Name:	Ferg3729 -	Reply
Subject:	Whole House dehumidifiers
Date:	11/10/2015 8:56:00 AM

Has anyone had experience with a whole house dehumidifier like AprilAire?  I am trying to determine how well they work in a large finished basement area and how much they add to the power bill.

Thanks!

Name:	twc -	Reply
Subject:	Whole House dehumidifiers
Date:	11/10/2015 11:21:18 AM

Can't speak for the whole house ones. But the small ones add a bunch to the power bill. You're basically running a 110volt window air conditioner and those are not very efficient. But they work great. I had 2. My house is an A frame so not a lot of good insulation. This time of year I would have to run both and I could really tell it on the power bill. 

Sadly, both of mine quit and I haven't replaced them yet. Need to, especially now. 

Peace,

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TC 

Name:	Osms -	Reply
Subject:	Whole House dehumidifiers
Date:	11/10/2015 2:53:58 PM

We have a Danby 70 pt unit that works very well in our lower floor.  The A/C on the lower floor, about 2,200 sq ft, runs very seldom which makes humidity build up during the summer.  The Danby is rated at 400 watts when cycled "ON", but the unit cycles on and off as needed and when OFF the fan still runs but the wattage drops to about 60 watts.  Yes, the power usage is noticable but not terrible and much cheaper than running A/C to keep humidity down.  Dehumidifiers stop a lot of their effectiveness when room temp gets below 65.

Power example:  50% on, 50% off (fan)

  ON  12 hrs X 400 watts X $0.115/KWH = $0.552/day or  $16.56/mo

OFF   12 hrs X  60 watts X  $0.115/KWH =   0.082/day or     2.46/mo

                                                                                                                  Total $19.02/mo

**Estimate by a non-mathematician.  BTW, I had bad luck with the GE brand. 

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Whole House dehumidifiers
Date:	11/10/2015 7:56:48 PM

Another question you need to ask is this: What is it worth to keep mold out of your house?  Our cabin is, well, not very airtight and we have a problem with mold growing when we are away for extended periods.  We are part timers an leave one AC on at at relatively high temp setting, but with the temps falling the danger of condensation becomes more of a concern.  We have a dehumidifier that we leave on when we come back to town but it fills pretty quickly.  If I can figure out how to defeat the mechanism that first demands the container be in place, then turns it off when full, we could put it in the shower and just let it run.

Name:	Mack -	Reply
Subject:	Whole House dehumidifiers
Date:	11/10/2015 8:24:39 PM

My de-humidifier works pretty well, and I have not had a huge surge in the power bill. We bought this setup after being away from our place, during the Winter, for maybe 6 weeks, heat pump set on "heat" at 55* to keep pipes unfrozen. Walk in and there is mold on the floor, the window blinds, the cabinet faces, etc. etc. etc. Yikes!! Lots and lots of rubber gloves and bleach involved for cleanup.

We bought a unit via Amazon, I believe an Amana??, that is about the size of a space heater. It is equipped with a bypass connection (standard 3/4" hose male end) to route water to the outside. We had our person cut a hole in the floor and connect a drain hose to the AC drain pipe in the crawl space.

Hooked up a timer to the unit to run it for 90 minutes a day, every day. This unit sucks a LOT of moisture out of the house and we do not need to empty a tank. You can watch the AC discharge pipe when this unit is running and see water drizzling out. It works.

Good luck, and I hope you are on a crawl space.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Hodja
Date:	11/10/2015 9:21:34 PM

There should be an outlet for a hose. If so, connect a small piece to reach the shower floor. 

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Hodja
Date:	11/10/2015 9:33:17 PM

Have tried that in the past but, even though it is an LG dehu and has provided years of service, the hose attachment leaks into the bucket and eventually the bucket fills and it shuts off.  Am nearing the end of this DC area work gig so maybe I will have time to work something out before I start my next job...which may be in San Antonio.....reckon I can get some good Mex Tex?

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	You'll like the Aprilaire
Date:	11/11/2015 1:25:22 AM (updated 11/11/2015 1:41:58 AM)

I've tried several dehumidifies over the years and now use the the big Aprilaire whole house unit you speak of (I've been running it for 4 years). It's awesome. It works at lower temps than the lighter duty models and the automtic humidity control works very well. None of the problems of a the cheaper units. I plumbed in a PVC drainline and it's fully operational and automatic  365 days a year. It can be tied into your HVAC ducting or used as a stand alone unit.  I highly recomend it. Drop me an email if you want more info.