Taking care of our own health, we try to create the most comfortable living conditions in the house. And one of the most important components is maintaining the microclimate and humidity of the air in the room. For this task, the best solution is to buy a room hygrometer. Consider what types of this device are, and what to navigate when choosing.
What is the need to buy a room hygrometer, and how it can be
A room hygrometer is a device that measures and displays the relative humidity of the air in a room. Thanks to him, you can constantly get data on the state of the microclimate in the house and, accordingly, make adjustments. Depending on the mechanism of action, all hygrometers are divided into several types:
- hair hygrometer – his work is based on the natural property of human hair to change its length under the influence of moisture;
- condensation hygrometer – receives information from a special mechanism, which is a mirror on which condensate is formed due to exposure to light;
- weight hygrometer, which gives readings by measuring the amount of water vapor;
- psychometric – operates at the expense of two thermometers, determining the difference of the indications provided by them. When it comes to measuring indoor air humidity readings, this is the option that is used.
The state of human health depends on many factors, one of which is the purity of the air and the presence of the necessary amount of moisture in it. If the humidity in the room is too low, the mucous membranes of the human respiratory tract will dry out, which can cause a favorable environment for the activity of the pathogenic bacteria.
To maintain a favorable microclimate in the room and use hygrometers. The principle of operation of the device that measures the humidity of the air in the room is as follows: two thermometers, one of which is normal and the other wet, constantly measure the temperature of the ambient air. The humidification of the second thermometer occurs with the help of ordinary distilled water, but this is precisely what allows us to obtain different indicators and, based on this difference, make the necessary calculations.
The most primitive hygrometers for the home provide for the use of a special table, having found in which the corresponding temperature readings, it is possible to draw conclusions about the current humidity in the room. More modern models are equipped with a set of microcircuits, which independently carry out all the calculations and display the finished result on the screen.
Today, in addition to traditional hygrometers on sale, you can find a variety of devices equipped with additional functions. For example, in addition to data on air humidity, the device may show:
- current date and time;
- Atmosphere pressure;
- air temperature in the room.
Note! Some devices inform their owners about violations in the microclimate of the room using special color indicators. This allows you to notice and fix the problem.
For those who are worried about their own health and trying to maintain all indicators in the house at an optimal level, manufacturers offer to buy a hygrometer-thermometer-barometer. Being combined, these devices allow you to fully control the microclimate. True, this device is quite expensive.
In order to choose the best device for yourself, first of all you need to figure out exactly what functions you need. The amount of additional functions it will include depends on its cost. It makes no sense to acquire a barometer-hygrometer-thermometer in one, if you want to know only the relative humidity.
Note! A normal indicator of moisture content in the air is considered to be the level of 40-60%. Of course, a short stay in a room where there are deviations from this standard cannot cause noticeable harm, however, permanent residence may affect health, especially children.
Another important selection criterion is the range of operation of the device and the accuracy with which it operates. Ideally, the range of the hygrometer should be from 0 to 100%, although in living rooms it is allowed to use instruments with a scale of 20-80%. In this case, the error of the device should be minimal. Although, it is necessary to recognize that the error of a conventional electronic hygrometer can be from 5 to 10%, depending on the model.
A considerable role is also played by the time spent by the device on data acquisition. The cheapest and most common models for today produce all the necessary measurements and calculations for an interval of 30 to 60 seconds. It is quite a long time and it is better to search for more modern models, the operation time of which is reduced to 1-5 seconds.
Interestingly, modern devices used by professionals in their work are capable of obtaining the most accurate data in just one tenth of a second.
On the question of where to buy a hygrometer for an apartment, there are two possible answers. On the one hand, you can spend time on it and visit a specialized shop where, having looked and studied each offered model, choose the most suitable one. On the other hand, you can make a choice based on reviews posted on websites and forums, and order the device via the Internet.
Helpful advice! In addition to traditional models of the device, you can buy a room hygrometer, where a clock with a thermometer and a hygrometer is placed on one base, representing a single complex.
VIT-2 hygrometer review: how to use, basic instrument characteristics
On the modern market you can find a huge number of a wide variety of devices that differ from each other, both in function and design. Consider one of the simplest and most popular to date models of the device, which is great for household use – hygrometer VIT-2, which can be bought almost everywhere.
The first feature of this particular device is that its use requires certain temperature conditions. So, in the cold season, the air temperature should not fall below the mark of -15 ° С, and in summer exceed 40 ° С. Given that we are talking about measuring humidity in rooms, it is not difficult to comply with this condition, but it is still necessary to know about it.
Depending on the ambient temperature, the range of measurement of relative humidity also changes:
| Ambient temperature, ° C | Range of measurement of relative humidity,% |
| 20-23 | 54-90 |
| 23-26 | 40-90 |
| 26-40 | 20-90 |
The price of division of this hygrometer is 0.2 ° C, which allows to obtain fairly accurate indicators. And as a thermometric liquid, this device uses toluene, which, unlike mercury, is safe.
Important! When buying a psychrometric hygrometer you need to know that its transportation also has special requirements. The device must be transported in a strictly vertical position. This is especially true of the cold season.
In order to understand how to use the HIT-2 psychrometric hygrometer, it is necessary to have an idea about its appearance, as well as its operating principle. Visually, it is a plastic base with a height of 290 mm, a width of 120 mm and a thickness of 50 mm. On this basis, two thermometers are fixed, and a temperature scale and a psychrometric table are marked. In addition, there is fixed and glass feeder, necessary for moistening one of the thermometers.
As already mentioned, one of the thermometers receives data while remaining dry, and the second is constantly exposed to moisture. This is due to the fact that the capillary of this thermometer is located in a special tissue material, which perfectly absorbs water and due to this constantly maintains the required level of humidity. With this cooling, the readings of the second thermometer are different, which makes it possible to compare the data.
In order to make the necessary calculations, it is enough to use the table. Having found the obtained indicators of “dry” and “wet” thermometers, the relative humidity of the air will be indicated at the intersection point of these values.
Another important condition for the precise operation of such a device is that the speed of movement of air streams in a room should not exceed 1 m / s. Otherwise, the difference between the readings of the thermometers will be greater than it actually is, and in the end you will get an incredibly low air humidity.
Of course, not everyone wants to constantly mess around with the computational table, and in this case it is not the best option to buy a psychrometric hygrometer. Today, electrical devices that combine several functions at once, for example, a clock, a thermometer, a barometer, a hygrometer, are very popular.
Another popular combination is a humidifier with a hygrometer. It is not difficult to buy such a device, but its use also has some subtleties. The main problem is that the measurement of air humidity is made in the immediate vicinity of the source of moisture, and therefore it is rather difficult to consider this data reliable.
Of course, in the home there is also the use of home-made devices. So, it is rather simple to make a room thermometer-hygrometer with your own hands. But it should be borne in mind that the error with which you will encounter in the process of its use will undoubtedly be larger than in the case of using an electronic or mechanical hygrometer.
Of course, buying a ready-made instrument for measuring humidity is much easier. Moreover, its value is quite affordable for everyone. However, some want to make such a device on their own. Briefly consider how to do it.
First of all you need the following components:
- a piece of cotton cloth;
- thread;
- plywood or board;
- distilled water;
- two standard mercury thermometers with which they measure the air temperature in the room.
First of all, it is necessary to install and fix on the board, which will be the body, two thermometers. It is necessary to fix them side by side, parallel to each other. Then under one of the thermometers it is necessary to fix the tank, in which there will be water. For this purpose, a small flask or a vial from under it is perfect. The tip of the thermometer, which contains most of the mercury, is wrapped in a piece of cloth, and then wrapped tightly with thread to prevent it from slipping. In the tank filled with water, the edge of the fabric is lowered.
This device should be used on the same principle as the classic psychrometric hygrometer. A special table that will help you in calculations, you can easily find on specialized sites on the Internet.
