If you are a cigar aficionado, you will need a hygrometer to make sure you are storing your products at the right humidity. A hygrometer is a tool used to measure the humidity of cigar cases, as well as greenhouses, incubators, museums and more. To make sure your hygrometer is working perfectly, it is best to test it before use and, if necessary, calibrate it. The salt method is a reliable way to test one thoroughly. Here's how to do it.
Steps
Step 1. Get everything you need
To test a hygrometer using salt, you need a few common things:
- A small zippered food storage bag.
- A cup or the cap of a half-liter bottle of water.
- A little table salt.
- Waterfall.
Step 2. Fill the cap with salt and add enough water to make a thick mixture
Do not pour too much water to dissolve the salt. Your goal is to make the mixture simply moist. If you add too much, use paper towels to blot off the excess.
Step 3. Put the cap and hygrometer in the bag
Close it and put it in a safe place, so that it will not be altered during testing.
Step 4. Wait 6 hours
During this time the hygrometer will measure the humidity inside the bag.
Step 5. Read the values on the hygrometer
If the instrument is accurate it must show you a humidity of exactly 75%.
Step 6. Adjust the hygrometer if necessary
If the meter shows humidity below or above 75%, it needs to be calibrated to make it accurate when you measure the humidity of your cigar case.
- If you have an analog hygrometer, turn the knob to adjust it to 75%.
- If you have a digital hygrometer, use the buttons to adjust it to 75%.
- If you can't adjust your hygrometer, take note of how many percentage points it is up or down from 75%. The next time you use your hygrometer, add or subtract those percentage points for an accurate reading.
Advice
- You can do the same test using instead of salt: lithium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium carbonate, potassium sulfate. The humidity rates to be read must be, respectively: 11%, 33%, 43% and 97%.
- It is known that some hygrometers, over time, undergo variations in the accuracy of the measurement. So it's important to test your hygrometer every 6 months to keep an accurate reading.
- The humidity in your cigar case should remain between 68 and 72% for your cigars to retain some freshness.
