Taylor 5565 Hygrometer: Review

It’s impossible to talk about pianos, piano tuning, and piano care without talking about humidity.

(Click on each picture above for a larger view!)

A first step in understanding how humidity is effecting the piano, is knowing what the humidity is in the home or room where the piano is located.

Here is a hygrometer I like:   Taylor 5565 Hygrometer/Thermometer .   Its easy to read and never needs a battery replacement.  But what I really like about it, are the calibration ‘screws ‘ accessible from the back (see above photo), which are used to calibrate both hygrometer and thermometer to a sling psychrometer.

Many customers buy one a few weeks before my next visit so I can calibrate it while I’m there.   If you already have one, I always check the calibration, and adjust it if necessary, when servicing your piano.

I am not a fan of most  ‘digital’ hygrometers.

We brought 3 or 4  small digital hygrometers with us when we moved to Tucson.   With fresh batteries in each, I placed them side by side and after a few days each gave a different humidity reading.   And it was not only a percent or two.  There was a 15 % – 20% difference between them.   And there was no way to calibrate them.

I’m sure there are accurate digital hygrometers out there.  Our HVAC guy has one that costs about $400 and of course, it checks out just fine.   It’s a commercial model for making instant temperature and humidity measurements while doing Air Conditioner work.

Some digital hygrometers can be reasonably accurate in the midrange, but in the dry or more humid ranges, my experience indicates they loose some accuracy.

Make sure the hygrometer you get can be calibrated.

So, I like this analog Taylor 5565.   Many vendors, including Amazon, carry this Taylor 5565 Hygrometer.

I’ve had one of these for some years now, I know it works great, and feel good recommending it.

I’m seeing other analogue hygrometers with calibration screws on the back which might be worth considering.  Some are small, and I think are intended for ‘cigar’ humidors.   But I have no experience with them.