Fire protection by hypoxic air venting

We are moving into a new storage area at the Museum of Cultural
History in Oslo. The store will contain our ethnographical
collection and some of our larger wooden objects from stave churches
and archaeological finds. It is in a existing industrial building,
and the stores will be placed in the middle of the building
surrounded by offices, technical rooms and so on.

The working areas will be fire protected by sprinklers, but our hope
is to get low oxygen (hypoxic air venting) in the storage areas. The
technology is old and well established, but the use of it for fire
protection running through the air ventilation system is a newer
idea patented a few years ago.

The system is a conservator's dream, but at the same time it feels a
bit risky to try something so new. I have not succeeded to get in
touch with museums which have this system. Our main concerns are:

    They say there is no health risk, but how does it feel to stay
    in low oxygen rooms for a few hours a day over a longer period?

    Can we accept a lower function of the fire protection during the
    period of moving in due to open doors and gates?

    How deliverable are the manufacturers?

    Is it as maintenance free as they say?

    Are the maintenance and running costs reasonable?

I hope some of you can help me in answering these questions, or help
me get in touch with experienced museum staff.

Kjersti Marie Ellewsen
Conservator, archaeological material
Museum of Cultural History
University of Oslo
+47 22 85 93 42


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 20:44
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-20-44-005
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