Expert: James Yee - 1/30/2008

Question
I just purchased my first humidor and I have begun the seasoning process.  I've been humidifying the humidor for two days and the humidity (according to the hygrometer) has not exceeded 40%.  Unfortunately, I cannot perform the traditional salt water test as the hygrometer cannot be removed.

I was wondering if it is possible to perform the salt water calibration on a hygrometer that cannot be removed from the humidor?

If not, is there another way to obtain a proper humidity reading without purchasing a digital hygrometer.

Answer
Hi Matt,

The first thing you should do is check with the documentation (if any) that came with your humidor for any instructions on removing the hygrometer.  I know that some humidors that have the hygrometer built into the front of the humidor cannot be removed because they are secured in place.  This is done to prevent any humidity leaks or human tampering that may affect the humidor's internal humidity and performance.

If there are no instructions for removing the hygrometer, you can contact the humidor manufacturer and ask them if the hygrometer for that specific humidor model can be removed or not.  Tell them that you wish to remove the hygrometer because you want to conduct a salt test on the hygrometer for accuracy and calibration.

As an alternative, what you can do is borrow (if you know someone that has one) another hygrometer and place it in your humidor to test the humidity level.  If the humidity reading on the borrowed hygrometer is the same as the built-in humidor's hygrometer, then you do not need to calibrate it.  If there is a difference in humidity levels, calibrate the built-in hygrometer so that it matches the test hygrometer.  You can use a regular analog hygrometer for this test but digital units are more accurate and do not require calibration.  Using an electronic home hygrometer/desktop "weather station" that measures humidity also works.

If you prefer, you can also disregard the built-in hygrometer altogether and just keep a second hygrometer inside the humidor.  Basic analog humidor hygrometers can cost as low as $5 and a digital unit can cost as low as $10.

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James