Target Fish Room Humidity
- Thread starter cbfreder
- Start date
Where is this fishroom ?
As an HVAC Tech., 55-60 is about right for the home. Helps keep down static elec., dry coughs/dry noses when you wake up, etc..
A fairly good % unless you or a family member has breathing issues.
70% and up is where the mold/mildew problems most commonly come into play.
As an aside here, the drier you can keep the air (within reason) during the summer months (air conditioning, which is basically a DE-humidifier) the higher you can keep the thermostat setpoint (less energy used) and still feel comfortable, and conversely, the wetter (again within reason) you can keep the air during the winter months (heating, and a HUmidifier also, because the furnace tends to dry the air even more) the lower you can keep the setpoint (again, less energy used) and feel comfortable.
What we as humans call hot is more a factor of humidity than actual temp.
Wetter air is heavier and thus harder to breathe, and it makes us feel "hotter" because we tend to sweat easier since there is less "wicking" effect off our bodies. It's the same evaporative effect as putting a fan over an aquarium to cool it off, or standing in front of a fan in a 90 degree room. The air flow causes evaporation, which makes us "feel" cooler.
Sorry for the long techie post, but I know these things.
To answer your post, 55-60% should cause no issues with mold/mildew.
Outside levels have no bearing inside, as long as the HVAC can keep up.
As an HVAC Tech., 55-60 is about right for the home. Helps keep down static elec., dry coughs/dry noses when you wake up, etc..
A fairly good % unless you or a family member has breathing issues.
70% and up is where the mold/mildew problems most commonly come into play.
As an aside here, the drier you can keep the air (within reason) during the summer months (air conditioning, which is basically a DE-humidifier) the higher you can keep the thermostat setpoint (less energy used) and still feel comfortable, and conversely, the wetter (again within reason) you can keep the air during the winter months (heating, and a HUmidifier also, because the furnace tends to dry the air even more) the lower you can keep the setpoint (again, less energy used) and feel comfortable.
What we as humans call hot is more a factor of humidity than actual temp.
Wetter air is heavier and thus harder to breathe, and it makes us feel "hotter" because we tend to sweat easier since there is less "wicking" effect off our bodies. It's the same evaporative effect as putting a fan over an aquarium to cool it off, or standing in front of a fan in a 90 degree room. The air flow causes evaporation, which makes us "feel" cooler.
Sorry for the long techie post, but I know these things.
To answer your post, 55-60% should cause no issues with mold/mildew.
Outside levels have no bearing inside, as long as the HVAC can keep up.
No structural issues at those %'s, but the lower end WILL cause hardwood floors to "creak/squeak" more, unless they were installed at those specific % levels.ewurm;980859; said:
Just like old wooden boats, the moisture causes wood to swell, thus becoming tighter (watertight).
And this is talking hardwoods. The majority of wood "framing" materials is pine, which is much softer, and accepts moisture more readily, meaning it will swell more at a given % than a hardwood, and have mold/mildew issues sooner as well.