Designing for Absolute Moisture Control

Abstract

Rarely is an industry trade journal published without at least one article included concerning the topic of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) or the related Sick Building Syndrome (SBI). Whether the subject of the article is a school, an office building or a public assembly building, chances are the origin of the IAQ problems stem from excessive moisture in the space. Excessive moisture in the space can either come from water damage (leaking pipes or poor integrity of the building envelope), or it comes from uncontrolled, excessive humidity in the space. This paper pertains to the latter of these two sources. With the air conditioning technologies available, and the published design data available through ASHRAE today, appropriate HVAC systems can be designed to adequately control not just the temperature in the spaces, but also the humidity.