When should the church heating be switched on before a service?
- If a building is heated quickly, the fabric of the building will not have absorbed any heat in a short time and it makes a sudden transition to a different climate. This is sometimes called “thermal shock”. Much will depend on the individual building and the nature and possibly the age of the heating system, but in general, the building should be heated as gradually as possible, often as much as 24 hours.
- Inside the church the relative humidity levels will reflect those outside. Thus in cold, frosty weather this will be low and more heating will be needed to maintain a normal temperature resulting in lower indoor relative humidity and potential problems with the organ. In wet or misty weather the outdoor relative humidity is correspondingly higher and the woodwork of the organ will absorb moisture.
