Sign up

[Fishhead]

Several years ago I bought a Temperature/Humidity Controller model TH210. I use it in a chamber for fermenting and aging salami. Before using it I calibrated the device with known temperatures and used the "salt in a jar" approach for humidity. The unit was very nearly spot on. A year or so later prior to a batch I check the calibration once again. The temperature was good, but I had to use offsets for humidity. The target for the salt test is 75% humidity and my reading was around 82%. This week I check once again and the temperature remains good, but the without offsets for humidity I am getting a reading of 87.6%. This value is greater than the offset allowed.

1) Is there a way to "clean" the senor to improve accuracy, such as blowing with compressed air through the vents?
2) If not, is the problem with the sensor or with the unit itself? Would replacing the sensor correct the readings?

Any advice or suggestions are welcome.

[Kkane]

1) Unfortunately, there is no good way to improve the reading accuracy of your sensor. There is a chance that there was some condensation water in your sensor. You can remove this sensor from your chamber and let it dry slowly, or bake it in a small oven at low temperature (about 120F) for a couple of hours, and see if it helps.  

2) Based on your description, most likely your sensor is bad (off scale). You can try the trick above. If no help, you can try to replace your sensor then. The controller console itself is unlikely to go bad (off scale). 

[Fishhead]

Thank you. You provided the sort of advice that I was hoping to hear.