not moved in yet - but I too am tired of replacing dehumidifiers every / every other year. Building in this time to condition all the air.

I will run mine constantly in my basement during the spring/summer months. Standard floor unit with a drain that will go into my sump pit.

I have an Aprilaire built-in located in the basement. It's amazing to watch it drain itself.

Thank you all so much for the feedback! And thank you @Charles Ross Homes for letting me know about the Fine Homebuilding Magazine article!! Will definitely pick that up!

You can also read the article online by running a search for the title and author's name. I'm sending a link to our builder to share with his HVAC contractor. We now have another brand in our basement and it's helped a great deal. I plan on a Santa Fe ventilating dehu, from Therma-Stor, in our new home.

The lifespan of the portable dehumidifiers is woefully short and they can be a pain. If you need one on an upper level you're likely to have to empty the bucket twice a day or run a hose to a shower drain. While doing that can help with humidity during the shoulder seasons, it does nothing to address the need for fresh air. The whole house ventilating dehumidifier will help with both.

Just read the article - thanks for sharing. We have an Ultra-Aire plumbed into the HVAC system for the new house - can't wait to get it operational!

I put three Ultra Aires in a home we remodeled last year. I like them a lot and expect them to give good service for years to come.

Since they're not required, I've never included dehumidifiers in new builds in our cold climate that nevertheless has sometimes muggy 90ºF. summer days. In our own homes, I've used one or two stand-alone units in the basement that have lasted up to 24 years.

The mechanical plan on a coming 5,800 sf two-family build doesn't spec dehumidifiers either. I suppose a built-in for the basement would be best from an aesthetic pov.

I retrofit a dehumidifier in a home where a single air handler and thermostat controlled both the 1st floor and basement levels. It was cool and clammy in the basement. The dehumidifier's reheat capability allowed the temperature in the basement to be raised to a comfortable level.

Is retrofit difficult? I started watching humidity levels at an oceanfront rental and i don't like what I see during April and May. Some of that is renter's behavior but some could be helped with a dehumidifier. Neither air handler (1 per floor) has a lot of room nearby. The lower one does hang under the house and I could build a bigger compartment for it.

My experience with whole home dehumidifiers hasn't been that great for the few home owners I've run into over the years that decided on that option.

Typically these appliances have warranty coverage for 5yrs. It's unlikely you will find one with longer coverage. (unless it's thru a 3rd party warranty add on)

Most common repair problem is that the unit is low on Freon / or condensate drainage issues. Once those Freon leaks come, it probably makes more sense to replace the machine.

Parts are harder to get if you decide to repair the machine. (specialty parts)

I think the best you could hope for is maybe 8 years... certainly not 24 years. Never seen one that old in 26 years of doing this kind of work.

Then there's the operational cost factor that can add $30 to $60 a month to your electric bill depending on set points and run time. So you never stop paying for a dehumidifier.

If someone is contemplating that here in Katy, Texas I often give comparisons to a whole home dehumidifier vs. Inverter AC.

The advantages toward an Inverter AC is that operational costs go down, including your electric bill. Typically an Inverter AC will cut your light bill in half. Maintenance costs stay the same (there isn't another appliance requiring regular maintenance)

The down side or con if you will is that an Inverter AC doesn't "control" humidity as a stand alone dehumidifier would. As the AC decides to run based on temperature / not humidity.

Why the Inverter AC can do this job is more a function of how the Inverter AC runs. The best way to describe it is that the Inverter AC (traditional ducted forced air HVAC not mini split) runs more as a load matching machine. It continually adjusts to match the heat load on the house.

Obviously if you're looking for "control" or specific dehumidification setpoints for a structure, then a whole house dehumidifier is what you want. Just realize those costs never go away. (Operational, Maintenance, Repair / Replacement)

I service the Katy, Texas area. (Last two months my electric bill was around $25.00, I installed my AC inverter in Oct. 2019)

We are looking into adding whole home dehumidification but may end up with a standalone unit because we can’t get anyone out here. We started with the company who services our HVAC. We made an appointment and the guy never showed up. He didn’t call to let us know he wasn't coming and we never heard back from him. We called 2 other places and they had us leave our name and phone number. Never heard back.

Charles Ross Homes thank you for listing that article. It gave me a little more understanding of dehumidification.

Im still confused with how whole home dehumidification works when you have 2 heat pumps and 2 air handlers servicing different floors. We have a finished walk out basement which has 2 bedrooms, an office and exercise area and then our main level. If we have a dehumidifier on the basement level will it also dehumidify the main level? Also when you size the dehumidifier are you going by the total heated/cooled sq ft. of the home even though the dehumidifier is only hooked up to one of the units?

Can one dehumidifier be attached to both air handlers if the air handlers are in the same space?

Even the non-moving parts of a home have maintenance requirements and associated costs; a dehumidifier is no exception. The decision to install one should be based on climate, occupant comfort and indoor air quality considerations. Consulting an HVAC design professional about the costs and benefits is a good idea.

While air conditioners function to some extent as dehumidifiers, they tend to be better at dealing with sensible heat loads than latent (moisture) heat loads. As we build tighter, better-insulated homes, sensible heat loads are reduced and air conditioners operate less often. That means they provide even less dehumidification. In my (coastal Virginia) area, we also experience "shoulder seasons" when we don't need either air conditioning or heat for 4-5 weeks each spring and fall. During those periods, no air conditioning means no dehumidification, too, unless you have a separate dehumidifier. Since mold and mildew grow on just about everything here, the ability to control relative humidity in homes is essential. I like to keep the relative humidity in my home in the range of 45% to 50% to minimize the potential for mold/mildew growth, and for the stability of hardwood floors. I find I'm comfortable with the thermostat set 2-3 degrees F higher if I maintain the relative humidity down to 50% or less.

Depending on the size and manufacturer of the unit, typical installation costs for a whole-house dehumidifier in our area run between $2,000 and $3,000. The unit I have cost $2,500 to purchase and install. It has a 5-year warranty (for reference purposes, Ultra-Aire and Santa Fe units have a 6 year warranty on components.) If I assume my dehumidifier dies the day after the warranty expires, and that I can't salvage any of the prior installation costs (ductwork, drain piping, electrical,) it would be a cost of $2,500/5 years = $500/year not including operating and maintenance cost. In my climate zone-- assuming 8 months/year of operation, that translates to a throw away cost of around $2/day for the enhanced comfort and other benefits of dehumidification. That's less than a coffee at Starbucks. While this doesn't factor in operating or maintenance cost, I wouldn't derive any joy by saying "yeah, it's really uncomfortable in here, but boy am I saying money by not having a dehumidifier."

@David Cary,

How difficult it is to retrofit a dehumidifier depends on a lot of things. They can be installed as stand alone units, too. The difference is that it will need its own ductwork. That said, installed as a stand alone unit with its own ductwork, you avoid the potential static pressure issues from integrating it into an existing system.

@vinmarks,

The term "whole-house" dehumidification is confusing. While you might be able to reduce relative humidity on more than one level of your home if there are two-story spaces, a single unit is controlled by a single controller so you only get control on one level.

The type of dehumidifiers that cost $300 +/- and plug into a wall receptacle will only be good at controlling humidity in the space where they are placed. By contrast, a "whole-house" unit integrated with the HVAC system will reduce relative humidity in all rooms served by the system.

@Charles Ross Homes Normally the basement area has a few % higher humidity than our main level. If we were to put the dehumidifier on the air handler for the basement I understand that it would operate based on the humidity down there but would it also help bring down the humidity for our main level? Would we need to have a dehumidifier on both air handlers?

Sorry for the dumb questions. I feel like I need HVAC training to understand any of this. I just want some idea what I am talking about if we are ever able to get someone out here. Last thing I need is to have something installed and it's doesn't function how we need it to. We have not had the best luck with service professionals out our way. Chimney sweeps who don't know how to sweep our chimney and plumbers who don't know how to fix our tankless hot water heater.

Unfortunately, most service contractors aren't design professionals. They are good at selling replacement equipment. When the need is to replace a furnace in the middle of winter or an air conditioner in the middle of summer, most folks aren't all that discriminating. The typical result is that equipment which is often oversized gets replaced in kind or worse yet--with even larger capacity equipment.

The ability of a dehumidifier married to your basement HVAC system to affect relative humidity on other levels is a function of how much mixing you get between levels and the difference in relative humidity on each level. For new construction with good sealing of penetrations between the basement level and the 1st floor level and a door to isolate them, I wouldn't expect it to move the needle much on the 1st floor. If you have finished living space in the basement, I think you'll be well served to get a dehumidifier dedicated to the basement level.

I feel like I need HVAC training to understand any of this. I just want some idea what I am talking about if we are ever able to get someone out here. Last thing I need is to have something installed and it's doesn't function how we need it to.

Dehumidifiers are sized as in how many pints of moisture they remove per day. Humidity will vary from one location to another due to various factors, the size of the structure, the climate, the occupants of that structure / what those occupants are doing. (certain activities within a structure create humidity) Think long hot steamy showers, laundry, a large group of people talking / singing, cooking.

Climate can play a large role as well. (I live in a humid climate -- Katy, Texas area)

If the moisture removal is inadequate for the size of the structure, the dehumidifier will run all the time.

Because of all these factors sizing recommendations will vary like the wind.

Because of all these factors sizing recommendations will vary like the wind.

I disagree, my freon-breathing friend.

There's a difference between using rules of thumb and real design. Bulk water entering a home should be managed by proper construction details and waterproofing. Point sources of moisture in a home (e.g., showers, cooking) should be addressed as part of an overall ventilation strategy. Air conditioning systems need to be sized to deal with the sensible and latent heat loads which are a function of climate and home construction details.

A stand alone dehumidifier should be sized to deal with the portion of the latent load that the air conditioner doesn't --whether that load is during periods when the air conditioner operates (and the dehumidifier needs to handle only a portion of the latent load) or in shoulder seasons when it doesn't (and the dehumidifier needs to handle 100% of the load.) A manual J calculation will indicate the latent load and should serve as the basis for equipment sizing. That's not an exercise for the service tech who arrives at your door from Chuck-in-a-Truck HVAC Co.

In contrast to an oversized air conditioning system, an oversized dehumidifier will function just fine, you'll just pay a penalty in higher initial and operating costs.

There's a difference between using rules of thumb and real design.

There's a difference in building standards over time. Unless your goal is to tear down to the foundation and start over.

A house that was built 20 years ago, will not have the same standards as a home built today.

A house that was built 50 years ago, will not have the same standards of those built 20 years latter.

Ironically enough you can argue for the sake of arguing, you can disagree 9 ways to Sunday... it changes nothing.

Ray,

Your point about changes in "building standards" (by that I assume you mean building code requirements) over time is irrelevant. Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems--whether new or replacement units--need to be designed for a particular structure (as built or as proposed to be built) in a particular climate zone. If a home has more or less insulation and more or less air changes/hour due to air leakage than the exact same home built with different insulation R-values and air sealing, the sensible and latent loads will be different. The air leakage rate and insulation R-values are both design inputs which the manual J calculation takes into consideration when calculating the loads.

Improving the performance of an existing home doesn't usually require tearing it down and starting over. Armed with some manual J software, the designer should be in a position to evaluate the effects of alternatives such as improved air sealing or adding additional insulation (which can easily be added in an attic in many cases) which reduce heating and cooling loads. Such changes may reduce the size and cost of the equipment as well as operating costs. That's what design is all about.

A drafty home will have different concerns than a tighter more efficient build.

So this isn't just about building codes. See you're a builder, all you ever know is the current building code or current methods of tightening up a structure. (nothing wrong with that)

Because a drafty home has more air exchanges there is less "trapping". Why is this necessary to understand?

See I am in homes that are a few years old as well as homes that are 20, 30, 40 years old. Each build has it's own concerns. I live in a very humid climate. Yet it is quite rare to find homes here with a stand alone dehumidifier. Why do you think that is?

A home with 1 or 2 people will have different concerns than a house with 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 people.

See a builder builds homes not knowing who is going to live there. How could you know? I go back to those homes sometimes years later with people actually living in them.

A builder often times will not get involved with HVAC, they will hire a sub contractor to do this.

There are no two homes exactly alike. They change over time, become tighter in some cases volumes of air is much greater than drafty homes of old.

It's pointless to argue a subject that requires on site inspection. As I said above -- the recommendations will vary like the wind. That statement hasn't changed.

Ray,

Re-read my post. The HVAC system in each home, including a dehumidifier, if indicated, is designed to meet existing conditions. The "draftiness" of a home is considered as part of that, it's called air changes/hr or ACH. If you'd ever run a manual J calculation you'd know that. If you'd ever witnessed a blower door test, you might understand the concept.

As for why your area doesn't have many whole house dehumidifiers: Indoor air quality is just beginning to be addressed in building codes which have a three-year cycle and which lag our understanding of building science by at least two cycles. For most builders, codes drive design. Innovation is painfully slow. Innovations in residential construction are typically led by a small number of firms--many of which are design/build firms capable of thinking outside the box. They're usually run by architects or engineers, like mine is.

Your posts will add more value if you stop using them to flog builders and help houzzers to understand the "why" behind the "how" with respect to HVAC. NASA may have an operation in Houston, but HVAC there isn't rocket science.

Re-read my post. The HVAC system in each home, including a dehumidifier, if indicated, is designed to meet existing conditions.

"existing conditions, derived from paper."

Stop using posts to flog builders? Where am I flogging you? I state specific things that are facts you take them as flogs?

You call me names... I think your definition of flogging needs an adjustment.

Re-read my post.

What you said still changes nothing.

Has anyone tried those stand alone units that are built into the stud space? I like how the look better than the ones that roll around on the floor, but they are pricey.

Ray,

Mark Twain once said "Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." I'll be the first to concede you have a lot of "experience."

Charles,

Mark Twain also said: "To someone with a hammer everything looks like a nail."

I'll be the first to concede you've never built a home without nails. You've never looked at wood without the desire to put a nail in it.

It's easier today you can shoot nails faster than ever.

So does this exchange change anything still?

No. Everything stands as I originally said.

Ray,

A further debate of anything with you would force me to ignore Twain's wisdom. Carry on, my freon-breathing friend. Houston, we have a problem....

Charles,

I'm not debating. What would I need to debate for? This is what I do. It's not a debate. I tell you like it is and that's it. I give you options to fix problems. I don't sell things for the sake of selling things. That doesn't last for service, people catch onto that nonsense pretty quick.

I never have had a home owner call me and tell me: Hey! My builder used the best products, they didn't cut any corners. I don't have any problems whatsoever. No one says that.

Your future prize builds are my bread and butter years later.

That's what I mean about telling you like it is. There's no debate about it. The threads contained here on this site prove it. (This thread too.)

Thanks for providing me a job, you and all your nail pounding friends. LOL.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

Mark Twain also said: "To someone with a hammer everything looks like a nail."

I don't think Twain actually said that. Although you can find plenty of websites selling inspirational posters that claim Twain said it, none will provide an actual source.

The saying is in reference to a cognitive bias called the law of the instrument, that was popularized by Abraham Maslow. It is informally known as Maslow's hammer because in 1966 he wrote, "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail." So far as I know, that was the actual origin of the saying.

I find the portable dehumidifiers last years if controlled by a remote humidistat. Frequent cycling kills compressor based systems. A remote thermostat can produce long run times.