[ADVICE PLEASE] Humidity Range of Dry Cabinet ("Digi-Cabi" Model:DB-036) SHOOT UP...

[kopohui]

Dear all,

I have been using the mentioned dry cabinet for more than one year and according to the manual, the ideal humidity range should be in between 55%-40% for camera, lenses.

All these while, the humidity range has never exceed the "range" until recently, it shot up to more than 60% by itself without any meddling or whatsoever.

As such, should I do the necessary adjustment or left it the way it is to "acclimatise by itself"?

Please kindly advise, thanks

 

[SkyStrike]

I noted that the 'fan' sign is spinning, so... Just to be sure... did you open the cabinet door for lets say > 40 seconds then close it, then you see this figure?

 

[kopohui]

I noted that the 'fan' sign is spinning, so... Just to be sure... did you open the cabinet door for lets say > 40 seconds then close it, then you see this figure?

I understand that if the door is left open for a while, the reading will go up before drop back to the usual range.

A friend just feedback that usually this "digital reader" might not able to give you the accurate reading and suggest I get a hydrometer for better accuracy. Another once told me it took him a week to calibrate to the correct range for his being those "tower cabinet".

FYI, the reading is now read as 59% with the "fan spining".

 

[SkyStrike]

I understand that if the door is left open for a while, the reading will go up before drop back to the usual range.

A friend just feedback that usually this "digital reader" might not able to give you the accurate reading and suggest I get a hydrometer for better accuracy. Another once told me it took him a week to calibrate to the correct range for his being those "tower cabinet".

FYI, the reading is now read as 59% with the "fan spining".

Mine took about 1 week to calibrate as well. And depending on the capacity, it might take longer time to get to that usual range. Mine is a 100L, from 60+, it usually take >2hr to get it down to my usual range of ~40.

If you suspect that the dry cabinet is not working as intended, you might want to do the salt test or get another hygrometer to check the readings.

 

[sammy888]

View attachment 5316

Dear all,

I have been using the mentioned dry cabinet for more than one year and according to the manual, the ideal humidity range should be in between 55%-40% for camera, lenses.

All these while, the humidity range has never exceed the "range" until recently, it shot up to more than 60% by itself without any meddling or whatsoever.

As such, should I do the necessary adjustment or left it the way it is to "acclimatise by itself"?

Please kindly advise, thanks

If I understand correctly unlike some of the replies here who think you might be trying to set up a new system and encounter a problem thus their reply about how long it takes to have the cabinet Rh established You are actually about to get it into range for a year before it started to act out of range of 60RH? If this is happening for no reason, the unit is not moved to another room..etc I would say you should contact the company to ask for some answer. I use the same cabinet brand and my setting if I use your picture,, my dial is set at the blue/red.position and it keeps my RH at 37% (model: AD-080 Digi-Cabi)

Might be the humidifier unit is not working properly after a year or your meter gauge is damage. Want to test if your unit is working before you send it in for a checkout? Simple buy a cheap analog humidity meter and put it inside it for a day and see what reading you get. Now you might need to test the analog meter (hygrometer) to ensure it too is quite accurate and you do that by doing a salt test as Skystrike mentioned. You can also buy a digital meter but it too might need to be tested and calibrated like a analog meter. Usually it is quite accurate out of the box. If you can see a lot of units put together at the shop.. just see what reading most of them are pointing to.. that generally is a good bet it is quite a accurate. The Salt test just guaranteed you are spot on. ( +/- a degree or so )

For me I always have a analog meter inside my cabinet as a insurance to ensure the reading is accurate to about a degree or so. Also i did a salt test to make sure my analog meter is quite accurate.

Salt test link

 

[kopohui]

Just an update, went back to the shop to seek advice, I was told to shift the marker to the spot in between the blue and red with the humidity level at 46% this morning before I left for work (was at 49% before I sleep).

Was also told likely to the "motor" that replacement is needed if remain status quo.

Any idea where to get those low cost hydrometer?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[SkyStrike]

hygrometer - A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere.

hydrometer - A hydrometer is an instrument used to measure the specific gravity (or relative density) of liquids.


You will want to buy a hygrometer....

A cheap one I think can be bought from Daiso.

 

[sammy888]

Just an update, went back to the shop to seek advice, I was told to shift the marker to the spot in between the blue and red with the humidity level at 46% this morning before I left for work (was at 49% before I sleep).

Was also told likely to the "motor" that replacement is needed if remain status quo.

Any idea where to get those low cost hydrometer?

Thanks for the feedback.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have the setting right at that point as you mentioned and for my cabinet size I got it to 37% RH. So hopefully you see changes by the time you get home. If the humidifier hardware is damaged or wear out, you have no choice but go back to the dealer/distributor to get it replace.

I doubt you can find just any 'motor' to replace it like some international standard plug-in practice by all the cabinet brands. As Skystrike mention, the hygrometer ( often mistype this as hydrometer.. dyslexia sux sometime) is just a measuring device.. It does nothing to help with the control of humidity.

 

[knightskid]

Mustafa do have sell hygrometer. At level 4 where they sell drill, screw, car accessories...

 

[Octarine]

Looking at the picture and the thread title it's the analog Digi series. The hygrometer is nothing but a reading device, no feedback to the dehumidifier (a humidifier is the last thing we want to have inside the cabinet). These types are known for breaking doen after some time. Luckily they can be removed and replaced. All what is needed is a screwdriver, the warranty card and a trip to the service center. Digi SC is in Tagore Lane.

 

[kopohui]

Just an update here, as since last evening when I reached home and left for work earlier, the reading has been consistently maintain at 43%

 

[Octarine]

Just an update here, as since last evening when I reached home and left for work earlier, the reading has been consistently maintain at 43%

So turning the knob has solved the issue?

 

[kopohui]

So turning the knob has solved the issue?

I believe so, although a friend suggested to put some silicon gel inside the cabinet to gauge if the thing is functioning properly. Now the reading is at 41% before I left for work.

 

[SkyStrike]

I wonder if it's possible that when keeping the camera into the cabinet, your lens accidentally hit the knob thus changing the settings..

 

[Octarine]

I believe so, although a friend suggested to put some silicon gel inside the cabinet to gauge if the thing is functioning properly. Now the reading is at 41% before I left for work.

Glad to hear that, maybe it was just a contact issue with the knob and the electrical component.
To verify the hygrometer accuracy you can do the salt test. Putting Silica gel in would only give you an indication like "yeah, it responds somewhat, somehow".

 

[kopohui]

Good morning, here's an update of the situation as depicted in the picture I took earlier when I woke up.

Apparently, the "fan stop spinning" and I had to switch on/off the power supply, adjust the nob "a bit" to start the spinning again. So does this mean I should head for Tagore Lane soon? thanks

 

[SkyStrike]

Adjusting the knob abit will definitely cause the fan to spin....

I'll still curious why do you want to do that.. I usually leave it alone after it stabilize.

Also by adjusting the knob, that means, your opened the door... that also means that the humidity changed....it's normal that the fan will spin..

 

[kopohui]

As I would like to know if I don't see the "fan spinning" indication (as depicted), does this mean the thing is not functioning properly?

 

[SkyStrike]

As I would like to know if I don't see the "fan spinning" indication (as depicted), does this mean the thing is not functioning properly?

If it's isn't spinning it also probably just meant that the humidity is within the "range" that you have set. To my understanding of this dry cabinet (I'm probably using the same series), it will only spin when the humidity in the cabinet is beyond the range of what you have set. (e.g. Opening the door for a prolonged period of time > 30s in a non airconed room)

I really think you should let it run normally and access if the humidifier is working as intended. Turning the knob to see if it's spinning isn't really going to help test the hygrometer in your dry cabinet.

 

[Octarine]

Apparently, the "fan stop spinning" and I had to switch on/off the power supply, adjust the nob "a bit" to start the spinning again. So does this mean I should head for Tagore Lane soon? thanks:confused:[/QUOTE]
First of all, there is no fan inside. This is just an animation / indication that the dehumidifier is active right now.
Secondly, please read this thread giving you more insights into how dry cabinets actually work: [url]http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481380[/url]
For comparison: Did you notice that fridges occasionally start and stop? I know it's difficult to hear with modern devices (older ones were a bit noisier) but it's the same working principle.