Dehumidifier Suggestions...

ruffdog · Jul 22, 2023

I have 2 Frigidaire 70 pint units. They are quiet and run flawlessly....until they don't. One thing for sure, their warranty is solid...they back it 100%, which is worth a lot. I would buy again just for that reason and I'm sure the new ones have been updated. I try to keep the basement 55% or less humidity. If the OP has dripping water from pipes, he is risking getting a bad case of mold which is very BAD. I also dump the container into pails and use it for watering plants or bird baths.

TN8Man · Jul 22, 2023

Richard said:
Some filler info...

finished basement, tile floors. Ventless fireplace, stereo, tv... washer/dryer room connected. Actually the utility room is a fully finished bathroom...again, tile floor, very nice walk in shower (washer/dryer behind accordian doors)

So I can't easily just drop it into a drain....no drain exists. I could plumb it into the toilet or shower but frankly, that's not going to work either.

I just dump the water and that's ok by me.

If it was me I would drill a hole through the wall and cinder-block if you have it and run a drain hose to the outside of your basement. I have a walk-in basement and ran a dryer vent hose this way and it can be done to look professional.

2manyrocks · Jul 22, 2023

I mounted a dehumidifier up near the ceiling because it could then drain into an existing drain pipe through the wall.

they make dehumidifiers with pumps.

ruffdog · Jul 22, 2023

A guy at work would always open the windows at night to sleep, regardless of how high the humidity was outside. He ALWAYS was battling a damp basement and his basement was fully finished. He thought he was saving money by not running the A/C at night but he was having to run 2 dehumidifiers and the a/c during the day.

bigtiller · Jul 22, 2023

I ran out central air conditioner at 68 Degrees day and night. But during the cooler days of summer the AC didn't run long enough to to keep the house comfortable.

So I put a de-humidifier in the basement. That didn't last long. Then I lowered the thermostat to 74 during the day and 73 during the night. And during the cooler days of summer we drop to 72 and leave it there.

That did the trick. No more musty basement, no more sweating in bed at night, and no more fans running 24/7.

Fuddyduddy1952 · Jul 23, 2023

Speaking of dehumidifiers of course you want the correct size for the space. In the garage there's an insulated back room that's only 10'x10'. I store a few horse saddles and tack there that was getting moldy. I bought a small dehumidifier that runs 24/7 and has a 1 quart container. I drilled a hole in container and threaded a brass pipe fitting into it and used JB Weld. A hose runs down to floor drain. It works great keeping room dry and no more mold.

dodge man · Jul 23, 2023

Another point and I don’t know this for a fact but I think it’s true, a dehumidifier will lesson the load on your ac. The water that runs off your ac coils hurts your ac efficiency. The water itself isn’t so bad, it reduces the humidity, but it’s cold water so it takes away some of the cold down tge drain instead of into your house.

KennyG · Jul 23, 2023

dodge man said:
Another point and I don’t know this for a fact but I think it’s true, a dehumidifier will lesson the load on your ac. The water that runs off your ac coils hurts your ac efficiency. The water itself isn’t so bad, it reduces the humidity, but it’s cold water so it takes away some of the cold down tge drain instead of into your house.

You are right but for a bit more complex reason. To remove any significant heat from the house with the flow through the HVAC system, you have to cool it below the dew point. It takes a lot more heat removal to condense the water vapor than it does to cool the air, so your AC gets a lot more bang for the buck if it's cooling low humidity air. The dehumidifier cycle is optimized for condensing water instead of cooling air, so it's better overall.

People don't realize how much heat is contained in the vaporization of water. That's why "swamp coolers" that only vaporize water are so effective for AC in very dry climates.