An interview with Scott Herr from HygroMatik
HygroMatik provides sustainable air humidification solutions that manage air quality and air environments. This international corporation is a world leader, supplying humidification technology and humidification management systems to many industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, tech, and more.
From Apes to Rembrandts
When looking to humidify a space, there are three basic application categories. A primary application protects materials susceptible to water absorption and consequently subject to dimensional changes and damage when the air increases or decreases in humidity.
Scott Herr, HygroMatik’s National Sales Manager, explains an example of this usage of humidifiers to protect artwork in museums and galleries, saying, “all the rare paintings are on canvas, which is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs water, but the paint on the surface is not. And so, as these rare paintings would expand and contract because of the moisture, they’ll destroy the paint on the canvas’s surface. So a Rembrandt can be destroyed in short order without stable humidity control.”
Another function of a humidifier is to provide health and comfort. Herr says, “Anybody with asthma will tell you right away that dry air exacerbates problems, particularly in children. In Canada, schools are required to be humidified above 35%RH. We don’t have those laws in the US, but there are a lot of schools that are humidified. Hospitals and medical centers use humidifiers for these same reasons.”
The third category of humidifier application captures unique, one-off needs for humidity control. For example, the United States Coast Guard requires units to provide advanced humidity control for special applications. Herr says, “We sold hundreds of units to the Coast Guard starting from 25 years ago, and we are still selling them spare parts for those units because our products simply do not wear out.” HygroMatik has worked with thousands of unique applications, and Herr states, “HygroMatik will find a solution for any application that requires tight humidity control.”
Herr provided other examples, including zoo use, because great apes won’t mate unless the relative humidity is above 35%. In another example, humidity must be controlled in bakeries to ensure rising bread loaves don’t split or dry out.
Humidifiers in the Pharmaceutical Industry
In a pharmaceutical environment, most laboratories require high precision and extremely stable output. In many cases, the goal is to maintain a minimum of +/- 2% humidity control, and the goal can often be much tighter than that. “Our units can give them almost straight-line humidity control,” Herr notes. “This gives them the ability to run their experiments and run their processes, without having to redo them due to humidity issues.”
Humidity control is also needed in clean rooms. Herr explains, “We have units that can use reverse osmosis water. With reversing osmosis water, there is zero contamination. This is vital in a cleanroom. Our units provide zero particle production and very, very clean humidity control.”
HygroMatik is More Reliable and Sustainable Than Competitors
Herr explains that many distinctive features of HygroMatik’s design set them apart from competitors. One outstanding feature is their stainless-steel powder-coated enclosures. Herr emphasizes the success of this feature, stating, “we have enclosures that have been out there in the field 25 years, and they do not rust, they do not come apart, they simply continue on.”
Additionally, their use of cleanable, reusable cylinders makes HygroMatik’s units more environmentally sustainable. The cylinders can be opened and cleaned and therefore reused for eight to ten years instead of being replaced and thrown into landfills.
Another significant feature is the double check valve. Herr explains, “The competition uses what’s called fill cups, where the fill cup fills the cylinder by gravity. We fill under pressure. By filling under pressure, we keep the inlet strainer completely clear because we can literally blow the mineral debris away from it so that it never jams up. This is unique to us; we’re the only ones who do it. And that makes a major difference in how long the cylinder will run before requiring any maintenance.”
HygroMatik uses stainless steel electrodes designed to shed the mineral, which drops to the bottom of the cylinder. “All the competition uses electrodes that look like chicken wire, and they absorb the mineral and hold it in the cylinder. The difference is that they will get 1,000 to 1,500 hours of life before having to do maintenance. We get two to three times that,” Herr explains.
Another special feature is the high-capacity drain pump, designed to grind up the mineral debris. Herr explains the power behind this, stating, “I can literally feed a number two pencil into that pump. It’ll chew it up and drain it away. When you open our cylinder after 3,000 to 5,000 hours, the cylinder is almost clean. The competition’s cylinder would be completely full of mineral.”
Due to HygroMatik’s matchless features, “We have a whole list of customers who simply will not buy any other humidifier because they’ve had experience with us. We don’t have the problems. We don’t have the maintenance. We don’t have the failures. That’s our major claim to fame,” Herr says.
Want to Learn More About HygroMatik?
Coward Environmental Systems, Inc. is proud to represent HygroMatik in the Philadelphia region, Central PA, Delaware, and Maryland. Contact us today to discover how HygroMatik can be a part of your next project.
