Just “Dew” it!
You’ve probably heard before,
“monitor your indoor relative humidity”
OR
“keep indoor RH between 30-50%”
According to Allison Bailes, Chief Troublemaker at Energy Vanguard, Relative Humidity (RH) tells us when condensation of water vapor can occur.
Stated another way, RH is a ratio, expressed in percent, of the amount of atmospheric moisture present relative to the amount that would be present if the air were saturated.
For example, a RH of 80% means the air is holding 80% of the maximum water vapor it could for that temperature. Raise the temperature and the RH goes down, warmer air has more room for moisture
The interaction of porous materials with water vapor increases with increasing RH and the chance of growing mold increases with increasing RH.
According to Bailes, 70% is usually cited as the threshold to stay below.
People who have experienced mold may advise staying between 30-55 or 60% RH as a even more conservative threshold.
…So maybe THIS explains why many people focus on just monitoring and controlling relative humidity.
Dew Point is the temperature at which the air must be cooled to be fully saturated. It provides a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air – so the higher the dew point, the more moisture in the air.
Bailes describes that Dew Point Temperature scales with the amount of water vapor in the air. As more water vapor enters a volume, the dew point goes up.
You can see why then, that relative humidity reveals only part of the moisture picture of an indoor environment and how knowing the dew point actually provides a more meaningful humidity measurement.
While relative humidity tells you the amount of moisture currently suspended in the air, dew point indicates the whole humidity story – when condensation forms on cooler surfaces.
Understanding dew point arms you with better knowledge to control humidity and its unwelcome side effects.
Combining relative humidity AND dew point readings helps optimize the comfort and air quality in your indoor spaces.
But how???
Next, take the temperature and RH and plug them in to this handy FREE Dew Point calculator
Check this out…
Check out Allison Bailes’ blog at Energy Vanguard (linked below) for more on the topic
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The Ultimate Home Maintenance Guide is available here.
Stay conscious and curious, friend!
❤️C