Warehouse humidity measurements for paper storage and cardboard monitoring
When it comes to paper and cardboard storage, close monitoring of the warehouse's environmental conditions is essential. These cellulose-based materials are extremely sensitive to humidity and must be protected against overly moist and overly dry environments. Warehouse climate monitoring that measures temperature and humidity helps to keep your paper storage safe and your paper and cardboard protected.
In this blog we'll have a closer look at the right conditions for a paper storage facility and why environmental monitoring of your warehouse is crucial.
Ideal temperature and humidity for paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard will disintegrate when they're saturated with moisture, so naturally, we'd like to keep our paper storage warehouse bone dry. But is that really the best for these materials?
SWT Paper, expert in paper and cardboard, explains why cellulose fibers are so greatly affected by the humidity they are surrounded by:
“If, for example, the surrounding air is drier than the paperboard, the paperboard will emit moisture, this causes the fibers to narrow and you get a sheet that curves out in the middle.
If, on the other hand, the air is more humid than the paperboard, then the fibers will absorb the moisture, which causes the fibers to swell and then the sheets become wavy.”
They also explain that once this change in the material has occurred, it becomes impossible to return the paper to its original shape. Curled, warped, buckled, or wobbly paper is the last thing you want to encounter in your paper storage.
To prevent any such irreversible damage from occurring, it is important to keep the ambient relative humidity of your paper storage between 45% and 55% RH, kept in check by a warehouse environmental monitoring system.
Consequences of moist paper
Apart from the problems mentioned above, a high moisture content in paper can have more detrimental effects.
- Ink drying times: high moisture in paper will extend the post-printing drying time, while low moisture prevents ink from fully saturating the paper.
- Blocked machinery: as moisture causes paper to swell, the deformed paper may cause machines to get blocked and jammed due to its thickness.
Storage moisture control
To preserve the quality of your paper, it's important to control the temperature and humidity in your warehouse. Different kinds of systems are available to extract moisture, add moisture, and ventilate the space. This helps to control the environmental conditions of your facility.
However, such systems may malfunction. Think of defective sensors, or a power outage that keeps the system offline. In such cases, temperature and humidity get free rein, wreaking havoc upon your stored paper.
A reliable warehouse monitoring system helps you prevent this damage.
A reliable temperature and humidity monitoring system for your paper storage and cardboard warehouse
Keeping your paper storage safe is essential for your business, but how can you make this achievable for your project in an affordable way? Meet Reporter, your new favourite plug & play sensor module for laymen and seasoned techs alike.
Reporter is a user-friendly means to measure and monitor humidity (moisture) and temperature in your paper warehouse. The IoT sensor module streams its data to the Crodeon Dashboard (cloud platform) in real-time through the cellular data network. Thanks to its integrated SIM card, a wifi connection is not needed and the system will remain online even during a power outage due to its long battery life.
As the system measures and monitors your warehouse in real-time, it will immediately pick up on measurements that exceed your set alarm thresholds (minimum values and maximum values), alerting you through your method of choice (text message, email, or voice call).
The Crodeon Dashboard (browser-based application) allows you to view the live data in your cardboard storage, view and download historical data, and lets you alter any other sensor or Reporter settings (measurements interval, alarm thresholds, user contact information).
Reporter has four sensor connectors that allow you to pick & mix four sensors of your choice to connect to your Reporter.
Sensors for warehouse monitoring
We've established that temperature sensors, and temperature & humidity sensors are essential for a paper storage facility. However, many other sensors can be useful too:
- Light sensors to measure UV radiation that may damage the materials
- Leak detection sensors to detect pools of water forming on a surface
Have a look at our sensor collection. Can't find the sensor you're looking for? Don't hesitate to contact us!
Temperature mapping with Reporter
As Reporter can be customised to connect to your four sensors of choice, the system can also be used as a temperature mapping kit. Place the four temperature (and humidity) sensors in different places and heights throughout your warehouse to get an accurate view of any hot spots, cold spots, dry spots, or more humid spots in your storage space.
Archive monitoring
Reporter is also a useful tool to monitor indoor climate for old books, archival records, and other documents that need to be kept safe. Read more about archive monitoring:
Moisture beats paper, Reporter beats moisture monitoring
Protect your paper storage against the dangers of its nemeses: moisture and temperature. Reporter is here to help!
- Easy plug & play installation
- User-friendly web application that shows live and historical measurements
- Customisable to your needs with four sensors per Reporter
- Set alarm thresholds and receive alarm notifications
- GSM connected to the internet
- Long battery life during power cuts
Do you still have any questions about setting up your own warehouse climate monitoring system? Don't hesitate to reach out.
