Mold/Fungus Prevention

CAL-IN Dehumidifiers address mold and fungus issues. Mold and fungus are present in almost all materials. They can survive without moisture, remaining dormant for decades, even centuries. But when moisture and a food source become available they will multiply rapidly. This moisture does not have to be in liquid form. Microscopic organism can use moisture present in solid materials because they need so little.

Two classic examples of this phenomenon are the prehistoric cave paintings in Lascaux, France and the Egyptian artifacts preserved in the pyramids. The cave paintings survived virtually intact for 16,000 years. Then tourists began bringing moisture into the caves in their clothes and through their respiration. The paintings have deteriorated through microbiological attack in less than 40 years. Egyptian artifacts have had the same difficulty, with tragic consequences for history. Even metals are attacked indirectly by certain bacteria. The U.S. Navy has traced corrosion in ship’s bilges to acidic by-products of microbiological metabolism, costing hundreds of thousand of dollar in repair expenses.



Archival Storage

Historic documents, photographs and art works are hygroscopic and often made of organic materials. When they absorb moisture, micro-organisms multiply and cause damage. Dehumidifiers are used to provide low relative humidity environments which prevent microbial attack. The dry air also allows these objects to be store outside of temperature-controlled areas which saves money in building and heating costs. Many palaces in Great Britain and churches in Denmark are neither heated nor cooled—they are simply dehumidified—providing great savings in equipment and operations costs.



Seed Storage

Organic materials are all subject to microbial attack, but few material have the sensitivity of seeds. They are mechanically quite sturdy, but when seed moisture content is high, microbes can multiply and destroy the important nutrients they contain.
Dehumidifiers allow preservation of rare seeds in scientific applications, and preserve seed value in commercial applications. In developing countries, grain losses in storage can exceed 30% of the crop. By preventing this cause of food shortages, dehumidifiers have the same effect as a 30% increase in crop yield.



Cargo Protection

Lubrication oils, leather goods, canned foods, grain and fertilizers suffer from moisture in ocean transit. Bulk cargo like grain, flour, cocoa beans and tobacco is especially vulnerable because it may have a high moisture content when it embarks. Moist ocean air provides even more liquid to encourage microbiological growth. These problems can be prevented by drying the ventilation air supplied to holds and shipping containers. Drying the cargo prevents losses that can otherwise reach millions of dollars in a single shipment.



Breweries

Brewing requires large amounts of heat, water and malted grain. These are necessary for growing the yeast which turns natural sugars into alcohol. Yeast is a beneficial fungus, but other microbes can also grow in its place and disturb the brewing process. Dehumidifiers create dry environments for breweries, elimination product contamination cause by destructive microorganisms.

CAL-IN Mold/Fungus Prevention Typical Applications

• Grain storage
• Tulip bulb storage
• Food plant sanitation
• Rope fiber storage
• Historic building protection
• Photographic film storage
• Wooden sculpture preservation
• Fur storage
• Cocoa bean storage
• Dried fish storage
• Mummy preservation
• Wine cellars
• Underground food storage
• Milk powder storage
• Malt storage
• Museum storage
• Summer cottage winter protection
• Winter cottage summer protection
• Fabric & textile storage