<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>Re: HVAC</title></head><body> <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 type="cite" 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 type="cite" 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 size="-1" color="#000000"><b>          A very good micro brew in a cold mug!</b></font></div> <div><font size="-1" color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div> <div><font size="-1" color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div> <div><br></div> <x-sigsep><pre>-- </pre></x-sigsep> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000"><b>Christopher D. Purdy R.P.T.<x-tab>     </x-tab><x-tab>        </x-tab></b></font></div> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">School of Music, Ohio University<x-tab>        </x-tab><x-tab>        </x-tab></font></div> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">Athens, Ohio  45701<x-tab>     </x-tab><x-tab>        </x-tab><x-tab>        </x-tab></font></div> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000"><b>(740) 593-1656</b></font></div> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">fax (740) 593-1429</font></div> <div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">purdy@ohiou.edu</font></div> </body> </html>