Humidity Levels

[Teken]

What level of humidity do you guys try to keep your house at? Also has anyone tried anything other than a dehumidifier, A/C units to try to remove the dampness in the basement?

I am trying to use as many low tech, low cost alternatives to keep my basement at a reasonable level, while holding the line where the musty smell, mold etc may start to grow etc.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated as trying to open windows right now during the rainy season doesn't really help much . . .

Insight . . .

 

[Jay41]

50%...

 

[ranger_dood]

Generally 45-50%, using A/C units. I don't worry about the basement, as it's dirt floor and a dehumidifier would basically run all the time, no matter what.

 

[Jackfre]

Check out the Xchanger by Tjernlund
http://www.tjernlund.com/newproducts.htm

I represent these folks, so I have a horse in this game, but they are an excellent American manuf company. Draws very little power. They make good equipment.

 

[lilredex]

If you have a forced air system, run your fan contiuously. It will keep the air circulating and keep the basement from stinking. Run mine all year long on "Man".

We have much higher RH levels here, and our basement always smells OK. Have a de-humidifier but have never used it.

 

[Teken]

Check out the Xchanger by Tjernlund
http://www.tjernlund.com/newproducts.htm

I represent these folks, so I have a horse in this game, but they are an excellent American manuf company. Draws very little power. They make good equipment.

What does this thing go for, and how much power does it consume running 24/7?

If you have a forced air system, run your fan contiuously. It will keep the air circulating and keep the basement from stinking. Run mine all year long on "Man".

We have much higher RH levels here, and our basement always smells OK. Have a de-humidifier but have never used it.

Right now I am cycling the fan on/off with my HA system. But, after reading the monthly bill I have to find another alternative.

 

[Jackfre]

Check the web site for cost. Each fan, there are two, draws 36 watts/hr. Go to the web site and watch the videos.

 

[Gary S]

I've never used a meter to measure the humidity. My nose tells me when it is too high. My house and garage have A/C window units that take care of it, but my basement doesn't. Down there, I use a dehumidifier whenever it feels and smells damp to me. All it needs is a 8-12 hour run of the dehumidifier to make things right again, and that lasts until we get another unusually hot day outside that raises the humidity again. I need the dehumidifier only a few hours once every few weeks to keep things under control.

 

[thrifty bill]

45 to 50%. I have a rock house with a porous rock wall basement. I Run two dehumidifiers year round. One on the main floor, one in the basement.

 

[787B]

In my 990 sq-ft garage/basement with barrier-less slab floor, I keep a 65 pint dehumidifier running year-round set at 55%. You can find graphs of corrosion rate vs. humidity around the web, and there is a "knee" right at 60% where the rate takes off above it. I figure stay five points under that and I'm good. I don't worry about humidity in the house proper.

It runs very little when the ambient temperature is under 60°, a bit more when the temp starts to get hot (90°+ outside, 80°-ish inside), and quite a bit when it rains and it's warm. (Drainage under the house is a problem...)

It has little impact on my electric bill. I don't see a noticeable difference between Summer when it runs quite a bit and Winter when it doesn't run really at all.

Long-term, low-tech, low-cost method would be to rip up the old, broken, thin slab and lay down a new one with a proper vapor barrier. Not an option as I don't own it. Then seal up the garage and man doors and windows really well. But even then I'd still run a dehumidifier as they are cheap and reasonably reliable, unless it always stayed below 60% without any help.

 

[Teken]

Thanks for all of the feed back.

 

[Steve in Mi]

Look here. Low tech as it gets.

Rock salt dehumidification is the cheapest method I know of. I wrote of my experience on the subject in this thread (near the end are a few posts I made).

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...0131&showall=1
__________________
Work safe, have fun, enjoy the sport.
Remember that a guy never has to come down out of the clouds if he keeps filling the valleys with peaks. Steve

Posts # 32, 34, 36 and 39.

 

[Teken]

Look here. Low tech as it gets.



Posts # 32, 34, 36 and 39.

Could you provide another direct link to that post. This link appears to be broken and does not display.

 

[ishiboo]

BTW, for a basement or normal living 60-65% humidity will be fine. If you have a humidity issue, trying to get to 40-45% as some people are recommending will be cost prohibitive and there's probably no reason.

 

[ishiboo]

Could you provide another direct link to that post. This link appears to be broken and does not display.

Here. First link.

 

[Steve in Mi]

Hope this is better,

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10131&page=7