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The fact is indoor air quality is very well understood. From homes, to schools, to hospitals, datacenters, offices, shopping malls and every other kind of public building there is a huge incentive for facilities professionals to keep humidity levels well controlled. Fact is there is much better knowledge of how viruses, bacteria, mold, micro-fauna and even off gassing of standard furnishing / building materials are can contribute to just discomfort but elevated risks of respiratory issues --
Fact is portable air conditioning units are much more likely to be a source of poor indoor air quality compared to well maintained, properly installed central air -- https://www.consumerreports.org/indo...king-you-sick/
A properly designed forced air heating / cooling system can remove far more moisture than any portable solution and it will do so with significantly less energy use -- https://resources.lennox.com/FileUpl...ier_System.pdf
For folks whose homes have no ductwork the gold standard is a mini-split system. The quality units include variable speeds to allow for efficient dehumidification as well as well designed condensate systems that will ensure there is no standing water to work against indoor air quality -- https://www.ecomfort.com/stories/134...nditioner.html
Fact is most people (even professionals) don't even know what the heck "properly" means, or what it quantifies as far as system and design spec of a HVAC suiting the house where it's installed.
In many areas, especially rural, you've got a smaller talent pool comprised mostly or completely of handymen who might be able to put together a system that turns on and blows cold air, but not want to touch issues regarding duct balancing, calculating required unit tonnage for climate zone and home specs, or be held accountable for the system's performance after the installation date.
The same outcome results from franchise-employed junior techs who are just getting their feet wet and have the same skill set. Short of calling in a building engineer (who will likely only want to visit commercial properties), if you don't already know a good HVAC professional, finding one is like playing a very expensive lottery with losing odds.
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They also,dont all run at the same time, but the batroom one does a great job at taking moisture out of the bathroom when showering, as well as drying out the house.
The two in the badement run all the time, fed by hose to sump, the bathroom one we run constantly when humidity is high, and the bonus room only when we are in there andhumidity is high.
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I bought a dehumidifier and placed it my bathroom tub just to test it out since there were no other drains nearby.
Two years later, the dehumidifier is still in my tub working flawlessly but my allergy issues are not.
I'm in Northwest NJ (which lately has been feeling like the Amazon Rainforest) in a 150 year old farmhouse with no ductwork (hydronic baseboard heat) and this summer our window units did keep the house cool, but could not keep up with the humidity. Now that we're into October, the window units are out, but even in the cooler temperatures, the humidity is still regularly hitting 90%. I've been finding mold and mildew in closets, the basement, etc... I've been looking at freestanding (Santa Fe, Aprilaire, etc...) and ducted dehumidifiers and can't decide which would better suit our house. The basement is a combination of rubblestone and block foundation with a poured floor. We don't get any seepage (house is built into a hillside and everything drains away) but it does get damp. The first floor (about 1300 SF) is very open. The second floor (also about 1300 SF) has 5 bedrooms and one bathroom off of a central L-shaped hallway. There is a walk-up attic above the entire 2nd floor.
One of the options I've thought of is to buy two freestanding units, put one in the basement and one in attic, and simply punch holes in the first floor and second floor ceiling, install register covers, and hope that there is enough air exchange through those to lower the humidity throughout the house. Option two of course, would be to install a ducted unit or units and at a minimum, install one return and one delivery on each floor. Any thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rgathrights
I bought a dehumidifier and placed it my bathroom tub just to test it out since there were no other drains nearby.
Two years later, the dehumidifier is still in my tub working flawlessly but my allergy issues are not.
I think the free-standing units are the way to go but you also have to address the mold spores (and other irritants) in the air which isn't handled by a dehumidifier alone. A whole house/large square footage air purifier like this one https://www.allergybuyersclub.com/qu...-purifier.html coupled with a standard dehumidifer is going to provide the combination needed for air quality.
Seems to me the ground of the hill is saturated and the rubble foundation is doing nothing to keep the water vapor out. If you run a dehumidifier, not only is it going to be expensive and make the house hot, it's going to try to dry the hill, which is futile; it's unlikely to be able to keep up. A perimeter drain outside might actually help, or you could waterproof and drain the basement.
Seems to me the ground of the hill is saturated and the rubble foundation is doing nothing to keep the water vapor out. If you run a dehumidifier, not only is it going to be expensive and make the house hot, it's going to try to dry the hill, which is futile; it's unlikely to be able to keep up. A perimeter drain outside might actually help, or you could waterproof and drain the basement.
Seems to me you're probably partially right, but the fact of the matter is that a $25K (at least) perimeter drain just isn't in the cards now or in the near future. I pulled the trigger on a Sante Fe Advance 90 which is capable of 300 CFM/90 pints per day. I've got it set at the halfway mark on the dial which is supposed to be somewhat drier than "normal." This seems to allow the unit to cycle on and off and not run continuously. As per a digital hygrometer the basement is currently holding at 54%, which for a basement is not bad. On the first floor, the levels vary from 55% to 65% room to room. The second floor is at 65% pretty consistently. This is on a 60°F day with 78% humidity and intermittent light/misting rain.
I'd like to get the entire house around 50%, so I'm considering adding either another Advance 90 (or a 70 if I can get away with it) in the attic and ducting it through the ceiling. As for making the house hot, that's not necessarily a bad thing for this time of year in our situation. In our old house with the forced air heat, the air was always dry whenever the heat was on, so we wouldn't have these issues. Right now the heat (hydronic baseboard) but providing no dehumidification. If the dehumidifiers pump more heat into the house, it will simply lessen the load on the boiler to keep the house at a given temperature. I'm just hoping that a second dehumidifier will be enough to keep the entire house around 50%.
Seems to me you're probably partially right, but the fact of the matter is that a $25K (at least) perimeter drain just isn't in the cards now or in the near future. I pulled the trigger on a Sante Fe Advance 90 which is capable of 300 CFM/90 pints per day. I've got it set at the halfway mark on the dial which is supposed to be somewhat drier than "normal." This seems to allow the unit to cycle on and off and not run continuously. As per a digital hygrometer the basement is currently holding at 54%, which for a basement is not bad. On the first floor, the levels vary from 55% to 65% room to room. The second floor is at 65% pretty consistently. This is on a 60°F day with 78% humidity and intermittent light/misting rain.
I'd like to get the entire house around 50%, so I'm considering adding either another Advance 90 (or a 70 if I can get away with it) in the attic and ducting it through the ceiling. As for making the house hot, that's not necessarily a bad thing for this time of year in our situation. In our old house with the forced air heat, the air was always dry whenever the heat was on, so we wouldn't have these issues. Right now the heat (hydronic baseboard) but providing no dehumidification. If the dehumidifiers pump more heat into the house, it will simply lessen the load on the boiler to keep the house at a given temperature. I'm just hoping that a second dehumidifier will be enough to keep the entire house around 50%.
Having had our central A/C run pretty much constantly (not literally, but cycling on during the majority of the hours of the day) It's been pleasantly dry, even in the humid NC summers. Indoor RH in the 40's.
Seems to me you're probably partially right, but the fact of the matter is that a $25K (at least) perimeter drain just isn't in the cards now or in the near future. I pulled the trigger on a Sante Fe Advance 90 which is capable of 300 CFM/90 pints per day. I've got it set at the halfway mark on the dial which is supposed to be somewhat drier than "normal." This seems to allow the unit to cycle on and off and not run continuously. As per a digital hygrometer the basement is currently holding at 54%, which for a basement is not bad. On the first floor, the levels vary from 55% to 65% room to room. The second floor is at 65% pretty consistently. This is on a 60°F day with 78% humidity and intermittent light/misting rain.
I'd like to get the entire house around 50%, so I'm considering adding either another Advance 90 (or a 70 if I can get away with it) in the attic and ducting it through the ceiling. As for making the house hot, that's not necessarily a bad thing for this time of year in our situation. In our old house with the forced air heat, the air was always dry whenever the heat was on, so we wouldn't have these issues. Right now the heat (hydronic baseboard) but providing no dehumidification. If the dehumidifiers pump more heat into the house, it will simply lessen the load on the boiler to keep the house at a given temperature. I'm just hoping that a second dehumidifier will be enough to keep the entire house around 50%.
Just an FYI, I've used Santa Fe dehumidifiers for years in the crawlspace of my 1927 bungalow and been thrilled with the results. Even with the extremely high water table they have kept the relative humidity to 42-45% and have been extremely quiet. I used the Advance 2 model. I recently bought the Advance 70 for the basement of my new house and it is noisy! Maybe it is the effect of being in a concrete/brick "box" with no real insulation in the floor above, but I can hear that sucker running in the bedroom and have to turn it off at night. Just wanted to give you a heads up. It does work well though otherwise.
Just an FYI, I've used Santa Fe dehumidifiers for years in the crawlspace of my 1927 bungalow and been thrilled with the results. Even with the extremely high water table they have kept the relative humidity to 42-45% and have been extremely quiet. I used the Advance 2 model. I recently bought the Advance 70 for the basement of my new house and it is noisy! Maybe it is the effect of being in a concrete/brick "box" with no real insulation in the floor above, but I can hear that sucker running in the bedroom and have to turn it off at night. Just wanted to give you a heads up. It does work well though otherwise.
Good to know-the Advance 2 and the Advance 90 are the same unit, they just changed their logo and naming scheme. My Advance 2 is only holding 55% humidity in the basement so maybe instead of buying a 70 for the attic I could get a 120 for the basement and move the 90 to the attic. Upsizing the units in both spaces would probably allow them to run less over time.
The house was originally a barn that was built in ??? and converted to a house sometime in the late 1870s.* After that it was added onto/modernized in fits and starts with the latest addition and update to major systems (wiring, boiler, plumbing, etc...) in 2004.* The guy just never put in air conditioning which I can't understand for the life of me.* That said, the amount of rainfall we've had this year is unreal and I'm betting that the water table is likely higher than its been in years, contributing to the humidity in the basement.* I'm guessing/hoping that as the temperatures drop that the precipitation does as well and the basement won't need as much dehumidification.* We moved into the house in November 2017 and during last winter the basement was dry and dusty.* I didn't start to notice humidity problems until May of this year.**
I'm not sure why you'd want to put one in your attic. Attics seem to tend to be on the drier side. Seems like putting the 2nd on one of the floors with living space would target it to work where you need it the most.
I'm not sure why you'd want to put one in your attic. Attics seem to tend to be on the drier side. Seems like putting the 2nd on one of the floors with living space would target it to work where you need it the most.
The unit would be housed in the attic with ducted deliveries and returns to the second floor. The only way to physically locate the unit on the 2nd floor would be to take up floor space, plus I would have to pump condensate up to the attic and out the side of the house anyway. With the unit in the attic I could just run a gravity line right out the side of the house.
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