Melissa,

If the records are that important then there is only one choice - move
them. There is no way to stop water and not having dehumidification or
the proper air system is asking for trouble.

The cost of offsite at a professional service provider is so
inexpensive that there is really no excuse for not moving them. Check
PRISM for a service provider in your area:

http://www.prismintl.org/common/membermall.aspx

The cost of trying to build or retrofit a facility will pay for many
many years of professional records management service.

If you would like an inexpensive remote monitoring system that can
also monitor water intrusion check IT Watchdogs at:

www.itwatchdogs.com

Regards,

Michael

Michael Marchand
VeriTrust - VP Operations
713 263 9000
www.veritrust.net

On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 15:13:19 -0500, Melissa Mannon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm new to this list and have only been lurking for a few days, but I'm an
> old hand on the archives listserv.  I'm an archives consultant currently
> performing a preservation assessment for a town in New England that has some
> vault problems.  I'm hoping that there is a records manager out there with
> some practical experience on this issue who can assist me.  The vault in
> question currently houses the town's permanent public records.  The vault is
> on the first floor against an outer wall.  This building has had some
> flooding problems along this wall and there are visible water stains and
> some mold.  The building itself has also had internal flooding issues with
> bursting pipes from floors above.  Though the burst pipes have not yet
> directly harmed the archives storage area, I'm concerned that a future water
> problem will.  A proper HVAC system is not currently in place and is being
> recommended to help alleviate the mold issue, but obviously I am interested
> in boosting the building envelope as well.  I have read a little bit on the
> Web about waterproofing options, but frankly I'm overwhelmed with the
> information.  I understand that the best option is to move the vault to the
> interior of the building or better yet to move to a new facility. Barring
> that, are there practical ways to enhance the current situation? I'm
> assuming that there are not appropriate waterproofing chemical sprays that
> can be used in such a vault for fear of harming the records.  Is this a
> correct assumption?  What other barriers can be used to help keep water out
> of the vault, if any?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help!
> Melissa
>
> Melissa Mannon
> Archives Consultant
> Archives and Information Consulting Services
> Bedford, NH
> 603-661-7611
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.archivesinfo.com
>
> List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
> Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
>


--
Regards,

Michael Marchand
713 263 9000 ofc
713 724 3778 cell

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance