Discussion
hornbaek said:
Actually temperature is not your enemy - humidity is. So get a big dehumidifier and you will be fine. I have a barn which is heated but have been told that i should not bother with the heating as it creates condensation which then increases the humidity.
Just to say, in case of use for anyone in the future; it's factually incorrect that heating a space raises the Relative Humidity (RH). It doesn't, it lowers it. Science (and Psychrometric Charts) say so.Warm air can hold significantly more moisture than cold air, therefore for any given moisture content in the air, the %RH (compared to the Saturation Point) of the air goes down as temperature goes up.
Also, remember that while sufficient ventilation can be useful in helping to control humidity in some situations (Extracts from bathrooms, etc) if it is 80% RH outside and you have a fan bringing in fresh air (or are bringing it in through natural draft), then you are bringing in air with a high moisture content, and therefore will be raising the RH%.
When your windows drip condensation because it is very cold outside, you have in fact taken moisture out of the air, therefore you have decreased the RH% of the air, not increased it (until the condensation evaporates again, which would return the RH to what it was before). This is basically how most de-humidifiers work.
Dingle Dell said:
Just to say, in case of use for anyone in the future; it's factually incorrect that heating a space raises the Relative Humidity (RH). It doesn't, it lowers it. Science (and Psychrometric Charts) say so.
Warm air can hold significantly more moisture than cold air, therefore for any given moisture content in the air, the %RH (compared to the Saturation Point) of the air goes down as temperature goes up.
Also, remember that while sufficient ventilation can be useful in helping to control humidity in some situations (Extracts from bathrooms, etc) if it is 80% RH outside and you have a fan bringing in fresh air (or are bringing it in through natural draft), then you are bringing in air with a high moisture content, and therefore will be raising the RH%.
When your windows drip condensation because it is very cold outside, you have in fact taken moisture out of the air, therefore you have decreased the RH% of the air, not increased it (until the condensation evaporates again, which would return the RH to what it was before). This is basically how most de-humidifiers work.
you lost me at "Just" !Warm air can hold significantly more moisture than cold air, therefore for any given moisture content in the air, the %RH (compared to the Saturation Point) of the air goes down as temperature goes up.
Also, remember that while sufficient ventilation can be useful in helping to control humidity in some situations (Extracts from bathrooms, etc) if it is 80% RH outside and you have a fan bringing in fresh air (or are bringing it in through natural draft), then you are bringing in air with a high moisture content, and therefore will be raising the RH%.
When your windows drip condensation because it is very cold outside, you have in fact taken moisture out of the air, therefore you have decreased the RH% of the air, not increased it (until the condensation evaporates again, which would return the RH to what it was before). This is basically how most de-humidifiers work.
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