<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: HVAC</TITLE>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<STYLE type=text/css>BLOCKQUOTE {
        PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
DL {
        PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
UL {
        PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
OL {
        PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
LI {
        PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
</STYLE>
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2722.900" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This whole problem is what gave rise to the notion
of not placing a piano on an outside wall. In the old houses without
insulation there would be a cold spot behind the piano on an outside wall where
moisture would condense & actually make a block of ice in the wall in some
cases. Insulated buildings w/out vapor barrier will allow the moisture to
pass out until it freezes somewhere in the insulation, making a really big block
of ice. You can imagine what that does to the studs, etc. over
time. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>One of the houses we renovated (we seem cursed with
the gift of seeing the potential in places -- ever done that with old pianos?)
was so bad when we re-did the bathroom, that you could poke your finger through
some of the studs. Modern heating & construction methods have taken
care of the "outside wall" problem, but created another problem of "sick
buildings". Given my druthers, I'druther yank the pitch around than
breathe air that's been recycling from person to person since the building was
built. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That having been said, the hygrometer in my shop
(in the oldest building on campus -- ca. 1902) seems so be stuck somewhere
around the 40% mark....and I ain't gonna fix it. Misguided, perhaps, but
it gives me peace of mind in these budget-cutting, shoot-the-messenger
times. If the money isn't there to fix it (& it isn't at the moment),
but the problem is still extreme, maybe a load of humidity control systems are
needed. But be sure to budget in a work/study position to service the
things, unless you want more paragraphs on your job description w/out
compensatory pay. They can be effective, but do need constant care.
After evidence of a $2mil. problem, a few thousand bucks & a work/study
position may sound real cheap to them. It's not ideal, but it may get the
job done.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Otto</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=purdy@oak.cats.ohiou.edu
href="mailto:purdy@oak.cats.ohiou.edu">Christopher D. Purdy</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org
href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">College and University Technicians</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 24, 2003 12:22
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: HVAC</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>In my original post, I am guilty of giving you all a VERY condensed
version of the report that the company that did the assessment gave us.
This baby's some 70-80 pages long and very in depth.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Jeff Tanner wrote:</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Hi Chris,<BR>You wrote:<BR>>- If we
install the proper equipment, the building walls have no<BR>>vapor
barrier and therefor any increased humidity would simply go<BR>>through
the walls and outside. This would cause steel girders to<BR>>rust
and the mortar in the brick to breakdown and actually stain.<BR>>(called
efflorescence, for vocabulary buffs)<BR>><BR>>- Ditto for the
roof.<BR><BR>I think I'm gonna call "BS" here. What is your indoor RH
during the<BR>summer? and why would the effects of high summer RH on
the steel girders<BR>and mortar be any different from trying to bring winter
RH up to 42%?</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>This is not my field, obviously, but as I understand it the problem comes
when the humidity, vapor for a better word, goes through the wall it comes
into contact with cold, outside air. It then condenses on interior
surfaces and that is what will cause rusting of bare steel.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>This is a long term problem I take it. I doubt the building would
fall down after the first winter from rust and loose mortar. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Eric Wolfley wrote:</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">got the<BR>humidity up to 40% in the dead of
winter. Everyone thanked me, the pianos<BR>didn't go 40 cents flat, and
sounded good. Then all the bad building things<BR>started
happening....during a below zero cold snap, all the windows iced up<BR>(1/4
inch thick on some), the doors had so much ice dripping off the
bottom</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>that they wouldn't close, and so on.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>This, I believe, would be the most immediate problem in trying to
humidify this building without vapor barriers and insulated, double glazed
windows. Everywhere that the humidified air comes into contact with
cold, outside air, it will condensate and or freeze. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Dale wrote what I think is the best solution so far:</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000
size=-1><B> A very good
micro brew in a cold mug!</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><B><BR></B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-1><B><BR></B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>--
</PRE></X-SIGSEP>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000 size=+2><B>Christopher D. Purdy
R.P.T.<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><X-TAB>
</X-TAB></B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000 size=+2>School of Music, Ohio
University<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><X-TAB>
</X-TAB></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000 size=+2>Athens, Ohio
45701<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><X-TAB>
</X-TAB><X-TAB>
</X-TAB></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000 size=+2><B>(740)
593-1656</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000 size=+2>fax (740)
593-1429</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Helvetica color=#000000
size=+2>purdy@ohiou.edu</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>