Basement Dehumidifier

   / Basement Dehumidifier #1  

N80

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I live in a 90 year old house. It has a walk in basement that is basically just concrete floors but otherwise unfinished. It is damp and occasionally with heavy rains there is water on the floor. There is very little way to solve this problem completely. I could have it dug out all around the foundation on the front and seal the foundation walls but that would be very expensive and even that would not solve the problem as sometimes (very rarely) water oozes up through the concrete floor. This is a fairly common problem for all the homes on our street. I've done some patching on the interior basement walls and it helps a little.

Ventilation is okay.

My shop is down there and as it is sometimes my tools get a thin skim of rust on them and sometimes soft materials will get some mildew. Oddly, the floor joists and subfloor stay dry as a chip.

Anyway, I'm considering getting a high capacity dehumidifier just to keep the general humidity down most of the time. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with these and/or recommendations. The square footage is probably close to 1000. Maybe less.

There is a drain but it was for a washing machine that was down there years ago and is above floor level so I will need to have a condensate pump to push the water up to the drain if the dehumidifier does not have a pump.

Thanks for any advice, price ranges, pitfalls, etc.
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #2  
So mount the dehumidifier up higher so it can drain directly... That will also protect it from any standing water. I got the Innovative Dehumdifier from Supplyhouse.com and I am not terribly impressed. It does not seem to pull out as much water as the portable unit I had before, but I think some of the other ones on this site might work better. Supplyhouse is awesome to deal with.
Dehumidifiers - Honeywell Dehumidifers - House Dehumidifiers - TrueDRY Dehumidifiers - Honeywell TrueDRY - SupplyHouse.com
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #3  
If the basement is just concrete & does not have any coatings or finishes on it.... you have options. We deal with this all the time here in New England & we have to resolve this problem for many clients prior to finishing a basement. I would look in to a product called Sani-Tred to completely seal the basement, if done correctly I'm confident you can resolve your problem with out the need of a high capacity dehumidifier. We have used the product for 12+ years with outstanding results on both poured concrete floors & walls & also block foundations. Prep & application are everything. I would check them out & if you have any question on product prep or application let me know, I'll see if I can answer them. (I have no affiliation with them but have been istalling it for 12+yrs on our projects... it just works)... The nice thing is you can apply it in sections if need be due to space restrictions & it is something you can apply yourself... It is pretty simple if you follow the steps correctly.

DIY Waterproofing Products | Liquid Rubber Coating | SANI-TRED(R)

If you decide to go the dehumidifier route there are only two brands we recommend for large capacity units... these companies only do air quality & air control; they are not HVAC equipment companies.

Santa-Fe / Ultra-Aire is one: Dehumidifiers Archives - Santa Fe

Aprilaire is the other: A Whole-Home Dehumidifier from Aprilaire

But in my opinion I would look at Sani-Tred first...
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #4  
Just a fan is often enough or fans on timers. That's what we have in the basement of the carriage house and the pool equipment area. In the house utility room, we have both fans and a dehumidifier.

Ralph
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #5  
We are running a dehumidifier in our old house (rubble foundation and only a partial cement floor and it has done very well). Condensate is pumped outside with an attached hose and built-in pump (no drain).

We have been planning on replacing our old electric hot water heater and discovered new models that include a heat pump that while drawing heat from surrounding air have the knock-on effect of dehumidifying the basement, so are looking at that as an option.
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #6  
Just thought I might mention this. I have a problematic dehumidifier in the fruit cellar that has been giving me trouble. Fifty years old (quality) but the bearings always give out in the fan motors. Tried lubricating it once already and that lasted for a while.

Anyway, fruit cellar very damp, weekend project. Cut wire to (seized) blower motor and tye rap a 12" or so high quality (high volume) computer fan to the grill. SEEMED to work GREAT!

Next morning, not a drop more water in the bucket!

SEEMS that too much air flow just evaporates the air back into the room! Now on the hunt for a smaller computer fan! Original fans of the size are stupid expensive.

I either add the soft water to my laundry or save it for batteries.
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #7  
So it bugs me that some of the links mention above doesn't list prices. If you have to ask how much, I can't afford it!!

I run a cheap (relatively $170?) dehumidifier from Lowes Home Improvement, Hisense, they last just shy of 3 years?? Got several dead ones over the years. I have it setup on top of the dryer and it drains into the washing machine's drain. Pretty sure the city doesn't like that... It's in the "shop area" of the basement.

I got tons of spare parts if something other than it just quits working pops up!
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #8  
I read some time ago that the Japanese have the edge on producing dehumidifiers. Based on my experience with a Toshiba unit, I might agree.

We have a damp walk out basement in the summer months. (no trouble in winter with the wood stove down there ;-) I keep a mill and a lathe there, and I don't like rust!

We had an Emerson unit for over 20 years, but it died about 5 years ago. I did some reading. Choose the Toshiba unit based on size, features and PRICE! It was just set up last week again when we had some warm and muggy days. PERFECT!

I run the controls at 65% RH, and that seems to be a good (rust safe) setting. At 50% RH, the unit never shuts down, $$$$. At 70% I see rust films on clean bare steel.

I have the unit on the floor, against the outside wall (between the mill and the lathe) A hole was drilled through the wall to snug fit on a garden hose that gravity drains to daylight about 4 feet from the foundation .

The waste heat from the dehumidifier is welcome here in VT . The ground never gets above 55, so the floor and walls stay cool.

Hence the high humidity ;-)

Note, Our electric bill pretty much follows the outside air temperature. Biggest bills in the humid months of Summer. I'm not sure how anyone can save money getting water out of air....
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #9  
I would buy any fifty year old wood grain, steel housed dehumidifier on sight. No interest in the five or ten year plastic junk, with unecessary computers, electronics, remote controls and so forth.
 
   / Basement Dehumidifier #10  
The actual air temperature is important to most dehumidifiers,,
I have two,, both will work perfectly from May 'til September,,
after September, the basement is too cold for the dehumidifier to work,,,

SO,, it the basement is cold, and damp,, you might have to add a little heat to get the dehumidifier to remove moisture,,,
 
 
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