Where I have placed a hygrothermograph is in a room where I have a large fan and a dehumidifier...so I do suspect the measurement would be higher (probably close to 100%). The HVAC system was installed 5 years ago -heat only. Vents are only in our larger room...which is @ 30'x250'. The other room is 30'x60' and there is a large doorway between Perhaps I should turn it on just to get some air circulation? Don't know if the budget can handle the use of xtra propane, but if it's only for these wettest days...shouldn't be a burden. Vents are only in our larger room...which is @ 30'x250'. The other room is 30'x60' and there is a large doorway between these rooms. Like Dave mentioned - it would be a good idea for me to cover the doorway and this should help with the one room. Incidentally - none of the windows open . I have a ventilation fan at the end of the larger room - and I can open the door (which I keep closed to try to stave off the humidity for as long as possible). I do open the door when the weather is nice -but only to dry out. No screen door (I did request one last Fall) so when I do this -barn swallows have flown in and all the flying insects. How they find Pretty much, I've found that during the summer indoor conditions are worse than that present outdoors - for the most obvious reasons here. I do not use a dehumidifier in the larger room because there are enough spaces open to the outside and otherwise with no insulation I'd just be drawing moisture in. The industrial fan that I just got for the smaller room - well what I really needed was an exhaust fan installed but we weren't able to do this. I can move air around but I really can't achieve good ventilation. Just an example of the many challenges here - there are several footlockers...all containing wool uniforms and cotton clothing. I've struggled with deciding whether or not to place these in textile storage boxes. With the humid conditions...the footlockers stay drier than boxes would. And I would need to have all the items properly cleaned/conserved before doing this anyway. I can't take objects from an unstable environment and place them in yet another. One solution I did find though is that I could hang these in the dry storage closet. I did buy padding for hangers and archival plastic covers. As always, whenever I post these issues I get useful information and often these responses get the wheels turning in my head. Oh one last question - just by chance there were no visitors to the museum today. If it's much the same dampness tomorrow or on others days...should I consider not having the museum open? Thanks, Pam In a message dated 6/29/2006 9:18:20 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Your humidity is higher than 70-75%, based on how you describe the feel of things. Items in the room probably are getting cool at night, and then, the even more humid night air (cooler air holds less water) condenses as water on the cooler surfaces. This liquid water creates even higher humidity as it evaporates back into the air, as water vapor, as the dew point increases. Your air may have been as measured, 70-75% RH, at some point midday, but if you feel wetness at that humidity, this is telling you a different story. You can live with 70-75% RH for a good long time. Fabrics that feel damp in 70-75% air, are far wetter than fabric at equilibrium with that moisture content should feel. They are probably wetter, and are evaporating off that "gained" moisture as the "dew point" of their local room air allows. Use a recording hygrothermograph if you can find one, you can even use old charts if you can use a different color of ink; the digital version would be ideal. These will tell you the real story at night, in the morning and midday. The most unstable materials are those that have already had contact with mold in the past. [Big help, right?] Spores are dormant for a long time waiting for the right pH, RH and lack-of-air-movement conditions. Any of the materials you mentioned could be the first to go, based on the degree of mold present in/on them. Closed books are slow to follow moisture changes, even on the way back down again. The solution is to put "devices" in "the room" that will condense water from the air before it can condense on cool surfaces. When water condenses on a surface, it is depositing moisture in the room more permanently, rather than just being in the air, which can be transient. These "devices" are dehumidifiers or window air conditioners. Install as many as you an manage, with the windows closed. OK, if you're in the area of the floods then you have problems. The next less effective solution is to keep the air moving, with the windows open. If you are getting condensation, then keep the air "moving" all night as well. This means you will need active guards watching everything. No good answers, sorry. You have a difficult situation, at a difficult time. Its best to be vigilant, you'll smell mold before you can see it. Tim Vitale Paper, Photographs & Electronic Media Conservator Film Migration to Digital Format Digital Imaging & Facsimiles Preservation & Imaging Consulting Preservation Associates 1500 Park Avenue Suite 132 Emeryville, CA 94608 510-594-8277 510-594-8799 fax Pamela Silvestri, Seasonal Interpretive Guide Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection State Parks Division Shenipsit State Forest Headquarters 166 Chestnut Hill Road Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076 Telephone: (860) 684-3430 e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). 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