Dew point control hvac for grow room climate

What is Relative Humidity? Relative Humidity (RH) measures the air’s water vapor content/ moisture. Or, in another term, it is the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage (%RH) of the amount required to get saturation at the same temperature. For better understanding, take an example, if the Relative Humidity is 50%, then the air is only half saturated with moisture, and warmer air can hold more moisture than colder air.

Humidity is important for everything without the same. For example, there wouldn’t be any clouds, no precipitation, and no fog. Humidity is just water vapor in the air from rain, and water vapor holds heat in the air. So, humidity is also called a greenhouse gas, easily absorbing heat and warming the atmosphere. Additionally, Relative Humidity is strongly proportional to the temperature and highly sensitive to temperature changes, which means if you have a stable temperature around you, your Relative Humidity will also be stable.

We can measure humidity in several ways, but relative humidity (RH). To understand RH in a better manner, you should also learn about:

Absolute Humidity

This is particularly the mass of water vapor divided by dry air in a volume of air at a given temperature. If hotter the air is, the more water it can contain. Also, absolute humidity expresses as grams of moisture per cubic meter of air (g/m3).

Relative Humidity 

Again, Relative Humidity is the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity, which completely depends on the current air temperature. As per the report, if there is 100% relative humidity in the environment, the air is saturated with water vapor and cannot hold anymore, creating rain. Also, if the relative humidity must be 100 percent, it doesn’t mean there is a possibility of rain, but it must be 100 percent only where the clouds are forming. Still, the relative humidity near the ground could be much less.

Determination of Relative Humidity 

  • Many diseases thrive in the moist atmosphere, which is why most of the Health and Hygiene to other departments keep records of relative humidity ofthe atmosphere. This record helps predict the occurrence of some diseases that may affect people in various ways.
  • RH also affects the temperament of the human body and their health and energy. For example, the air in a spot where many people assemble becomes wet and polluted in no time. That is why air conditioning controls the temperature at many places.
  • At various stores and factories of electric and electronic instruments, sensitive instruments always need a fixed relative humidity to preserve items appropriately.
  • Food processing units always monitor the level of humidity. If they don’t, then in NO time, humidity can ruin the prepared food along with the ingredients that slow production. Therefore, high humidity is an unwelcome guest at food-processing facilities, and we should maintain it.
  • Plants always need an optimal amount of humidity, but not to the point where it reaches the dew point. If the temperature in the greenhouse is at or below the dew point, the air cannot hold its moisture will lead to condensation on the greenhouse, covering glazing and leaf surfaces. Too much water on the leaves will increase the plants’ disease problems and nutritional problems if there is too much water. Too much moisture in the greenhouse can ruin crops easily. Hence maintaining a great humidity level is essential.

What is the dew point?

Want to know what is a dew point? Understanding the dew point is important as it connects with the temperature and humidity. The dew point is the temperature at which air needs to be cooled to constant pressure to attain a relative humidity (RH) of 100% when air cannot hold more water in the gas form. In case if the air is cooled even more, water vapor will come out of the atmosphere in the liquid form, usually as fog or precipitation. So if higher the dew point rises, there will be a greater amount of moisture in the air.

Here, learn more about Dew Point with an example. If the temperature is at 30 and the dew point is at 30, it will give you a relative humidity of 100%, but if there is a temperature of 80 and a dew point of 60, it produces a relative humidity of 50%. Therefore, it would feel much more humid on the 80-degree day with 50% relative humidity than on the 30-degree day with 100% relative humidity. Why so? Because of the higher dew point.

Relationship Between Temperature and Relative Humidity

In the relative humidity and temperature relationship, you must know that temperature tells us about the coldness or warmness of any object. We generally measure it in Celsius and Fahrenheit. It also determines the intensity of the heat, but when we talk about humidity, it talks about the water content present in the air, or we can say it determines the air’s moisture. These two concepts are different but greatly impact each other. You will understand better via the relative humidity temperature chart as given below:

  • The temperature increases, RH decreases, which means the air will become drier
  • If the temperature decreases, RH increases, which means the air will become wetter
  • The pressure increases, RH increases, which means the air will become wetter
  • If pressure decreases, RH decreases, which means the air will become drier

Additionally, the humidity and temperature formula says they are inversely proportional. If temperature increases, it will decrease relative humidity, thus the air will become drier. If temperature decreases, the air will become wet means the relative humidity will increase. How does temperature affect humidity, and does their relationship affects the region? The HVAC humidity and air conditioning unit is the best solution to regulate temperature. But are you aware of HVAC humidity control? Humidity plays a significant role in maintaining a perfect home climate, especially during summers, and optimal humidity levels for summer should be around 40%-50%. But, if there are high moisture levels, it can become a source for viruses, bacteria, and mold to thrive.