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Buyer’s Guide
How to Calibrate a Hygrometer
A lot of digitals will say that they’re pre-calibrated in the factory but recommended that you do a quick calibration just to make sure. There are two main ways that we calibrate hygrometers, and the first way is by far the easiest. It’s using a one-step calibration kit. Boveda makes them, and they’re zipper bags with a small humidor pack inside. You just put the hygrometer inside the bag and seal it up, and you want to wait eight to 12 hours. At the end of this time, the hygrometer should be reading 75%, and if it’s not, you just adjust it.
Salt Test
Now, if you don’t have a calibrating kit, it’s not a problem. You can use what called a salt test. For this method, you’ll need a small bottle cap, regular table salt, a re-closable bag, and regular water. All you need to do is fill the small bottle cap with about a tablespoon of salt, and you’re going to get the salt wet. You don’t want salt water, and you want damp salt. You have just pasty salt, and you place this inside your re-closable bag, and then you’re going to add your hygrometer. You want to make sure that the sensors are clear and able to read the humidity levels. For on a digital, you have the sensors here, so you want those facing up. For an analog, they can read in the back underneath the magnet or from the sides underneath the grommet. Those small holes allow it to read humidity. You want to make sure those are clear when you put it in the calibrating bag.
So again, you put it in, seal it up and wait 8 to 12 hours. At the end of that time, it should be reading 75%. If it’s not, then you need to adjust it. For digital, you can adjust it using this adjustment knob. A lot of people will turn it and notice that there’s no change. You need to turn it; however, many clicks to the right or left it needs to go up or down, and then press the reset button. Once you press the reset button, it’ll register the change. For an analog hygrometer, you can adjust it using the adjustment screw in the back, and you’ll need either a small screwdriver or a small pocket knife. You just put it in, and you’ll notice if you hold it lightly and you spin it around, the whole dial spins. So you want to put some pressure on the outside of the hygrometer, and it will hold steady enough for you to adjust.
After adjusted them, recommended to put them back in the calibrating bag for another couple of hours to make sure that the reading is now taking correct readings. After that, you’re all done, and you’re ready to put it in your humidor.
Interesting Video: Western Digital Hygrometer Review
I’ve tried the Govee and the Boveda Butler. I’ve had difficulty with the Govee. It doesn’t seem to stay calibrated. My first one was so far off that it went beyond the limits of calibration. I believe it has a +/- 9 setting and that wasn’t even enough. The Butler is more affordable and more accurate. I have them in three humidors now. I like that the app lists all the sensors on the same screen. The Butler also has automatic calibration. You put it in the included calibration kit and click one-step calibration in the app and it tells you when it’s done and adjusts accordingly. All of these sensors are Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi. Govee does have a pricier version that is Wi-Fi.
Thank you for this!! I haven’t seen anyone else do this and I’m not sure why. You just reaffirmed my choice. I was going to by a second one but was wondering about the Push. My Butler has worked flawlessly. I love that it alerts me if my humidity/temp is too high or low. I would definitely calibrate it though. It only takes 24hrs. Thanks again for this !
Hello, Peter! Thanks for your comment.