Temp & humidity concerns

[John Coloccia]

While it may be nice to know exactly what the RH is it is not necessary in this instance. The builder doesn't need super accuracy when it comes to the RH. If one uses the same less than accurate hygrometer for all measurements then there are no worries.

The problem I had with the cheap ones wasn't the calibration (i.e. the accuracy). The precision was atrocious. One of them was so bad that I could stick it in the bathroom, steam it up and it still read only 50% or so. The driest I could get it to read was 45%. I drove myself nuts for a week trying to figure out why I couldn't dry my space out. The space was bone dry, around 30% when I brought a real meter in.

I guess what I'm saying is even if you buy a cheap one, at a minimum just at least make sure it actually reads something before trusting it!

[Dale Probst]

Agreed, we've gone through at least a dozen of the cheaper ones. It's not just that they are not accurate, it's the tolerances are so wide as to be of little use.
DP