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Does Relative Humidity Readings Depend on Changing Temperature?

relative humidity sensor

When measuring a location’s relative humidity, there’s one factor that the measurer should always take note of. It’s that the environment’s temperature can have a significant effect on your relative humidity readings. An increase in temperature will allow air to hold more water molecules. Thus, relative humidity decreases. When the temperature gets lower, your relative humidity sensor will indicate an increase.

Warm air needs more moisture to reach saturation. We call it relative humidity because it is the humidity relative to the current temperature. Because warm air can hold more moisture, it can affect your readings.

For example, you have two identical rooms with the same amount of moisture. One room has a temperature of 90 degrees, while the other room is at 35 degrees. When you read the data, your relative humidity sensor will indicate that the warmer first room has lower humidity.

How to Deal With High/Low Temperatures

So how can you address changes in temperature and relative humidity sensors to maintain the accuracy of their readings? There are multiple ways to do so:

1. Optimize the Temperature When You Can

If you’re measuring relative humidity indoors, you can use air conditioning and/or heaters to control the temperature. Adjust the indoor temperature to a value ideal for the relative humidity sensor. Be sure to wait until the temperature is stable before taking your measurements.

2. Take Several Measurements Throughout the Day

If the temperature of your reading environment changes a lot during the day, take multiple readings at different times. Take measurements when the temperature is hottest, when it’s lowest, and when it’s average.

3. Measure for Dew Point

You can instead measure for dew point instead of relative humidity. The dew point setting tells you what temperature the air must have to reach saturation with moisture. The changes in temperature do not affect it. In some instances, it’s a more accurate measurement of moisture content in the air.

4. Get a High-Quality Relative Humidity Sensor

If you’re taking relative humidity measurements outdoors, it’s best to use high-quality air temperature and humidity sensors. These sensors need to be accurate in a wide range of temperatures.

Also, consider the manufacturer or supplier of your relative humidity sensor. Only use sensors that come from reputable manufacturers. This is to ensure that your humidity readings are accurate and replicable.

Turn to a Trusted Source

Comptus Inc. is an industry leader when it comes to high-quality humidity sensors. We make sure that our products provide the correct information you need every time. If you’d like to know more about air temperature and humidity sensors, contact us today, and we’ll be happy to assist you.

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