Quote:
Originally Posted by bobarian
Multiple hygrometers are irrelevant unless they are calibrated. Even analog hygrometers can be calibrated, they have been used for nearly 100 years without issue. Digitals available can me more accurate, but also only if calibrated regularly. 3-5% is not a spike and is nothing to worry about. 10-20% is a spike.
70% Rh indoors seems exceedingly high even if you are running a humidifier connected to your central heating/air. If you are only using silica gel I suspect your Rh is actually much lower than you are measuring. Invest $20 in a 1-2oz tube of HeartfeltIndustries beads, most here like 65%.  |
Shoot, I'm using salt-calibrated analogs on every level, and without the silica, I can't get the RH below 75 in the winter, and in the summer, I remember it was at 80 at one point before I started using the silica. Our house is a simple farm house constructed 125+ years ago at the base of two small hills, where the water level is quite high. We've had mold problems in the past, and the (unfinished) basement is always musty. Before I started using straight silica, my sticks would always tunnel like crazy and have to constantly be re-lit, not to mention taste really acrid. I've noticed a TREMENDOUS improvement both in burn and flavour with the silica in place, and I still occasionally pull a stick that acts like it's a bit too moist, but I'm still getting an average RH of 67. I thought that maybe my silica, which is un-moistened, 100% silica from kitty litter was absorbing the natural tobacco oils, since it quickly turns a brownish color in the humidor, but others have said on this site that is normal and nothing to be concerned about.