When it comes to measuring high humidity, why is accuracy so important? Temperature and relative humidity are crucial parameters when it comes to growing plants in greenhouses, germinating seeds, storing fruit and vegetables or maturing and storing cheese. Humidity levels of between 90 and 100% and temperatures ranging from -1°C and +30°C are normal in these situations. Ordinary humidity sensors quickly become saturated under these conditions. Consequently, the sensors either respond slowly or not at all. This means you don’t get a true measurement value.
Dew point, temperature and air humidity
Nevertheless, we do need to be able to measure humidity and temperature accurately. A minor deviation in the measurement result could have serious consequences. When humidity is high, a temperature difference of as little as 0.5 degrees can cause the dew point to be reached. Water will then be running down the walls of your climate cell! Small temperature differences can therefore cause significant changes in humidity.
Waste of prepared water
Another consequence of inaccurate measurements is that you are likely to set your humidification system incorrectly, causing you to waste expensive prepared water.
Reduced product quality
Temperature and humidity are two variables that need to be measured accurately because they affect one another. Any deviations will have a direct effect on the quality of your product. Crops will not grow optimally, spoilage may occur, and the cheese maturing process will be disturbed.
Choose the right meter for high humidity
In situations where humidity levels are high, a capacitive humidity sensor will show large deviations after a few days or weeks because it becomes saturated. It will then no longer be able to measure fluctuations in humidity. In such situations, we recommend nSens-HT sensors by Novasina. These unique sensors use the electrolytic resistive principle, which means they do not suffer from saturation problems and have the fastest response times. A meticulous three-month examination of these sensors revealed no measurement errors nor any signs of corrosion. Especially for use in climate cells/vertical farming, we recommend Novasina’s nSens, which measures humidity levels of up to 100% with an accuracy of 0.5%.
If you would like to know which sensor is the most suitable for which room and where to install it, please feel free to ask our experts.
You can reach us by email or phone: info@pedak.nl or +31 (0) 475 497424
