Understanding Humidity Sensors

Humidity sensors are also popularly referred to as moisture sensors, humidity analysers and hygrometers. They are highly sensitive devices that are present in residential, business and industrial environments as they allow ordinary people, office workers and factory operators easily determine if the space where they are in is too dry or too wet. Moisture analysers are particularly important and useful in those environments where a certain level of humidity has to be maintained in order to ensure the appropriate living, working and manufacturing conditions.

Everyday appliances we can find in every home such as an air conditioner or a ventilator come with and hygrometer. We especially notice them when we turn on the air conditioning system in summer and after a few hours we feel that the living room or bedroom is much more dryer and comfortable.

There are even some medical conditions that require the patients to be kept in environments with a stable humidity level and this can only be achieved safely by installing a mositure sensor.

Many industrial facilities as well rely on humidity analysers in order to make sure that the goods they produce keep up with the quality standards and that they are safe to be consumed by the public. In fact, certain manufacturing processes depend on these highly sensitive instruments if the factory operators want to make sure that it is being done flawlessly. For instance, the human and pet food industry uses hygrometers to produce potato chips and breakfast cereals and packed pet food that is crispy; the wood industry uses moisture sensors to determine if a piece of cut wood has the right amount of moisture so that the carpenter and ebanist can later on use it to create and design pieces of furniture; or the pharmaceutical industry find that moisture analysers are useful to guarantee that the properties of the chemical compound being produced are not altered by excessive humidity or dryness.

In industries and factories, these sensitive devices are used all along the different steps in the manufacturing process to make sure that in every stage the factory keeps up with the manufacturing standards. A sample of the product is taken and weighted. Then it is introduced into the hygrometer where it is dried out. The sample is taken away and weighed again. The difference between the first and second weight tell the factory operator if the humidity level is within the appropriate range. If it is needed, he will make the necessary adjustments.