The Background
Set over three floors, the newly created state-of-the-art St Albans Museum showcase over 2,000 years of priceless heritage. The museum shares local, national and world artwork and treasures with all visitors. The existing system within the museum claimed to control the humidity. It did this by assuming that the moisture content of the outside air was always lower than the required humidity in the space. Therefore, when the humidity in the space increased fresh air was brought in. To prevent degradation of artwork due to air water content the museum required a set point of 18⁰C and 50%RH. The outside air commonly has a moisture content higher than this, meaning control was not possible.
The Solution for Preserving Artwork
Full range humidity control in all seasons could only be achieved with a dehumidifier for the summer months and a humidifier for the low moisture content cold winter period. Building on the temperature ducted system already in place, Humidity Solutions suggested and supplied a Vapac LE09D steam humidifier which provides the addition of moisture, and the Cotes C30 dehumidifier to treat fresh air coming into the system and remove excessive moisture from outside. This is all controlled through the Neptronic HR020 controller, an advanced, user-friendly control system designed for humidifiers and dehumidifiers.
The Results
The result for St Albans Museum is a fully controllable, stable environment year-round, protecting the precious artwork and treasures whilst also maintaining a comfortable and healthy environment for staff and visitors alike.
Humidity Solutions helps many different industries achieve their correct environmental conditions, taking all parameters into consideration. Get in touch with our experts today to discuss your requirements by calling 01372 571200 or email info@humiditysolutions.co.uk
