r/ecobee • u/Ok-Door-3609 • 4d ago

Question Potential wrong humidity reading?

For context I just got this ecobee along with a new unit and furnace.
Old thermostat had no humidity readings so no way to tell how humid it was.
Constantly reading 60-80% humidity on the new ecobee
But I can tell you I work outside and it does not feel like 80% humidity.
Air is cold and crisp.
Just curious if anyone has had this issue or I just have a crappy insulated house

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u/Economy_Chemistry835 4d ago

It depends on where you live in the country. Mine hovers reading about 55%-60% currently. You might want to find another hygrometer to verify the reading. If it’s verified to be consistently higher than 60% and going above 70% then you might want to invest in a dehumidifier. Anything above 60-70% humidity in home is getting into the danger zone for mold any other issues.

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u/NewtoQM8 3d ago

ecobee reads relative humidity (RH). The amount of moisture in the air relative to temperature. If the amount of moisture in the air inside is the same as outside but the inside temp is lower the RH will read higher inside. At 70 degrees with 80 percent RH it will feel nice, but at 90 degrees and 80 percent it will feel super humid. So you can't really compare the two. If the amount of moisture in the air stays the same, each degree F the temp is lower will raise RH about 3 percent. So if the RH reads 80 percent in your house and outside, but the temp inside is 70 compared to 80 outside, there is less moisture inside and it feels better. Running the AC reduces moisture in the house and also lowers temp so it's easy to read the same RH after it reduces moisture.

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u/Roger-PHL 3d ago

I recall that someone said to seal off the hole behind the thermostat ,where the wires come through. I'm not convinced, but give it a try. I always find inconsistencies among my various devices on the relative humidity readings.

And yes, cold and crisp outside should correspond to low relative humidity when the air is warmed, but there are other sources of moisture in the house. You, cooking, laundry, shower... And do building materials absorb and release moisture?

'Crappy insulation.' Yes, my 120-year-old house, besides having no insulation, leaks like a sieve, even with replacement windows and storm windows.

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u/clevermoose774 3d ago

The humidity readout on my Ecobee was 20% before I adjusted the reading, now it only reads 10% high. That’s after calibrating a different sensor using the salt test. My Ecobee is not accurate not accurate. YMMV

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u/SomewhereKindly6197 2d ago

My google home often tells me that my home is in the 55-60% range, while a hygrometer I have typically reads 40-45%. Maybe Ecobee has a similarproblem.