Critical Equipment for Preventing Moisture When School’s Out of Session

After students leave at the end of the school year, facilities managers shift gears to prepare each building in the district for summer. One important task is preventing moisture from building up when humidity is high.

Moisture is an underlying factor in many indoor air quality issues. It takes just a few weeks for moisture buildup to result in mold growth, which can easily go undetected. These mold spores spreading in the air can cause students and staff to develop coughs, allergies, headaches, and other health issues. Mold also aggravates asthma, which is the leading cause of absenteeism due to chronic illness.

Moisture and mold can have a negative impact on the school building itself, too, corroding the HVAC system and damaging walls and carpeting. For optimum air quality, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends that schools maintain indoor humidity levels between 30% and 60% year round.

Air conditioners are often not the best dehumidification equipment for schools over the summer. First and foremost, the cooling units in an HVAC system are often costly to run, especially when there are no staff and students present. Because air conditioners monitor temperature, not relative humidity levels, the HVAC will not activate on cooler days, even if humidity is high. This causes moisture to accumulate.

Dehumidification rental equipment can be a better option for schools. With dehumidifiers controlling moisture, the HVAC can be laid up over the summer without worry. Desiccant dehumidifiers, specifically, work well to control dew point temperatures and remove humidity from the air. Desiccant dehumidifiers often outperform other solutions at a high rate of efficiency, resulting in significant savings for the school. The Polygon HCU-6000, for example, costs 25% less overall to run than its closest comparable solution. The HCU-6000 works using a packaged refrigeration system and an active titanium silica gel desiccant wheel. All of the energy required for the regeneration of the desiccant wheel is recycled from the condenser waste heat, making it an efficient and environmentally-friendly solution.

Another advantage to this system is its size. Designed for outdoor use, the units are compact and stackable. The system also features the convenience of digital control and remote monitoring. Additionally, school districts do not need to purchase desiccant dehumidifiers outright. They can avoid a capital expenditure by renting portable dehumidification equipment for the summer or for special projects where humidity control is critical.

Polygon dehumidification equipment has been trusted to protect priceless artwork, historical treasures, and archival records. Throughout the world, Polygon engineers have worked on projects ranging from battleships to ballparks and restoration after every major disaster since 1984. Their shared experience and depth of knowledge enables Polygon to provide the best dehumidification systems for your school. Call today to speak with a representative about the right dehumidification equipment for your summer school lay-up needs.

[Photo from Kelly Sikkema via CC License 2.0]