[NHCOLL-L:5528] FW: Humidifiers in mammal collections

[Teresa Kearney]

Does anyone have advice about where to position humidifier units in a mammal
collection room that store dry skins, skulls and post-cranial material?

 

The museum I work for has a renovations project underway on the building
housing the collections. At the same time it was also decided to install air
conditioners and humidifiers in collection rooms. The humidifier unit they
wish to install is an 'Anstan humidifier, series PSA' -
http://www.anstan.co.za/Default.aspx?tabid=68. I gather this is an electrode
humidifier that needs to be mounted on a wall with access to an electrical
supply, connected to a drain for water run-off, and accessible for
maintenance.

 

The dry bone and study skin collection is predominantly stored on masonite
and wood frame trays, within boxes of the same materials. There are also a
few metal stationery cabinets housing specimens. These are all arranged
around the edges of the room, and across the room in two rows. So there are
very few accessible walls for mounting the units (there are supposed to be
two installed). There are two 'balconies' that run on either side of the
room, that connect into the main collection space via openings above hip
height walls, interspersed with several columns along the length. There are
fewer cabinets in the balcony areas and I wondered if the humidifier units
shouldn't be installed on these 'balconies'? 

 

The museum is in the interior of South Africa that is not very humid; my
records for the room in question indicate an annual range from ca. 22 % to
64 %. The temperature fluctuates annually between ca. 10 - 30 degrees
Celsius.

 

Many thanks

Teresa

 

Dr Teresa Kearney

Curator Small Mammals

Vertebrate Department

Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (formerly Transvaal Museum)

PO Box 413, Pretoria, 0001

South Africa

 

Tel +27 12 3227632

Fax +27 12 3227939

 

 

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