Dehumidifier

[steveo1o9]

Anybody running a dehumidifier in their garage? We have had an extremely hot and wet summer here on the east coast and going through my garage I am starting to notice mold growing all over. I want to purchase a dehumidifier to try and combat the humidity. Any recommendations?

 

[58Yeoman]

I am. I have a 24x40 metal building that is now lightly insulated in the walls, with at least 6" in the ceiling. Our humidity and cold floor was causing rust in mine. I could squeegee the water off the floors in the spring. I now have 3 cheapie 52" ceiling fans and the dehumidifier from the house when I replaced it with a new one. It works very well. I have it mounted above the sink so I don't have to dump the water container.

It feels a lot cooler (and drier) in there in our humid summers.

 

[BPSTravis]

I run one in my garage, it's sealed very tight and used as a wood shop so moisture changes are not very helpful.

I got mine from Amazon but Costco has them for a better price if you have one near you.

 

[WaterBoyz]

I had mold in my workshop/basement at my last house. It was not the black hazmat stuff. It was the white or sometimes called "bread" mold which is not hazardous.

I ran a dehumidifier 24/7 set at the lowest setting and it helped a lot. Not sure where I got it some years ago. It does have an internal pump that can send the water vertically about 15 feet if needed. Determining a draining location is very important. You don't want to not forget to empty the bucket. Some units have an auto-shutoff if the bucket gets full.

Do get the largest capacity unit your checkbook will allow.

 

[steveo1o9]

I had mold in my workshop/basement at my last house. It was not the black hazmat stuff. It was the white or sometimes called "bread" mold which is not hazardous.

I ran a dehumidifier 24/7 set at the lowest setting and it helped a lot. Not sure where I got it some years ago. It does have an internal pump that can send the water vertically about 15 feet if needed. Determining a draining location is very important. You don't want to not forget to empty the bucket. Some units have an auto-shutoff if the bucket gets full.

Do get the largest capacity unit your checkbook will allow.

Yeah I don't have any black mold at this point its the white/green mold. Basically anything that retains moisture is now starting to grow mold (ex. boots, scrap wood, motorcycle jacket, etc.). It's not hard to clean or damaging anything just a nuisance at this point. I was looking at the units with a pump but not sure where I would discharge it to, I'm not drilling holes in the wall. I could probably hook the discharge into the pipe my water softener backwash uses. 70 liters seems to be the most readily available consumer unit.

 

[WaterBoyz]

I used hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle to knock out the mold. It won't kill it forever since the organic material is the fuel for the mold but does help a lot. Of course, check or test the surface to be sure the h-p won't damage it.

Get a standalone humidity display that will read temp and humidity. They are pretty cheap and run off a battery. Mine does not agree with the reading on my dehumidifier so don't know which is more accurate. But it does give some sense of the machine working.

At my current house, it drains into the sump pump.

 

[busstuf]

Starting a new house in TN in Nov. should I plan for a couple ceiling fans and a portable dehumidifier? Will add a drain to the planned sink though.

TF

 

[mike93lx]

Yes. I have one in my garage year round. Helps a ton, just need to setup a drain so i don't have to empty the bucket so damn much

 

[yeldogt]

Have a Santa Fe at my place in PA on the Delaware ... I could run two of the consumer ones (with the built in tank) 24/7 and they would not get the humidity to what I want.

The better units have the capacity to remove more water faster .. and they use much less electricity per LT/QT doing it.

Another consideration is temp -- the consumer units don't work very well in colder room temps.

 

[ishiboo]

Yeah I don't have any black mold at this point its the white/green mold. Basically anything that retains moisture is now starting to grow mold (ex. boots, scrap wood, motorcycle jacket, etc.). It's not hard to clean or damaging anything just a nuisance at this point. I was looking at the units with a pump but not sure where I would discharge it to, I'm not drilling holes in the wall. I could probably hook the discharge into the pipe my water softener backwash uses. 70 liters seems to be the most readily available consumer unit.

Sounds like mildew.

Either way, 3M makes a mold/mildew cleaner and protectant that is supposed to block it that gets pretty good reviews: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BEXWVY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Dehumidifier is a good idea though. All that humidity is not great for your tools.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I've been debating it for a few years, I think I'll definitely get one before next spring. The humidity gets up around 70% at times over the summer, not good for tools or any wood.

 

[Showkey]

I've been debating it for a few years, I think I'll definitely get one before next spring. The humidity gets up around 70% at times over the summer, not good for tools or any wood.

X2 70% is the tipping point.........funky smell will be noticed and Organic items like leather or paper and some rubber products will often show mold or mildew growth first.

 

[Ak Jim]

Seems like they are pretty inexpensive at Lowes or Home Depot or look for a used one on Craig's list. I got a 50 pint at Lowes. I live in a fairly dry area and it is still nice to use it on damp days. No sense in letting things get damaged from moisture when you can buy a decent unit for around $200.

 

[red]

Found my brand new in the box 70pint on Craigslist for $100.

Also found that hydrogen peroxide and vinegar (plus a little bit of boric acid) goes a long way to killing the mold and keeping it away.

 

[Barnabas]

I have one in the basement, garage, and crawl area under house. All drains are hosed to a sink or outside. I got the better ones from Lowes. They last about 10-15 years.

 

[trashmanssd]

I run 2 in my basement and one in each garage. Huge difference in the air quality. I usually get either GE or Frigidaire 70-Pint Dehumidifiers.