salt test

[Mr Smoker]

hi folks
lets start from the begining..........
i purchased (2001) a humidor for my cubans( the verona 3000 + cigar cabinet).
i also purchased 2 hygrometers (springfield).
i used 2 green spongoasis put them in a tupperware and things were great the hygrometers were stable at about 68.thats what i wanted, to age the cigars for a long period of time. my humi was starting to form white powder on the cedar (but not the cigars) so i let it go. now i bought the cigar oasis 2 and removed the sponges. so now the hygrometers are reading 55/56. i even turned it to the maxs and nothing.evn the little red light on the machine doesnt come on untill i open the door.
so now i do the salt test.
put the hygrometers in a ziplock back with a wide mouth plastic cap
1 teaspoon of salt and diss water
close it with air in it and put that zip in another zip to unsure it works.
first reading 54/55 now i am doing the second one. by the way i put it in the cabinet where thers no sunlight.
yes i used distilled since the very begining..
do you think its possible that the oasis is not working or that the hygrometers were bad and there was indeed to much humidity in the cabi in the first place could be the reason y the oasis doesnt kick in.....
hmmmmmm
any suggestions
please gabriel

 

[SeanGAR]

First things first.

For the salt test to work the salt has to be a saturated solution. I use much more than a teaspoon and I run this in a see-through tupperware. If the salt is not saturated the humidity will read too high. If you use too little water it will take longer to reach equilibrium. Salt cannot be oversaturated.

I leave the thing overnight. If you are getting readings in the 50 range I would first change the batteries in the hygrometers then redo the test. Don't be afraid to have too much water, as long as you have undissolved salt in the solution at equilibrium it is saturated. You can also heat up the water and dissolve salt in it, making sure there is still free salt when it cools down.

Edited: typos.