Quote Originally Posted by Powderfinger View Post
The reason I ask is because I am still struggling to understand what is going on with my hygrometers. Someone suggested doing the salt test in a clear fliptop lucite airtight container. I got one of these at Walmart, and did a salt test with my new calibratable digital hygrometer. After it seemed to equalize at 68% humidity at 68 degrees temp. I always thought that the colder at container got the less humidity their would be. This I thought was why they do not recomend putting cigars in the fridge. I was wondering if the fact that being at 68 degrees temp was changing the RH reading. I will now try the Humidipak one-step calibration kit to see what that reads. I am just concerned that if it reads lets say 72% RH at 68 degrees temp, am I really getting true accuracy if I adjust the hygrometer to 75 % RH


Thanks Rich
You are thinking actual humidity, or absolute humidity, instead of Relative Humidity (RH). The RH basically dictates how much water can be released from and absorbed into the air. Which is why the RH adjusts with temperature. Your hygrometer reads RH and temp. In terms of how "hydrated" your cigars will get, 70% RH is the same at any temperature. So if your hygro reads 70% at 68° and 70% at 72°, then your humidification system is doing its job, and you have nothing to worry about. This is why beads are great since they can absorb extra humidity if the temp drops, and the re-release it back into the humidor when the temp comes back up.

To answer your question ahauler, your are kind of correct. The colder air doesn't need as much water to be "hydrated", which is why in a closed, sealed system, with a constant amount of water in the air, as the temp drops the RH increases. It needs less water to have the same RH as a system at a warmer temp.

spiffy