Not everyone has a hygrometer in their house or surroundings as not everyone thinks it is important.
If you do not have any sensitive product around you, then it is okay to not have a hygrometer.
However, for those who have houseplants or wine cellars, cigar boxes or instruments, hygrometers are important for them as it will help them know the right conditions for their effect.
Wrong humidity levels can impact these products negatively but that problem can be solved by having an accurate hygrometer.
This article will discuss the uses of a hygrometer, whether it is necessary, the advantages and disadvantages, among other questions.
What Are The Uses Of A Hygrometer?
A hygrometer can be used for a number of reasons which includes and revolves around measuring moisture levels in the air. Some of them include:
- Measuring Humidity Indoors and Outdoors
You can have a hygrometer for measuring the moisture levels in your house and outside house.
Extreme humidity levels within the home can cause clamminess’, hair sticking on ends, dry nose and mouth.
It is also important for people with certain health conditions to be in a humidity-controlled environment.
Some advanced hygrometers can measure different locations within your house including your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, basement and study.
- Predicting the Weather
Hygrometers are also great for predicting the weather. Hygrometers are often found in weather stations.
Hygrometers are important for weather forecasting as the amount of moisture in the air can explain the atmospheric conditions.
Hotter areas are often less dry and have low humidity while colder areas have high humidity. This means if the humidity levels are getting higher, that means cold weather is oncoming.
- Checking Humidity Levels of Warehouses
Warehouses are used in storing various products including perishables and materials like leather which can be affected by humidity levels.
Regularly gauging the air moisture levels in the warehouse will help to keep your goods fresh.
- Greenhouses
Greenhouses are built by gardeners so they can have greater control over their environment.
Having a hygrometer in the greenhouse will help them monitor the temperature and moisture levels.
The hygrometer will help ensure your plants are not too hot from the sunlight or too cold.
The instrument is definitely a must have for greenhouse enthusiasts. You’ll definitely see the results at harvest time when you have a well developed bundle.
- Wine Cellars
Yes it is also important to monitor the humidity levels in your wine cellar. It will help to correct extremely high or low humidity conditions.
Wine cellars must be kept at a sustained humidity level which is ideally between 75 and 85 percent relative humidity.
If the humidity is lower there is the risk of the wine maturing too quickly.
This results in a lower-quality product. On the other hand, humidity levels above 85% promotes the growth of mold and fungus.
- Cigar Humidors
Cigar boxes are also another important use for hygrometers.
Cigars need to be kept fresh and low or high humidity levels can cause the cigars to lose their taste and freshness.
As a cigar collector, the humidity in your humidor should be within 68-72% and the hygrometer will help you to determine the moisture levels in your humidor.
Here is an article I wrote on the best hygrometers with dew points
Is A Hygrometer Necessary?
A hygrometer is an important instrument in meteorological science and it is great for predicting the weather.
Not everyone has a hygrometer in their house and they do just fine.
Though knowing the moisture levels around you can better control your environment, it is not essential in households.
However, for various other reasons, it is better you keep a hygrometer close by to effectively measure the humidity levels.
For example, if you have a greenhouse, a hygrometer is absolutely necessary to monitor the health of the plans and ensure improved yield.
A cigar humidor needs to be read regularly to ensure the cigars remain fresh and retain their taste.
A wine cellar for ensuring the wines do not mature too fast. For an instrument case such as piano or guitar, hygrometers help to ensure the instrument is in good condition.
As such, the necessity of a hygrometer is dependent on your use.
Where Is The Hygrometer Used?
Hygrometers are majorly used indoors and outdoors.
There are various uses of the hygrometer within these 2 ranges. Indoors you can use the hygrometer to measure the humidity levels in:
- Within the house including rooms, basement, kitchens and living area.
- Cigar cases
- Greenhouses
- Instrument cases
- Warehouses
- Wine cellars
For outdoor use, the hygrometers are often used outdoors and placed on the ground albeit in a place free from rain and direct sunlight.
You can also use a hygrometer in a grow tent and this is especially good if you are traveling.
Hygrometers can also be used in industrial settings especially where fragile or sensitive products are involved.
Additionally, it could be used in the agricultural sector for wide scale monitoring of humidity levels on a farm.
Also check out this article on the best hygrometer with Wi-Fi
What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Hygrometer?
Hygrometers have quite a number of advantages for use and they also have their disadvantages.
Advantages
- High tensile strength and resistance, particularly to chemical vapors.
- Suitable for use in high-temperature environments.
- Some of them come with the extra feature of measuring dew point and comparing relative temperatures.
- Helps you to easily control the humidity levels in the given area.
- They are often easy to use and not as complicated as other meteorological devices.
- Basic models are relatively cheap to purchase. They are usually pocket-friendly.
Disadvantages
- Errors are magnified during rapid humidity changes.
- In extreme environments there is an increased Sensitivity to rapid changes in humidity.
- Some models have to be calibrated regularly for them to give accurate readings,
How Is A Hygrometer Useful For Moisture Measurement?
A hygrometer is used to measure the level of moisture in air in a given area or location.
By using a hygrometer to collect humidity information, you are able to process and control the environment to suit your purposes.
A simple method of collecting such information is the psychrometer method.
The hygrometer is outfitted with two mercury thermometers, one with a wet bulb and the other with a dry bulb.
Because of water evaporation on the wet bulb, the temperature drops and reads lower than what is displayed on the dry bulb.
The difference in temperature between the two readings equals the amount of relative humidity in the atmosphere.
There is also the mechanical method which uses the hair strand method.
There is no dispute that hygrometers are quite important when it relates to weather prediction and forecasts.
Its meteorological uses are wide and varied.
Conclusion
Hygrometers are important because they measure humidity levels i.e. level of moisture in the air.
The humidity in an area can affect a number of things including human health, clothes, skin, food, plants and other products.
With the help of the hygrometer, you can be able to control the humidity where possible.
You can make use of a hygrometer for several cases including in your house, greenhouse, outdoor, wine cellar, warehouse, cigar box, instrument case to mention a few.
The advantages of using a hygrometer include being able to read other air conditions such as temperature, providing regular alerts on humidity levels and most of them are budget friendly.
