Humidity/Light mold issues....Recommend solution?

[atwnsw]

I have a detached two-car garage (approx 22'x22') in NC mountains (technically a rain forest) where a normal year gets 96" of rain. I gutted the garage 3 years ago, replaced windows, installed Mr Cool ac/heater. We have started to notice that it is getting moldy inside. The humidity is really spiking inside, especially when it rains and we drive the car inside and close the garage overnight.

I am wondering if I need to buy a dehumidifier to run 24/7 during summer months. Thoughts on how to reduce the humidity? What would you recommend for a solution (ideally include models and where to buy)?

I did see this dehumidifier from costco but don't know if that is a good option.

Thanks in advance.

Anthony

 

[Snapped-off]

How often do you let the Mr Cool run? Maybe set it to a temp low enough to run long enough to **** out some moisture.

Barring that, grab a dehumidifier. Can't recommend any though as I don't have one.

 

[bluedog225]

I was reading some threads recently in another forum about how mini splits aren’t doing a great job dehumidifying. Mixed results. Something about the fan, shutting down and leaving the condensation on the coils.

I’ve looked into dehumidifiers a bit. They’re sort of a crapshoot. I wouldn’t expect more than 2 to 3 years out of anything goodbye. Not sure why the qualities in the toilet but it seems to be. But I definitely buy one anyway. Run it till it dies. I bet you notice a big improvement.

personally, I’d go with whatever Costco sells and run it hard. If it dies in the first year or so, they will replace it. And maybe beyond that.

 

[mepstein]

Alorair dehumidifier on Amazon. Lots of different models. About $500. Small footprint. I run the drain under the door. The unit has a drain pump. Works great.

 

[yhprum]

You might find running ceiling fans keeps the air moving enough to help. A dehumidifier couldn’t hurt either. Maybe run on a timer during long periods when the doors are closed.

Edited to add if you google DIY mold prevention spray, you might find some ideas. I live in a humid warm area that gets mold prone sometimes. After one prolonged wet spell we had brown mold. I made some spray with clove oil and water. Sprayed it on and let it dry. It hasn’t come back.

 

[My Old Tools]

I was reading some threads recently in another forum about how mini splits aren’t doing a great job dehumidifying. Mixed results. Something about the fan, shutting down and leaving the condensation on the coils.

I’ve looked into dehumidifiers a bit. They’re sort of a crapshoot. I wouldn’t expect more than 2 to 3 years out of anything goodbye. Not sure why the qualities in the toilet but it seems to be. But I definitely buy one anyway. Run it till it dies. I bet you notice a big improvement.

personally, I’d go with whatever Costco sells and run it hard. If it dies in the first year or so, they will replace it. And maybe beyond that.

If it's hot enough to keep it running, my MrCool pulls an amazing amount of moisture.

 

[fitter30]

Dehumidifier is needed. Garage door seals have to in good space. See light around them need to be replaced. High rh flows to low rh. All dehumidifiers lose capacity as air temp drops below 40° just turn it off. If there isn't a vapor barrier in the walls it will also pull rh through them. home.woot.com/offers/airecoler-commercial-dehumidifier?ref=w_cnt_lnd_cat_home_19_8

 

[dcg9381]

Mr. Cool has a "dry" mode (dehumidify). Have you tried running it in that mode?

I don't really know how it works beyond the traditional cooling cycle. But my Dakins will pretty much drop a constant stream of water in back of the shop and we don't get 96" of rain a year.

 

[mm08822]

In addition to the dehumidification currently in place, I would suggest adding a wall mount oscillating circulation fan. This will create enough turbulent air circulation to ensure air movement is reached in the the entire space- 24/7. This fan could be a simple plug-in or controlled by a humidistat at a set point lower than desired value.

 

[Buckaroo5]

I have had a number of dehumidifiers over the years and recent ones have been failing (losing charge) after 1-2 seasons. Reliability is so bad across almost all the brands and the process to get them warrantied makes you want to gouge your eyes out. My current one at home is on it's fifth season - it is a Honeywell without the pump. I hook it up to drain to a floor drain via gravity. My son bought one, too and it is on it's third season. Bought a third one for my seasonal cabin last year. So I recommend the Honeywell.....

Honeywell 32-Pint ENERGY STAR Smart WiFi Dehumidifier for 3,000 Sq Ft – Laundry Mode, Auto-Comfort Mode & Thermal Overload Protection, TPFIT32AWK​

 

[chinboys]

You aren't running the AC long enough hence the mold problem .

AC's work in this order... remove the relative humidity at the higher temperature to that of the dewpoint realtive humidity of the desired temperature. This is latent heat and it is where an undersized AC will take longer to get the temp to or problems of clamy and high humidity when you have an oversized AC and it under runs to remove the latent heat.

Only when the latent heat is removed realtive to the set temperature will an AC begin to drop the temperature.
The biggest energy draw during cooling is latent heat removal before less energy is used to drop the temp voa sensible heat.

You have the equipment already so no need to run a dehumidifier.
Just run the AC longer and 10 to 15 degrees colder than the outside temp.
And make sure is minimum to non air leakage into the the interior space.
Finally add decent air circulation with fans (floor or ceiling).

 

[Firstram]

The box store dehumidifiers don’t last very long. Instead of spending $300 every other year, consider a whole house unit. Our 70 pint SantaFe will pull 5 gallons a day and it has a 6 year warranty!

Santa Fe Compact70 Dehumidifier | Efficient | Santa Fe Dehumidifier

Santa Fe Compact70 Dehumidifier is a powerful yet space-saving unit. Perfect for low crawl spaces, basements, mechanical closets or other small spaces.

www.santa-fe-products.com