Condair humidifiers at the National Army Museum

Condair has recently supplied and installed three Condair RS resistive steam humidifiers to maintain the humidity around the exhibits and archives at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.

Optimum environmental conditions are required to ensure the perfect preservation of military artefacts that are made of a wide range of materials, some of which date back to the English Civil War.

Mike O’Connor, Deputy Director at the National Army Museum, commented, “Precise climate control in our galleries and stored collections, across both temperature and humidity, plays an important role in preserving the nation’s military heritage. Our collections include an array of exhibits, from the cloak Wellington wore at Waterloo and Lawrence of Arabia’s dagger to modern day grenade launchers and drones. Metals, textiles, wooden objects and paintings can all be affected by high or low humidity, so a stable environment ensures longevity and avoids costly restoration work.”

The three Condair humidification systems were installed in weatherproof enclosures on the roof of the museum as part of its recent £24M refurbishment project. As well as resisting the London weather, the Condair enclosures incorporate a heater and fan unit to ensure the internal conditions remain within the humidifier’s recommended operating range. So, just as the humidifiers help the museum preserve its exhibits, likewise the enclosures do the same job for the humidifiers.

The Condair RS resistive steam humidifier is the ideal choice for heritage applications due to its responsive control and innovative scale management system. It can operate on mains water, as it is at the National Army Museum, and provide ±3%RH control, or on RO water and offer a close ±1%RH control. A humidifier that gives rapid response and close humidity control is important for museums that can be empty one minute and full of tourists in from the rain the next.

A patented scale management system on the Condair RS allows in-house maintenance teams to undertake routine scale removal, safely and quickly, without even needing to open the humidifier’s main cabinet. A scale collector tank is located under the boiling chamber, into which scale falls during operation. Scale removal is a simple process of draining the unit with the push of a button, disconnecting the cooled collector tank and emptying it.

The National Army Museum is the leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present. It displays thousands of pieces across five themed galleries with a special temporary exhibition gallery, event space, a café and children’s area, Play Base. Admission is free to the permanent galleries and the Museum is open to the public between 10am and 5.30pm, daily.