HUMIDITY EXPERIMENT

[keith]

last week i accidentally broke my digital hygrometer. i ordered a new one from stringsbymail which arrived in the mail yesterday. yesterday is snowed in boston and the temperatures plummetted. i arrived home and opened the package, put the battery in.

the digital hygrometer registered 28F and 62% humidity. i had not turned on the humidifier yesterday and my analog wall mounted hygrometer registered 64F and 44% humidity. i watched the temp rise to 64F and the humidity dropped to 44% on the digital hygrometer. no additional humidity, or drying occurred (it was far from a heating register which was on the off heating cycle). the idea for an experiment was then hatched.

i then took the analog hygrometer off the wall, unwrapped the sensor and taped it to a 3ft dowel rod and stuck it out the window. an hour later i looked at it and the temp. outside was 8F and the humidity was 60%. i returned the analog hygrometer back to the wall and the temp rose to 64F and humidity dropped to 44%.

this is a very good, real world, example of relative humidity and how warming air without adding humidity causes the relative humidity to drop, in this case, by 16 points.

oh, in the time it took to do this experiment i was able to get some playing in.

[daniel711]

That's why they call it "relative" humidity...

[JerryO]

Please tell me we're not going to start another RH discussion :shock:

[APERTURE]

Keith,
64 degrees - It's cold at your place. :shock:

[JerryO]

I keep my house at 65F also. I live about 60 miles south of Keith. The cost of heating oil in New England is outrageous.

[KBurke]

It would not be hard to conclude that you have way too much time on your hands.

[keith]

as with most scientific experiments, you set the wheels in motion and wait. it took about 5 minutes in total to do everything--i played while the experiment was under way. and i was playing pieces from the nutcracker suite--the easy versions.

kburke: did you think i stood outside for an hour to measure the temp.? if i did, then i should have been committed to the funny farm since it was 8 degrees.

heating oil is $1.89 a gallon. oh the joys of winter. you folks in california do not realize how lucky you have it.

jerry o.--no not another discussion, just reporting my little experiment.

[schrammguitars]

Always check your hygrometer with a sling psychrometer. They can be off by as much as 5%-20%+. I calibrate the ones in my shop every month. If you can not adjust the calibration on your hygrometer throw it away and get a good one that is adjustable and a good sling psychrometer to check the calibration.

[miramadar]

So, what's the deal about Relative Humidity??? Can that affect my guitar???

Just kidding guys! :P

Speaking of temperatures and the cost of heat...I have electric heat and I don't know about oil heat, but I have to really retune my guitar every single time the heat kicks on...no matter how far away from a register I am. That sucks!