A mid 20th century, humidity controller, \u201chumidistat\u201d, for the Canadian home. A \u201clow tech\u201d device, using materials found in nature, it employed treated human hair for its actuating element. Stencilled for \u201cRP\u201d, Research Products, a leading manufacturer of humidifiers for forced air, oil fired heating applications in the post W.W.II years, it tells many stories of emerging humidification technology, through to the introduction of solid state humidity sensors, Penn, Type 842, circa 1952.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Features:<\/strong> Technical Significance:<\/strong> Industrial Significance:<\/strong> A mid 20th century, humidity controller, \u201chumidistat\u201d, for the Canadian home. A \u201clow tech\u201d device, using materials found in nature, it employed treated human hair for its actuating element. Stencilled for \u201cRP\u201d, Research Products, a leading manufacturer of humidifiers for forced air, oil fired heating applications in the post W.W.II years, it tells many stories of emerging humidification technology, through to the introduction of solid state humidity sensors, Penn, Type 842, circa 1952.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","cpt_portfolio_group":[209,206],"class_list":["post-20911","cpt_portfolio","type-cpt_portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cpt_portfolio_group-heating","cpt_portfolio_group-residential"],"yoast_head":"\n
\u2013 actuating element of treated human hair
\u2013 classic gold metal sheath with RP, Aprilaire monograph, and
\u2013 customer recommended temperature humidity guide<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 A mid 20th century, humidity controller, \u201chumidistat\u201d, for the Canadian home, developed in a period when engineers, without the range of high tech materials available at century\u2019s end, would look to natural materials with the needed properties, and performance characteristics \u2013 here human hair
\u2013 Stencilled for \u201cRP\u201d, Research Products, a leading manufacturer of humidifiers designed for forced air, residential oil fired heating applications in the post W.W.II years through to the end of the century, it tells many stories of the emerging humidification technology of the mid 20th century, through to the introduction of solid state humidity sensors.
\u2013 It would be a period characterised by much research in the field of human comfort. its necessary and sufficient conditions and the means of creating it in Canada\u2019s climate of weather extremes. Warm air heating research would become a legitimate topic for university, as well as industrial research with technical papers and how-to-do-it manuals to follow. In the field of winter humidity control, for example, see \u201cWinter Air Heating and Winter Air conditioning\u201d, John Norris McGraw-Hill 1950, Chapter 9, Humidity and the properties of Air.
\u2013 Characteristic of the period and the emerging market for winter comfort was the creation of the National Warm Air Heating and Air Conditioning Association of Canada [forerunner of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada]. Their extensive set of engineering manuals produced through the 1950\u2019and 60\u2019s would be the standards of the field<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 With the development of the forced air furnace \u201cthe winter air conditioner\u201d came many new possibilities for winter comfort, automatic combustion control for solid and liquid fuels [coal and oil], automatic room temperature control, air distribution [well beyond that possible with natural convection], constant air circulation. air filtration, as well as automatic humidification . These features would be promoted by the warm air sector of the industry, as a competitive edge, over the \u201chot water heating systems [hydronic systems] of the times, once considered the preferred type of central heating for all that could afford it.
\u2013 During the 1940\u2019s and 50\u2019s the Howard Furnace Co of Toronto would be an acknowledged leader in the field of winter air conditioning equipment for the Canadian market, see reference. There promotion would read \u201cEnjoy filtered, humidified, gently moving air throughout every part of your home\u201d, \u201cHave even temperature maintained in all rooms with lowest possible fuel costs and little attention\u201d. This was surely new world experience for Canadians in the middle years of the 20th century<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"