Amazon has numerous HORRIBLE reviews!?!

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks in advance!!

  2. #2

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I can only recommend small ones that fit in instrument cases, anything by hygro-set is fantastic, but tiny. They did have magnets on them and would stick on a refrigerator. :-)
    Davey Stuart tenor guitar (based on his 18" mandola design).
    Eastman MD-604SB with Grover 309 tuners.
    Eastwood 4 string electric mandostang, 2x Airline e-mandola (4-string) one strung as an e-OM.
    DSP's: Helix HX Stomp, various Zooms.
    Amps: THR-10, Sony XB-20.

  3. #3
    Registered User mandotool's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I've tried several ...I like these..no battery required..
    NFI
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  5. #4
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Look for Caliber III or Caliber IV. They are not large but they are some of the most precise and reliable units (if you don't count professional lab equipment)
    Anyway, always test your hygrometer before you trust the numbers.
    Here is good article from well known fiddle maker (also follow links within his pages):
    http://www.burgessviolins.com/humidity.html
    Adrian

  6. #5
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I have a Caliber IV and it works in my pool table room, it measures 14x24.

  7. #6
    Registered User Mike Arakelian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    +1 for the Caliber IV. I keep mine in the case, but it could be used outside the case in your music room somewhere. It's small, not very expensive, and very accurate.
    2007 Sumi F-5 Deluxe
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  8. #7
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I use an Extech 445715 that is easy to read from across the room. I have had no problems with it in about 3-1/2 years I've used it. I can't swear to its absolute accuracy, linearity, drift or hysteresis (yes I was an instrument tech many years ago). People get kind of hung up on these specs, but the bottom line any decent hygrometer will give you a better idea about relative humidity and how it is trending than having no hygrometer at all. I use mine to see when I need to run or shut off my humidifier, and as a result even if my Extech is off by a few percent I'm keeping RH in a tighter band than if I just randomly adjusted based off the tinted paper that comes with all the damp-its I used to use.

  9. #8

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Beware of home humidity meters though, any old humidity meter won't do at all. When I started the hygrometer search, I bought several (three different models) for home use and they were off up to 10% each, so one could read 30% and the other 50% and they could not be calibrated, these were digital models from about 10 years ago.

    I eventually stumbled on the calibration kits available from Amazon (which only work on small units, they have to fit in the bag), and then found units that were dead accurate (hygroset ones as mentioned earlier), I bought three, calibrated them (at most they were 1% off from the factory, fantastic), and two years later when they needed their batteries changed, a recalibration confirmed they there were still dead-on accurate.
    Davey Stuart tenor guitar (based on his 18" mandola design).
    Eastman MD-604SB with Grover 309 tuners.
    Eastwood 4 string electric mandostang, 2x Airline e-mandola (4-string) one strung as an e-OM.
    DSP's: Helix HX Stomp, various Zooms.
    Amps: THR-10, Sony XB-20.

  10. #9
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    .."best", .. From Museum Supplying places, I expect ..

    they have a demand for accurate readings to protect their Collections.

    And are willing to invest in the best equipment..


    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  11. #10
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by kurth83 View Post
    I eventually stumbled on the calibration kits available from Amazon (which only work on small units, they have to fit in the bag), and then found units that were dead accurate (hygroset ones as mentioned earlier), I bought three, calibrated them (at most they were 1% off from the factory, fantastic), and two years later when they needed their batteries changed, a recalibration confirmed they there were still dead-on accurate.
    Are you saying these hygrometers and kits allow actual calibration (adjusting calibration, span, linearity and possibly dead band) at ideally 3 to 5 cardinal points (but at least 2)? Or is it really a calibration check where you just check the reading against a standard (again preferably 3 to 5 cardinal points but at least 2)? Again, my initial training and career in the USN was as an instrumentation technician so I'm a nerd about this. But it is useful to know if you can actually calibrate and recalibrate a consumer grade instrument or just check it. Think of it as the difference between being able to just check if your watch is on time vs being able to set your watch to the correct time.

  12. #11
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I love the nerdy side of this! Yes I'm an instrumentation nut, a chronometer is a wonderful example, it's not that it's inherently better but, it's "rate" is KNOWN, therefor can be taken into account in navigation. Yes, they are very very accurate but not perfect.
    The hygrometer is a wonderful tool and some of you guys are talking above my pay grade (for now) but, I will learn on this thread.
    I'm not terribly worried about my situation but, probably should be!
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  13. #12

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
    But it is useful to know if you can actually calibrate and recalibrate a consumer grade instrument or just check it. Think of it as the difference between being able to just check if your watch is on time vs being able to set your watch to the correct time.
    The typical hardware store hygrometers can be RE-calibrated although they are not specifically designed to be. I'm talking about the ones with a rectangular, plastic housing with a dial thermometer on one side and a dial hygrometer on the 'tuther. You do this by opening up the housing to free the face plate. The hygrometer mechanism is press fit to the face but you can turn it in either direction with a little, gentle force. You can then set it to the actual ambient humidity in the room. That's the rub. You need to know the actual humidity. Once calibrated, these hygrometers will read acurate at the set point but will become less accurate the further from the set point the humidity gets. They should ideally be set in a room with 40% RH or at least no more than 50% RH.
    This is why I would never recommend the "salt method" for instrument owners. It is great for cigar enthusiasts but the critical area of accuracy for instrument owner's is in the 40% range (and below)
    Taylor Precision Instruments makes an easy to use, pocket sling phsychrometer that is the most reliable and accurate method of measuring RH. It's about 80 bucks and well worth the investment if you own a valuable instrument.
    There is a music store in Toronto (the Twelfth Fret) that will calibrate a hygrometer for, for free, you if you bring it in and drop it off. Any good repair shop should be able to do the same, although they might charge a small fee if you ask them.

    Here's a handy chart that traces moisture content of spruce vs %RH. It also shows the actual dimensional change in a 25cm wide mandolin top. For a printer friendly version, clink on the link to my blog page and scroll down to near the bottom.
    http://www.apitiusmandolins.com/Oliv...og%20Page.html

    www.apitiusmandolins.com

    What is good Phaedrus? and what is not good?, need we ask anyone to tell us these things?

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  15. #13
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Oliver A. View Post
    The typical hardware store hygrometers can be RE-calibrated although they are not specifically designed to be. I'm talking about the ones with a rectangular, plastic housing with a dial thermometer on one side and a dial hygrometer on the 'tuther. You do this by opening up the housing to free the face plate. The hygrometer mechanism is press fit to the face but you can turn it in either direction with a little, gentle force. You can then set it to the actual ambient humidity in the room. That's the rub. You need to know the actual humidity. Once calibrated, these hygrometers will read acurate at the set point but will become less accurate the further from the set point the humidity gets...
    There is a music store in Toronto (the Twelfth Fret) that will calibrate a hygrometer for, for free...
    That is not a calibration. That's simply a re-zero. As I stated earlier, a true calibration involves setting the instrument within tolerance for at least 2 points. This assumes the instrument response between those points is also valid. If you rezero at the normal operating point, as you describe, then you have some confidence that you have reasonable accuracy for a narrow band around that point.

    Determining actual instrument and test uncertainty is a fascinating pursuit in itself. In simplest terms you quantify the individual uncertainty of each input (including temporal and spatial effects) and express the total uncertainty by the square root of the sum of the squares of the product of the span of each variable and the partial derivative of the measured parameter with respect to that variable. Probably important in determining the heat transfer performance for nuclear plant heat exchangers (as I did for about 7 years) but overkill for those of us who just want to know when to turn a humidifier or dehumidifier on and off.

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  17. #14
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Buy a sht31 sensirion sensor, look online, mouser electronics has them.
    They may be ugly, but they are the newest technology and the best accuracy, and only ~$30.
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  18. #15

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Ugh! (I'm not sure if that is the correct spelling....) Anyway, the accuracy of probably "any ole meter" is more than MOST of us need. I say MOST because if you are a curator in charge of a collection, then sure, you get to wear that hat! Kinda like a watch that is accurate to a few seconds a year -- most of us don't need that! But, it sure is cool, isn't it?

    When in doubt about such matters, I often ask myself, "Would Woody Guthrie hydrate his instrument?" --there ya go! Which brings us to the next question, "which Calton case do you recommend for hopping freight trains?"

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  20. #16
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Elb2000 View Post
    Buy a sht31 sensirion sensor, look online, mouser electronics has them.
    They may be ugly, but they are the newest technology and the best accuracy, and only ~$30.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    64% RH (as shown in the pic) is plenty wet enough, more than you really want.

  21. #17
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    64% is a little high for RH, but ok. One can find many recommendations for humidity ranges. I follow 30-60% RH for optimum health, comfort and preservation. This is consistent with general HVAC engineering guidance. I have lots of references if needed.

  22. #18
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Here's mine. It is just two thin strips of wood glued together in different grain orientations. No calibration at all, but a quick glance tells me it is bending left so the room is dry. And it is a great visual reminder that wood moves a lot!

    Here is the thread that inspired me, from another forum. http://www.maestronet.com/forum/inde...ter-old-style/

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  24. #19
    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    One idea that I follow with the whole instrument humidity thing is that you don't need a lot of accuracy. Taylor guitars recommends 45-55% RH, but whatever range you subscribe to, plus or or minus 5% is fine. I have two inexpensive digital hygrometers, different brands and designs. I mount them on the wall next to each other. I have done the 75% salt test on both and put a tag on each based on how far they were off. A tag on one says "+10." The other says "+6." That's what I add to the reading based on how far the meters were off at 75%. With the corrections taken into account, my two meters agree plus or minus 2%. If I can keep the space at 48-52% corrected on those two meters, I'm pretty sure I'm between 45-55% in reality.

    The main thing is not to be perfect, but to make sure you don't get down to 30% as will happen with forced air heating, or up to 70% if you are running your humidifier too hard. I keep my instruments in an unused closet in my office. I hang the instruments from the closet bar with leather strips that loop around the tuners. I have the humidifier in the closet with them. I find it is a whole lot easier to control humidity in a closed space.

  25. #20

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
    In simplest terms you quantify the individual uncertainty of each input (including temporal and spatial effects) and express the total uncertainty by the square root of the sum of the squares of the product of the span of each variable and the partial derivative of the measured parameter with respect to that variable.
    I'm not smart enough to understand that but I think it's what the scarecrow said after he got his brain.

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  27. #21

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    I personally use the SensorPush, it's a bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer that works with an app so you can monitor the room from your smartphone just as long as you're within range. It manages to connect throughout my house so I'm pretty happy with it. I also have a small Caliber IV and they both show very similar readings so either one is my recommendation. If you need some more info try this guide, it helped me decide https://www.weatherstationadvisor.co...meter-reviews/

  28. #22

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandoblaze View Post
    I personally use the SensorPush, it's a bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer that works with an app so you can monitor the room from your smartphone just as long as you're within range. It manages to connect throughout my house so I'm pretty happy with it. I also have a small Caliber IV and they both show very similar readings so either one is my recommendation. If you need some more info try this guide, it helped me decide https://www.weatherstationadvisor.co...meter-reviews/
    Nice guide. I have, and really like, the Temp Stick. There's no need for an auxiliary gateway device when using it on wifi like the SensorPush. I can check and log the temperature and humidity from anywhere on my cell phone and it's a stand-alone device. Along with your guide, this hygrometer guide also recommends it as their top choice.

  29. #23

    Default Re: Best Room Hygrometer

    Quote Originally Posted by Folklore123 View Post
    Nice guide. I have, and really like, the Temp Stick. There's no need for an auxiliary gateway device when using it on wifi like the SensorPush. I can check and log the temperature and humidity from anywhere on my cell phone and it's a stand-alone device. Along with your guide, this hygrometer guide also recommends it as their top choice.
    Nice, thanks.

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