We make hygrometers with our own hands: all available methods

Building a hygrometer at home is an exciting and fulfilling endeavor. A hygrometer is a device that measures the amount of moisture in the air, and having one on hand can be very helpful. Whether you’re interested in DIY projects, weather enthusiasts, or gardening, building your own hygrometer can provide you important information about your surroundings.

A hygrometer can be made in a number of ways, with differing levels of accuracy and complexity. While some methods only need common household items, others might call for specialized materials and a little more technical know-how. Whichever approach you go with, nothing compares to the satisfaction of building a working gadget with your own hands.

This article will examine several approaches to building a hygrometer. There is a technique for every skill level, ranging from basic approaches involving cardboard and hair to more complex ones involving digital sensors. We’ll walk you through each step of the process, making sure you can follow along with ease and construct your own hygrometer with success.

You’ll have a functional hygrometer and a better knowledge of how humidity impacts our daily lives by the end of this article. So gather your supplies and let’s begin this thrilling do-it-yourself project!

Is it possible to do it at home?

A hygrometer can be made with items that are present in every home. Every assembly-related component is a regular household item. With the help of this apparatus, we will be able to estimate the relative error of the room’s humidity.

Anyone can take on the enjoyable and educational task of making their own hygrometer at home with easy-to-find, readily available materials. There are various approaches you can take to construct a humidity measuring gadget, ranging from conventional hair hygrometers to contemporary electronic versions. This article will walk you through the process of creating various types of hygrometers step-by-step, providing clear explanations of each technique so you can select the one that best suits your needs and available resources. You’ll find these techniques useful and satisfying whether you’re interested in weather instruments or not.

Purposes of using homemade devices

The body reacts negatively to both too much and too little moisture. It is detrimental for those with respiratory conditions to breathe dry air. Overhumidification promotes the growth of mold, bacteria, and fungal spores because warm, humid conditions are ideal for their development.

Between 40% and 60% of humidity is regarded as normal in the space. Smaller or larger deviations are already regarded as exceptional and need to be corrected.

These are sensitive to both too little and too much moisture:

• People.
• Indoor flowers.
• Animals and birds.
• Products.
• Furniture.
• Household appliances.

Anyone can pretty much tell how comfortable the rooms are: a stuffy, dry air or, on the other hand, a damp, heavy air will make you feel bad right away. Thus, maintaining household items and people’s health is the goal of using a hygrometer.

Making a hygrometer yourself will allow you to get the essential humidity control device for free and engage in fascinating experiments and research.

Methods of creation

Depending on the device, you will need different components for the hygrometer-making techniques that are explained below.

Glass with water

Instruments of production:

• Glass made of ordinary glass without patterns and heat-sealed stickers.
• Clean raw water.
• Refrigerator.
• Flat surface in the center of the room.

The basic idea is to chill a glass of purified water for one to two hours before taking it out of the fridge and setting it on the surface in the middle of the space where you wish to take the humidity reading. When the air in a room is overly humid, a lot of condensation forms on the outside glass walls.

Three possibilities for measuring air are thus obtained:

1. Over-moistened – after 5-8 minutes, large drops of moisture flow down the glass.
2. Normal – after the control time, the glass will remain dry without wet fogging and drops.
3. Over-dried – after 5-8 minutes, the glass, which has become cloudy in the heat, dries completely.

This method is easy to use, and it doesn’t require a lot of advance planning. A child could use it as well. There is no need to modify the "device’s" accuracy because it won’t break.

It will take a lot of time to repeat the entire process from the beginning for repeated measurements. The gadget is regarded as disposable. It is not immediately possible to reuse.

Pine cone hygrometer

Naturalists with keen eyes have observed that the humidity of the air affects nature. In response to changes, a coniferous cone with large scales raises and lowers them.

Gather the materials needed to make a natural hygrometer:

• Pine, cedar, spruce cone.
• Scotch tape.
• A thin twig or branch.
• 2 sheets of plywood 10×10 cm with a cut in the center 5 cm deep and 10×20 cm.
• Mounting corners or connecting bars.
• Plasticine.

Production procedure:

1. Glue a piece of twig or branch 5 cm long to one scale with tape. It will make taking readings more visual – the movement of the stick is easier to see.
2. Insert a larger sheet standing up into the cut on the small one, secure it for stability with mounting corners or bars.
3. Glue a piece of plasticine in the center of a small plywood sheet. Place a pine cone on it standing up. The twig should be directed upwards and touch the standing plywood.

Operating principle:

• The twig will serve as an indicator of the rise and fall of the scales. Increasing humidity in the air causes the pine cone to close and the twig to rise. You can mark the top on the board indication when humidity is increased.
• At normal humidity the cone will remain unchanged. The scales do not close and do not open. The mark can be placed in the middle. All small deviations up and down are the norm.
• In dry air, plant material tries to absorb the remaining moisture from the atmosphere as much as possible, bending almost horizontally the cone of the cone. The lower indication label is placed on the measuring board.
• Thus, a measuring scale with three divisions will appear on a vertically installed board.

The condition of the room’s microclimate will determine how long a device like this lasts. The living "sensor," which resembles a cone, will eventually dry up. The main component of the device can be changed; just place a fresh bump on the plasticine.

This device can detect the presence or absence of moisture, but it does not provide more accurate readings or allow for the removal of readings.

Hygromometer napkin

A straightforward gadget that could allow for a more precise adjustment of the reading withdrawal. Constructed from the subsequent materials:

• Plywood or board sheet.
• Thin paper napkin.
• Thin wire.
• Glue.
• Self-tapping screws or nails.
• Screwdriver.
• Marker.

Production procedure:

1. First fold the napkin into a strip, measure its length.
2. Tighten the screws on the board at the measured distance.
3. Glue the napkin to the board.
4. Attach the wire to the napkin, screw the other end onto the nearest screw.
5. Draw a scale nearby with divisions applied as a result of tests with forced air humidification and drying.

The working principle is as follows: the napkin absorbs moisture from the air and becomes warped as a result. The movement of the napkin causes the wire’s arrow to move as well.

You can use this device again and again by adjusting the wire. As long as it is used indoors, it is always ready for use. Humidity in street air cannot be measured.

Analog of a hair device

You can make a DIY hair or thread hygrometer at home. Compared to the earlier iterations, this device is more like a device. To prepare, you’ll need:

• Human hair or sewing thread made of high-quality cotton at least 40 cm long.
• Gasoline or acetone for degreasing.
• Hot or nitro glue.
• Nails.
• Plywood sheet.
• Paper.
• Thin wire.
• Used rod from a ballpoint pen;

Production order:

1. Degrease the hair or thread.
2. Tie a plumb weight from the cut off writing end of the rod to one end. The weight should pull the hair and straighten its bends. Fix the place of attachment with glue.
3. Put a 5 mm section from the rod on the nail so that the ring can rotate freely.
4. Two panels are cut out of plywood and attached perpendicularly. A prepared nail with a ring is nailed to the vertical board. The length of the hair should be enough so that, thrown over the nail, it could touch the horizontal and be attached to it.
5. Glue the thrown hair with the weight to the backing with glue at the free end.

A manufacturing instruction video:

How the apparatus functions:

• The hair is saturated with moisture and the weight begins to move, sliding along the ring on the nail.
• The tip of the rod indicates the degree of air humidification.

The scale graduation is applied using a similar procedure as in the past: the device is taken into the bathroom and the hot water is left open, and the upper reading is noted. Place the hygrometer inside the stove’s heated, turned-off oven and mark the lower mark. Normal humidity is defined as the center of the distance between the upper and lower divisions.

Homemade psychrometer

The following product has the most accurate air humidity readings of any device made by humans.

Here, the technique for estimating the atmospheric moisture content is a little different. Thermometers are the primary measuring tools. Hygrometer construction is time-consuming, but the end product will be worth it.

Assemble the following supplies and equipment:

• Identical thermometers.
• Glass jar with distilled water.
• Cotton fabric and threads.
• Plywood sheets.
• Self-tapping screws.

Psychrometer construction:

1. Fasten the first sheet of plywood with self-tapping screws to the second one perpendicularly in the position of the backing of the vertical wall.
2. Attach thermometers parallel to the vertical sheet at a distance of 10 cm at the same height.
3. Wrap the fabric with the hanging end to the right and secure with thread.
4. Place the fabric in a jar of distilled water.

The computation of the temperature differential between the two thermometers forms the basis of the operation principle. The approximate figures for calculation are provided in the table.

A psychrometer can be used to measure humidity in any room with a temperature no lower than -1°C. The device’s manufacturer will have specified the accuracy of the readings on the thermometer.

Complex sensors

It is possible to offer to have a sensor with linked wiring made by amateur artisans who are capable of assembling basic electronics. To assemble, you’ll need:

• A sheet of foil-clad fiberglass.
• Insulated wires for battery operation.
• Soldering iron.
• Poster ink.

Put two contact petals on the plated surface. Using a soldering iron, join the wires to the power sources. A short circuit and mild heating happen when a charge is placed between the contacts.

A drop of ink dripped between the contacts of the device serves as the basis for the principle of humidity measurement. Ink resistance to drying suggests higher air humidity and quick evaporation; conversely, dry air is indicated.

You can enhance the device by including a power button and a bus for connecting wires.

A heated electric soldering iron is used to assemble the base. In order to prevent burns, adult supervision is necessary when soldering if the hygrometer was made by a minor teenager.

Possible difficulties and errors in the process

These methods of measurement have unique characteristics that need to be considered:

• The readings of instruments, except for the psychrometer, are very approximate and are expressed in three categories of humidity – high, normal or insufficient.
• The readings are highly dependent on the accompanying conditions: the presence of heating devices in the room, the time of year.
• Errors cannot be ruled out due to the fragility of the parts: the pine cone will not last long, the napkin will lose its ability to absorb.

Advantages and disadvantages

You can assess your homemade hygrometers with systematic information from the comparative table.

Advantages	Flaws
Low cost	The readings are too approximate
Sufficient accuracy for home measurements	Bulky sizes
Ease of production	Cannot be used outdoors
Useful activity for little explorers	Disposable for some models

Method	Steps
Salt Method	1. Fill a container with salt and a little water. 2. Seal it with a hygrometer inside. 3. Wait 24 hours and check the hygrometer reading.
Hair Method	1. Clean and dry a strand of hair. 2. Attach one end to a fixed point and the other to a lightweight pointer. 3. Measure the hair"s changes in length as humidity varies.

Making your own hygrometer may be a fruitful and instructive endeavor. Whether you want to track humidity for a project, your garden, or just general curiosity, building a homemade hygrometer provides an engaging way to learn about and quantify atmospheric moisture. In addition, it’s a fun do-it-yourself project that you could finish with supplies you already own.

We’ve looked at a number of approaches, each requiring different supplies and procedures. Every method has advantages, from the basic hair hygrometer that makes use of the inherent qualities of human or horse hair to the more advanced electronic hygrometer that uses sensors. For individuals who appreciate customary arts and crafts, the hair hygrometer is an ideal fusion of science and ease of use. Tech enthusiasts, on the other hand, might favor the accuracy and personalization of creating an electronic version.

Whatever approach you decide on, it’s important to comprehend the underlying ideas. A DIY hygrometer can help you better understand the various ways that humidity affects our surroundings and day-to-day activities. Additionally, this project is a great way to get kids and students interested in learning about physics, the weather, and even a little bit of history.

Building a hygrometer at home is ultimately a gateway to more in-depth scientific inquiry rather than just a fun project. You can learn about the amazing mechanisms underlying the functioning of our world by experimenting with various designs and materials. So gather your supplies, follow the instructions, and have fun creating your very own hygrometer!

Video on the topic

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