Mold on everything. Dehumidifier??

[CTC DEEZUL]

Just about settled into my new home that has a huge out building. It's a steel building, concrete floor, heavily insulated. Drop ceiling with tiles that are all bowing down. I just noticed it getting green spores on everything from my quads seats to power washer to anything else. The guy before me was an insulation freak, the building is heated so he wanted it to stay warm In the winter. This is apparently causing a huge issue as the building is not breathing. Besides cutting holes and installing vents, can I just run a dehumidifier for now? Any suggestions on types or brands?

The building is a 40x45 but broken up in three sections. The biggest of which is the problem area.

 

[kbs2244]

Air curculation is your friend.
For sure in a damp summer.
Get some venting going.
It will be a lot easier and cheaper than trying to de-humidify that much space.

 

[pattenp]

Dehumidifier is what I use in my garage because of the same problem. Check out these reviews. http://www.top10bestdehumidifiers.c...dpos=1t1&a=3&gclid=CN_0taikw78CFWMQ7AodOVEA1g

 

[Scud67]

I just installed a 12k btu air conditioner unit in my shop.... don't have to set the temp very low, but it gets the humidity out very nicely.

 

[CTC DEEZUL]

http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/p-2268525-c-5571.htm

This guy looks good enough for the job

 

[CTC DEEZUL]

I will dehumidifier until I can get some vents going. Any suggestions on types of vents the can be easily closed for winter?

 

[yeldogt]

While it is always a good idea to bring in fresh air to a well insulated building -- it will not alone solve the humidly problem. On hot humid days providing ventilation will do nothing more than bring in more moisture. You will need to see if some of the moisture is coming up from the slab -- does it feel wet? -- do you get moisture under a plastic sheet? I had this problem in one of my spaces -- it is a common problem in almost any area with humidity in the summer and a closed building. In some cases a small air conditioner running most of the time can solve much of the problem -- but it will not work on days and times of the year that it is not hot but still humid.

Normally the only real fix is to have a dehumidifier -- and most of the common ones with the small built in tanks will not remove a lot of water .. and use a lot of power. I bought a Santa FE unit for my 1800sf studio .. and it will easily bring down the space to under 50% - quiet ..does not have to run all the times and is energy efficient .. my power is over .18KW

 

[38Chevy454]

Air circulating and some method for dehumidifying is what you need. Generally insulation is good as it minimizes the temperature swings. Not only keeping warm in winter, but also keeping it cooler in summer.

 

[mtmgtz]

I'd look into the moisture problem first of all. Do you have adequate drainage away from your slab? If you have gutters/downspouts, is the water from those being carried a few feet away from your foundation?

Might as well run an A/C unit during the summer months. Dehumidifiers run on the same principle as an air conditioner except they return the warm air back into the building rather than outside. A/C won't remove much humidity when the temperature isn't all that high though since it won't run enough.

 

[captain14]

Following this thread because I have some issues with things in the file cabinet sitting on the basement concrete floor

 

[mtmgtz]

Following this thread because I have some issues with things in the file cabinet sitting on the basement concrete floor

I had a similar issue with a gun cabinet in the basement. I put a bowl of rice in the cabinet and that cleared up the problem. Desiccant packets would work better though. File cabinets aren't all that sealed up though so you might need to run a dehumidifier. Paper and humidity are definite enemies.

 

[CTC DEEZUL]

I want to say the floor does sweat a bit, but I also think I'm getting some water in when it rains. No gutters or anything, but I'm built all on sand. Heck, my house doesn't even have gutters the ground is so absorbent.