At our International Distributor Conference in Guildford last month we were very lucky to have Jane Henderson, Senior Lecturer from Cardiff University, along to talk to us. Jane discussed why museums use dehumidifiers and how moisture affects different parts of a museums collection. It was during this part of the talk that Jane told us that an easy way to remember the effect that excess moisture has on wood is to have a drink in a pub!
Drinking in a pub does not make you any taller but it does increase your girth! This is similar to how moisture affects timber and I was reminded of this when I heard one of the children struggling to open our old bathroom door. This is regular seasonal issue for us as the wooden door likes to absorb moisture in the summer and its physical dimensions increase. This is all because it’s moisture content has increased as it responds to the higher relative humidity of the summer.
Having the windows open and keeping the house well ventilated will only make the problem worse as the air coming in is so humid at this time of year. You could of course shave a bit off the door but when winter comes the door will shrink again and I have visions of the door getting smaller and smaller each year if this process is repeated until the youngest can limbo under the door!
Instead, when this happens, I tend to move the dehumidifier on the landing closer to the old bathroom door and I find that after a week or so the door is back to it’s normal size and the children no longer struggle to get out!
The door is actually just a sign, it is telling me that the relative humidity is on the increase and other issues like mould growth are likely. So I think of it as an early warning system and adjust my dehumidifier use accordingly. A bit like needing the extra hole on the belt is an early warning system about my intake of beer (and chocolate and cake and…….)!!??
Products featured: dehumidifiers
