Moisture Analyzers for Three Unconventional Applications
1: Check the effectiveness of your HVAC system
This is a common scenario, especially for people who live in hot, humid areas along coastlines; the building's thermostat is reading a nice, cool 74°F, but everyone is sweating. You're not sure if the HVAC is working properly, if the thermostat itself is broken, or if the room's ambient humidity just makes you feel like you're covered in sweat.
A hygrometer can be used in buildings to take readings of both the actual temperature and the relative humidity of the room. Compare the hygrometer reading to the thermostat. Is the temperature reading close to what the thermostat is giving? If so, what is the relative humidity of the room? The answers to these questions may tell you if your HVAC system is in a state of wear and tear at all, or if the moisture levels in your building are too high for comfort.
Using a hygrometer, you can diagnose problems without the expense of hiring a professional HVAC technician to investigate, or at least know you need one.
2: Pest Control
Did you know that common household pests such as ants, termites, cockroaches, and rats are absorbed into water at high concentrations? Over the years, pest control professionals have used this fact to identify the highest concentrations of pests in buildings in order to eliminate the problem.
How do exterminators find these areas of high humidity? Pinpoint the source of moisture in a structure by using a hygrometer.
Using these devices, exterminators can find pockets of water hidden in structural materials, track its possible sources, and plant baits, poisons, and traps as needed. Additionally, he or she can alert the building owner to sources of moisture so they can be removed, thereby eliminating a source of nutrients for unwanted pest animals.
It is important to remove these pests when discovered as they can cause serious damage to a building and its materials. For example, rats can chew through electrical wires, termites eat wooden support structures, and many other pests can act as vectors for different diseases, making them a threat to human health.
Speaking of health risks, which brings us to our last unusual hygrometer use on this list…
3: Improve workplace health and safety
Wet building materials are hazardous to the health and safety of people in the workplace. Damp drywall, wood floors, and even concrete not only create the risk of mold, which can be a health hazard for people with sensitive respiratory systems, they can serve as breeding grounds for bacteria.
The combination of mold and bacteria helps increase the incidence of illness in people who work near these health hazards. By using moisture meters to find damp building materials, building owners can find these risk areas for bacteria to thrive and remediate them, thereby reducing the risk of workers getting sick (resulting in a corresponding reduction in the number of sick days used).
