O Knowledgeable Ones -
We have an ailing and outdated HVAC
system in our large 1774 stone house here in the Carolina Piedmont. We are
looking at making small improvements while we wrestle with the larger issues of
visitor comfort/building well-being. So, these are my questions:
Given that we have only rudimentary
control over our temperature and no control over humidity, would a programmable
thermostat be of some utility in helping us lessen condensation while still
catering to visitors’ expectations? And if so, how should we set it to
lessen condensation while not freezing or broiling our visitors?
And secondly, I would love to be pointed
toward good resources and knowledgeable consultants to inform our decisions as
to what to do next. I would especially like to hear from people who have dealt
with these issues in houses such as ours – stone, two floors plus full
cellar and attic, plaster exterior walls, wooden interor walls, wood shingle
roof, fully furnished, with guided tours coming through two or more times a day.
I should add that we are located in the
Carolina Piedmont. Long hot summers, moderately cold winters, and what I call
Yo-yo Season in the spring and fall. We can go from lows in the twenties to
highs in the seventies during a given week in February, and daily temperature
ranges are typically thirty degrees between high and low. Summers can be hot
and wet, or hot and dry, or both.
Many thanks, as always, for any
information you can share with us -
Anne
Anne T Lane,
Collections Manager
The Charlotte Museum of History
where history has a home
3500 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte NC 28215
704-568-1774 X110
Fax - 704-566-1817