Why is humidity important for art galleries?
Humidity control is fundamental for museums and art galleries where precious objects, works of art and wooden objects are very sensitive to air and humidity level variation. Any relative humidity change might cause:
- Trouble of art works preservation;
- Deformation for canvas and parchments;
- Wooden objects, including parquetry floors prone to cracks;
- Books dehydration and cracking of the paper and glue;
- As well as any other indoor space discomfort and well-being trouble for visitors and personnel, leading to possible health problems due to dry air.
Therefore museums need to control the environment around exhibits 24/7, because temperature and relative humidity can fluctuate frequently and dramatically on a daily basis. This requires constant operation of reliable and responsive humidification system.
Recommended humidity level for your art gallery
The recommended humidity level for Art Gallery is 50 +/-5%RH for class AA and A of control.
(Reference: ASHRAE Handbooks )
Some specific and more stringent humidity level might be required for very ancient piece of art
How to bring humidity to your art gallery?
Most of the humidifier technologies are offered on the market to humidify your Art Gallery
Selection of the proper humidification solution should be based on the following:
- What is the required maximum humidification capacity (loads) required?
- What sources of energy are available on site?
- How is the ventilation system installed and how is the air distributed?
- Which humidification system will require the least amount of energy – calculated for the overall HVAC system?
It is sometime required to bring humidity to a very specific space or area or into a display; in this case a specific and detailed evaluation by humidification expert is required.
IER electric steam humidifier is an easy and efficient solution to control precise to very precise humidity level (up to +/-1%RH) to your art gallery.
ISE steam exchange or ILS Live steam humidifier are another solutions to be considered,
If raw steam from boiler is not contaminated and suitable for direct injection in the air stream, ILS humidifier is the easiest way to bring humidity to the building with a relatively low cost of ownership since minimal maintenance is required,
If raw steam from boiler is not suitable for direct injection, or if you need very safe, sterile and pure source of atmospheric steam then ISE humidifier is the best choice.
Contact us to locate our local steamOvap representative.