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humidity level in basement
Old 10-20-2018, 03:59 PM   #1
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humidity level in basement

I have a dehumidifier running 24/7 during the summer months.


I have just bought a humidity gauge.


The basement is about 750 square feet.


80% of the basement is below ground level. There are windows.


What humidity level is appropriate?


I am thinking I may need to buy a more powerful dehumidifier for next summer.


.
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Old 10-20-2018, 04:13 PM   #2
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On my humidifier, the setting for "Basement" is 50%, I think. It depends on where you live. In the deep south, that may not be attainable.

Could be you need to do some grading and/or landscaping to keep water away from your foundation.
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Old 10-20-2018, 04:15 PM   #3
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50% is normal humidity for a basement.
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Old 10-20-2018, 04:29 PM   #4
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We have a dehumidifier in the basement and like yours in the summer it runs 24/7. I am usually able to get the humidity down to ~40% and am happy with that. We don't see mold anywhere which would be a sure sign of high humidity.

About five years ago when prepping FIL's house for sale we first had to address the water problem in the basement. During heavy rains water would come in under the basement door to the outside stairwell. He had decades earlier finished off part of the basement and in doing that had concealed a sump pump under a shelf in a closet. In dismantling that closet (we took that part of the basement down to the studs/bare floor) we discovered the sump pump that FIL had forgotten was even there! It clearly had not run for a very long time and the water entry problem promptly went away when we simply replaced the sump pump.

But the basement was still moist and musty from decades of being in high humidity. So we went to the big box orange store and bought two of the biggest dehumidifiers they had, and set them to running 24/7 with the water draining into the sump. IIRC, it took about four months of both of them running to get that basement dry again. After that one dehumidifier was sufficient to keep it that way.

Moral: If you have a sump pump, don't cover it up so you'll forget you even have one.
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Old 10-20-2018, 04:34 PM   #5
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Yeah, we're lucky to see 50% with the air conditioner running 24/7 in the house! Gets kinda damp here in the Deep South.
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Old 10-20-2018, 07:56 PM   #6
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Can't wait to see what the humidity gauge shows.


I bought the ThermoPro TP50 on eBay based on the reviews on Amazon.
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Old 10-20-2018, 08:02 PM   #7
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Our summer humidity (before monsoon season) is 4-7%....

whats a DEhumidifier??
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Old 10-20-2018, 10:16 PM   #8
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we have a dehumidifier in the basement, plus the AC running in summer takes a lot of humidity out of the house.
I turned off the furnace humidifier years ago, as I'd prefer a dry winter and less humid at other times since I have tools in the basement.
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Old 10-20-2018, 10:37 PM   #9
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We have a 2 yr old Danby Premier Dehumidifier. It has stopped collecting water. It just ran out of warranty. I tried to clean its filter. The filter was not
dirty. Does anyone know if it can be fixed or I will have to buy new one.
Thanks
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Old 10-20-2018, 10:42 PM   #10
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I purchased two units to monitor the basement. They register “HIGH” for anything over 50%. The readings are usually 2% apart, so 64-66% in a basement with no dehumidifier and AC vents closed. We have no signs of humidity issues but believe it would be smart to get it down to 50%. The units are Acurite model 00613 purchased at Amazon for $12.
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:32 AM   #11
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From my googling 60% is where mold starts growing, i keep my crawl space dehumidifier setting around 50-55%
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:57 AM   #12
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Since we're talking about relative humidity, it depends on room temperature. 50% is about right for a 70 degree room. But equivalent relative humidity in a 55 degree room is 70-80%.
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Old 10-21-2018, 08:22 AM   #13
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The humidity in basement right now is 64% with no dehumidifier running but the heat is on which lowers it a little. The humidity is 60-70% all summer with the help of the dehumidifier. No signs of mold or water marks or any other problem.
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Old 10-21-2018, 04:47 PM   #14
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whats a DEhumidifier??
A machine that reduces the humidity in an area. If too much moisture is in the air for long enough the walls will get mold growing on them.

It's basically a small refrigerator with the evaporator (cold coil) right in front of the condenser (warm coil). When moist air hits the evaporator water condenses on it the same way water condenses on a glass of iced tea on a humid summer day. The condensed water drains into a tank that has to be emptied (usually daily) or if you're lucky and have a drain nearby the water can drain into that. Or you can buy a condensate pump and pump the water outside.
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:14 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rsingh6675 View Post
We have a 2 yr old Danby Premier Dehumidifier. It has stopped collecting water. It just ran out of warranty. I tried to clean its filter. The filter was not
dirty. Does anyone know if it can be fixed or I will have to buy new one.
Thanks
As Walt explained elsewhere, it is basically just a little refrigerator with a cold and hot coil. If it runs and one coil does not get cold, it is shot. Did you possibly buy it with a credit card that extends the warranty?
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Old 10-21-2018, 09:57 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rsingh6675 View Post
We have a 2 yr old Danby Premier Dehumidifier. It has stopped collecting water. It just ran out of warranty. I tried to clean its filter. The filter was not
dirty. Does anyone know if it can be fixed or I will have to buy new one.
Thanks
Perhaps, if you are electrically inclined, try measuring the current while the dehumidifier is running. If the current is very low then your compressor and/or refrigeration circuit may have issues.

-gauss
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Old 10-22-2018, 10:14 AM   #17
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50% it's ok.
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Old 10-22-2018, 10:29 AM   #18
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Mine has a condensate pump connected to a drain so I never have to empty it. It's set to 45%. It doesn't run much, even in the summer. Rainy weather will get it going. In the winter, it very rarely runs. I'd hope not...I've got a whole house humidifier on the furnace...makes it so much more comfortable in the winter with gas heat....my skin starts getting itchy with the furnace dried air. Here in NC, it's that week where you hope you can make it a little while longer without turning on the heat. The house is at 65 this morning, lol!
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Old 10-22-2018, 10:47 AM   #19
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Mine is 53% now but can get into the mid 60's in the summer. We have a lake in our backyard and its common for outdoor humidity to be above 90% for weeks.
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Old 10-22-2018, 03:07 PM   #20
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Mine has a condensate pump connected to a drain so I never have to empty it.
The one I have came with a pump too. The pump died about three days after the warranty expired. So now the dehumidifier drains to the A/C condensate pump.
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