Humidex vs. Dehumidifier
art_s
16 years ago
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Comments (11)
doobzz
16 years agodoberman_2007
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Basement Dehumidifier
Comments (44)I am going to agree with previous posters on several accounts: 1. Depending on where you live and how much annual precipitation your area receives, you may not need a humidifier. 2. Live in the house a little before you purchase a humidifier. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons, one of which is you will want to establish some kind of baseline by buying one of those little digital indoor climate readers that gives you humidity and temperature readings so you know what you're dealing with, and only then will you know the size of dehumidifier (or number of dehumidifiers) you'll need. 3. If you NEED a dehumidifier, do not go too cheap or too small. Read lots of online reviews and make sure you get the right size with the right drainage options. If you're not using the basement frequently (i.e., not planning to check on the unit several times a day during spring rainy season or the humid days of summer) and live in an area with a long summer + high humidity, you may need a larger unit with built-in pump options and a hose attachment that drains to a sink/sump pump. Too big and powerful with infrequently used pump and outlet hose options is better than too small with no pump and no hose options that you have to remember to dump every 3 hours to keep the humidity down to 70% (which is, BTW, waaay too high for most basements). You will end up spending a lot more in the end if you have to deal with mold/moisture remediation....See MoreDehumidifier Placement in Closet?
Comments (5)After my initial post, I found that my idea is similar to a concept in a Building Science paper. Reference the "Stand-alone Dehumidifier in Hall Closet System". I'll post the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Building science Dehumidification Systems...See MoreSanta Fe dehumidifier worth the cost?
Comments (1)I bought a Sante Fe whole house unit right after we moved into our new home. Problem occured in late spring/eraly summer when we noticed that we had water spots on the basement floor. The Sante Fe does a great job in keeping the basement dry. About a year after I put the Sante Fe in, I replaced my thermostats with Honeywell IAQ tstats. I wanted a Tstat that could control the HVAC, Humnidifier and Dehumidifier from one place. In programming the IAQ controllers, I noticed that they allow a feature where you can run the HVAC down to 3 degrees (programmable) below the temperature set point based on the humidity level (the IAQ tstat has a built in humidistat). That means you can use your air conditioner as a dehumidifier and actually have some control on how it operates. Our short term fix when we first noticed the water spots was to run the AC down to about 74 degrees and that cleared up the water spot issue immediately. The problem with this approach is that when you get spring/summer temperatures that are relatively low (say around 70) with very high hunidity, or in the winter, the AC approach won't work and that's when you need a DH. In doing you comparisons on the various units, see how many pints of water per day each one is rated to remove as well as the CFM of the blower on the unit. Also, read the reviews on line. I found that you get what you pay for with these units. IMO, the SF was worth the higher price we paid. Also - download the installation instructions before you order to make sure there is a configuration that will meet your needs. Check the ducting requirements. Also - all of the large capacity DH's require a floor drain to deal with the water. You will also need to elevate the unit a few inches above the drain to ensure proper drainage. You may also need to purchase a small hand held digital humidistat to get your unit set just right since the Sante Fe humidity dial is an analog knob and provides no indication on the actual humidity level....See MoreLooking into dehumidifier - what are the considerations?
Comments (38)**the article that Ionized linked was an eye opener for me back in 08 when it was released. (http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0214-conditioning-air-in-the-humid-south-creating-comfort-and-controlling-cost) I printed it out & took it to building science classes in state to question Joe Lstubrick (sp) about it. it was from Joe, that 2000 sq ft per stand alone dehumidifier sizing was obtained.** Eye opener for me also. The question I still have is that will I need a 2nd stand alone upstairs since most stand-alone DH can only handle about 1400 sq. ft. **conditioned attic?? please explain OP hallway closet would have to be louvered.** Do you think a stand alone DH be put behind a grilled partitioned/cutout/slot in a wall vs. a dedicated louvered closet? Space consideration here :) **we have gone on about dehumidification..but what types of insulation are you using..and where?** Sorry, I was thinking about my sealed conditioned crawl space when I wrote that for some reason. Haven't inquired about specific ratings but they should meet or exceed for Earth Craft certification standards. Insulation are as follows: 1) Attic's roof plane will be sprayed foamed. 2) On top of ceiling in all other areas - Loose filled cellulose 3) Walls - Dense Packed Cellulose 4) Crawl space - 6mm Poly Vapor barrier on floor & sealed to walls. 4a) Foundation wall - R10 XPS insulation or equivalent on this 4b) Sill plate - foam sill sealer 4c) Rim joist - spray foam 5) Air sealing details will be applied in all other fine areas...See Moreart_s
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