Humidity Gauge / Dehumidifier

[GoneForLunch]

So, turns out my humidity gauge is awful. First little while seemed to work just fine, but now the rain has been rolling in around my house. Couple flood warnings and high winds, so the rain is coming down heavily. My house isn't perfect, so humidity comes in. My gauge can't handle it or something. It read 54% humidity (which I know is too high, i'll get to that in a second) but by the time I got from the door to his cage, which is maybe 3 steps, it read 48%. And I put a fan in his cage, propped up on his hide and angled out of it cage. To try and suck humidity out and create and airflow. This made it go from 51% to 53% ... nothing is making sense with this thing. I'm just calling it useless at this point. Humidity has been no issue until these rains have come in so heavily. It use to be 35-40% all the time. No matter what. I need to find a way to drop and handle the humidity. The camping fan and even overhead ceiling fan did nothing to help as far as the gauge read. But again, I don't really want to trust the gauge. I need to find a nicer gauge, but I don't have a million dollars so I'm looking for the cheapest I can get without sacrificing quality. Also, I would like to get a dehumidifier. A friend has one that turns itself on and off by using a sensor, turning on when humidity is too high (say 45%) and off when it's good (closer to 35%). But looking online, that thing wasn't cheap. Luckily for him it was around the house, not being used. But same as the gauge, I want cheap but quality. So the cheapest I can get without getting one that is just as useless as not having one.

So, long story short here's the TLDR (too long, didn't read) :

I need a new humidity gauge, and i'm debating a dehumidifier as well to control this humidity. Any suggestions on brands that work best? Or a cheaper way to solve this humidity crisis. I just don't want to end up with an RI on my hands or something.

 

[ruben0311]

humidity "gauge"? what kind are you currently using? if it is the analog dial gauges then dont worry about the readings as they are definitely off (those work by use of a metal coil in the rear of the dial that expands and contracts, not very acurate). before you do anything else please get an accurate hygrometer, digital probe or other, so you can be sure of the readings. high 40% to low 50% can be ok as long as it is just for a day or two and not constant... a bit lower would be good but remember we are not trying to go for bone dry or less than 10%

 

[GoneForLunch]

Gauge may have been the wrong word to use, I am using this (https://www.google.com/shopping/product/7817636931039152227?lsf=seller:8064,store:2002984440700965104,lsfqd:0&prds=oid:1542865733452125167&q=National+Geographictrade;+Digital+Thermo-Hygrometer&hl=en&ei=1h0mV8DANsSCmQHp84rQAg&lsft=utm_source:GOOGLE,utm_term:,utm_medium:cpc,utm_content:GSC+-+Brand+-+Specialty+-+Reptile+%7C+Supplies+-+Humidity+&lsft=gclid:CMj7z-eVucwCFQgxaQod6hoOGg)

It was all i found at pet smart and I knew i needed one, thought it was better than nothing. But it potentially is as useful as nothing. I don't know how accurate it is honestly.

 

[ruben0311]

ok so as long as the probe has not been contaminated, ie dipped in fluid or dirty, it should be fairly accurate... probes work by measuring the capacity of the air situated between two metal plates, if there is something inhibiting that then you'd have errors... i may be wrong but make sure that the display is showing the data collected from the probe and not from the unit, most times the system has two ways of collecting data, an "in" and an "out" selector lets you chose whether to sample using the probe or just from the display. aside from accuracy your choices for reducing the relative humidity within the cage may be limited aside from grabbing a dehumidifier and using that inside the room. a fan will only move around the humid air so that's not really going to reduce the percentage however ensuring that the airflow is good will reduce the possibility of condensation collecting on cold surfaces within the cage, further increasing the percentage. As stated before though, a range of less than 50 percent is ok for most dragons as long as it fluctuates naturally throughout the year and adequate ventalation and heat is available.

 

[GoneForLunch]

He's in a 75 gallon tank, with no sort of cover. His UVB and Basking lamp are just hanging into his tank. So the top is wide open for ventilation and his temps are spot on. Checked every day, several times a day, always between 105-106 in the hottest spots. Today towards the end of the day humidity was lower, towards 42-45%. I talked to a friend's dad who is a manager at an AC company, he said because it's cool outside and that the AC will only kick on until it hits what the thermostat says (76). So since it's 80 outside, it doesn't create enough airflow to really suck out humidity from the house. So we lowered it to 74, to see if it helps any. But as the rainy season goes away, humidity will drop anyways.