Accurate hygrometer / humidity meter for the workshop

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I bought a cheap combined hygrometer/thermometer off Amazon, with 24hr and all time max/min functions. I later bought a 200W dehumidifier which has a built in hygrometer (so you can set a target humidity.

Positioned about six feet apart and at different heights, they both read consistently within 1% of each other which suggests that they are probably plenty accurate enough.

Interestingly, I found an old 'analogue' hygromneter, the kind that has a coated metal coil. I always assumed that these were pretty hit and miss, but it follows the digital ones within a few percent, always reading higher so if I adjusted it it would probably be surprisingly accurate.

 

On dehumidifiers, I spent a lot of time searching online and found this one which has vastly more features than other cheap ones (odour filter, hygrometer, programmable humistat, two-speed fan, supplied tube/drain port as well as built in receptacle) , and yet appears to be about the cheapest out there.

http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/cd10l/electriq-cd10l-dehumidifier

It can easily fills the tank overnight (useful source of 'distilled water' although I haven't timed it and now use it with a drain. It's actual energy use seems to average much less than 200 watts and it got the humidity down from over 80% to my target of around 75% in about a week.

I should say my workshop is well insulated and sealed, and although it's about 22 square metres the dehumidifier seems to work well.

Neil

 

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 01/01/2022 17:23:17

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by duncan webster on 31/12/2021 21:23:23:

Another use ford a humidifier, we've stopped using the tumble drier, just hang washing in smallest room on a clothes horse (winter-hedge if you're from my neck of the woods), switch on the dehumidifier and it dries as is by magic

My dehmidifier has a setting that claims to do the job of a tumble drier at a fraction of the cost.

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Neil thanks that ElectricQ looks good value. I might follow you in on that one. A friend who is somewhat of a weather tracking hobbyist with all the kit, tipped me this afternoon that very local outdoor weather info covering DewPoint can be found on wow.metoffice.gov.uk which shows on a map your nearest independent private weather stations and their readings. Falling Dewpoint readings, and narrowing of gap between Temp and Dewpoint outdoors, could be a useful alert forewarning for indoors action with dehumidifiers. Likewise, when outdoors DewPoint rises above your targeted workshop temperature (in my case 10deg C minimum) alert for immediate action. Incidentally his view is that if you want reliable hygrometers go to the expert weather equipment makers like Netatmo.

Edited By Adam Harris on 01/01/2022 18:56:22

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Rising DewPoint readings…

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