| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 5:21:50 PM
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we have a downstairs that is partially underground with the backside being lake side. as is pretty normal, the 2 BR's down there keep a musty smell.
Who is the best to install a dehumidifier and what brands would you recommend. Since we are only there every couple of weeks, would need one with a drain hose installed.
Many thanks!
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 5:45:55 PM
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If you have a floor drain available you could pick up a decent unit at Sam's or Costco and put it in yourself. The drain mechanisms are designed to connect to a garden hose so you could leave it on while you are gone and if it is in the way roll it out of the way while you are there. We have one at our house in Montgomery - LG is the brand - and it has given us good service for several years now.
If you don't want to do it yourself contact lakeplumber (just search for his screen name on this forum and send him an email) and he could either do it for you or recommend someone.
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| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 6:34:21 PM
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Thank you very much. I don't have a floor drain and will probably contact someone since having the hose connection can be tricky to make work properly.
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 6:41:20 PM
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Understand. That can get tricky. Unless someone else has a first hand experience, lakeplumber will do you right, whether he does it or recommends someone.
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| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 6:48:30 PM
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appreciate your help sir...
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| Name: |
Ulysses E. McGill
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 7:01:04 PM (updated 6/11/2012 7:06:01 PM)
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I have an Aprilaire 1770 whole house unit that has does very well...it can be placed in an area (mine is in the crawl space) and used as a free standing unit. That said, they are very expensive. I recently bought a unit from Costco for my daughters house ($220 shipped) that also does a fine job...It has a 2 year warranty and you can't beat Costco's return policy. For drainage, you can buy a condensate pump at Home depot for about $75 that comes with 25 feet of flexible hose (you can buy more hose if needed). If you set up the dehumidifier to drain into the pump, then run the hose outside or to a drain (not the best idea for a septic system), you're all set to go. Very easy to install everything, just make sure the dehumidifier sits level.
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| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 7:09:43 PM
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Thank you. I understand that it normally would not be an issue to do the installation. Since we are not at our house very often, I would prefer a "permanent" hose arrangement which I think could get beyond my "pay grade" to make sure it works properly and
does not appear noticeable.
I had not even thought about Costco---I will check them out.
Thanks again!
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| Name: |
Mack
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 7:19:08 PM
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Same problem with our place, but mostly in the Winter when we are not there. The AC unit takes care of moisture during the Summer months.
The problem is lack of air circulation during quiet times, Summer or Winter. We set the thermostat high in the Summer when absent, and low in Winter to save the heat pump and electric bill. Moisture builds quickly, along with mold/mildew and the musty smell. If you can find an add-on for a heatpump that can be programmed to circulate air with cold air in Winter months and Summer as well, go that route.
I bought a Frigidaire unit ($218) recently to try out. In my home in B'Ham it removed 4 pints of water from the air in a well air conditioned home in about 5 hours. Impressive to me. Going to install it at the lake house soon with a drain hose connected to the AC drain pipe in the crawlspace. Set it up to run maybe 2 hours a day every day 365.
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| Name: |
Ulysses E. McGill
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 7:49:41 PM (updated 6/11/2012 7:50:50 PM)
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Good luck with it. The type of pump I speak of is what is commonly used for permanent installation of both HVAC systems and dehumidifiers, but you do need have an electrical outlet handy for both the dehumidifier and the pump. There is also the aspect of running the hose outdoors. If you want a professional installation, you may want to check with a HVAC company as they do this all the time.
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| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/11/2012 9:05:58 PM
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Great info Mack, our problems seem similar.
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| Name: |
George
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/12/2012 3:17:56 PM
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Sorry to be a latecomer on this thread, but I have been thinking about trying a Mitsubishi type ductless heat pump hvac. They have a built in dehumidifier. Supposed to be good for large single room applications. Does anybody have experience with this type of unit?
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My dad has a ductless Mitsubishi unit in his wood shop....I think it's basically just an AC unit, but it may do de-humidification without AC; I'll ask him this weekend.
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| Name: |
Zman
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/12/2012 7:44:31 PM
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If you are only going to use it a limited amount of time, consider a unit that will sit in a bathtub. My sister did this for a couple years before they could get down here full time. I poo-pooed the idea, but in the end, it was pretty smart! Drainage issues go away!
Jus' sayin'
Zman
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| Name: |
lakeguy
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/13/2012 10:18:02 AM (updated 6/13/2012 10:19:00 AM)
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Zman, dang! Did having it "isolated" in a bathroom still allow it to cover more than a room or two?
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| Name: |
Kizma Anuice
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| Subject: |
Dehumidifier
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Date:
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6/13/2012 12:57:11 PM
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Just putting it in your crawl space takes care of the whole house?
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Yes. I have the crawl space sealed up as well as humanly possible. I did that after much research and discussing the problem with mold experts and the tech support people at Aprilaire. They advised me that most moisture in a modern home (especially if they have insulated windows and are wrapped with tyvek or similar material) comes up through the ground and then rises through the house; It's very hard to provide a complete vapor barrier to all below grade areas. When I purchased the Aprilaire 1770 unit, I had planned to hook it into the HVAC system (to draw air from the house), the tech support said that probably wasn't needed in my scenario...he advised me to try it as a free standing unit and if that didn't work I could always incorporate it into the system. He was correct and it works well on it's own. That may not be the case in every setup, but it works in mine.
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