Dehumidifier - drain into sump pump?

[Lee B]

Yet another dehumidifier question. (For a vacant house, so I need to use a hose rather than bucket). And yeah, I probably will end up buying the Sears one if only because it's simpler and I can at least get them to lift it into my car. Not that I want to waste money, but I don't need it to last forever... just until I sell the house!

Can I drain the dehumidifier into the sump pump? (OK, I know I *can*, but is it a good idea?). Someone told me once not to, because the water would just go back into the air and maintain the humidity. Now I'm wondering how true that is, since there is one of those cement covers over the hole. Left to its own devices, the sump pump doesn't empty very often, other than in storms. The alternatives are running the hose into the shower stall or trying to hoist the daggone machine up onto the wet bar counter and run it into the sink... neither of which strike me as very attractive alternatives for potential buyers to see! (And no, no floor drain - there is a large pipe that goes into the floor from the washing machine stand pipe, so I'm assuming that's where a drain used to be).

[Paul Franklin]

Yes, it's fine. The flow is low, so the pump won't run very much, and the cover will prevent the moisture from returning to the air. And even if the pump should fail, it's not going to flood the basement.

Paul F.

[Clot]

I can't see a problem with that and support Paul's comment.It's not going to increase evaporation going into a wet well that's covered.

[Stormin Mormon]

Should work fine. I've also put a couple boards over a laundry sink, and put the dehum over a sink.

[Don Phillipson]

In some places this might work, in others not. We do not know if this house is in Florida at sea level or in Maine halfway up a mountain.

[ransley]

Run to sump pit unless sink drains without the pump, using a sump pit wont raise humidity. You need a low temp unit and then they only go down so far, maybe 45f

[Steve Barker DLT]

yes, it's fine. it is not 'going back into the air' any more than the water in the sump would be anyway.

s

[Lee B]

Thank you all. HA! My brother was wrong about something .

Appreciate the help.

Steve Barker DLT wrote:

[pheeh.zero]

Men's "theories" often have more to due with their egos than substantiation. (guilty)

p_z

[trader4]

In those places where it won't work, how can the small amount of water from the dehumidifier present a problem and the water present in the sump pit from the ground not? If the sump pit is dry, the water just gets absorbed into the ground and probably 95%+ of it isn't going to evaporate back into the basement. If the sump pit has ground water in it already and is running occasionally, then adding the dehumidifier water isn't going to change a thing. QED

Also, there are dehumidifiers available that have built in drain pumps. I wouldn't get one for this app, but for more flexibilitly or other apps they are available.

[Dave Martindale]

In fact, a wet sump might be a major source of the humidity in the basement when there is no dehumidifier. With a dehumidifier, you're ensuring that more of the water remains liquid in the sum, not as water vapour in the air.

It would save some energy to have the dehumidifier drain into some drain where it cannnot re-evaporate into the house. But if the sump is the best drain available, it will work, and the dehumidifier *will* pick up and re-condense anything that evaporates from the sump into the air.

Dave

[RickH]

I drain mine there, works great. Even if the pump should die, the water will start to flow into the drain tile outlets before it can ever overflow the pit. Its a better choice than the ejector pump, which WILL back up into your floor drain should that pump die.

[ransley]

water

Evaporate, a 4 sq ft area as in sump area, in low temp wont evaporate squat in water volume. The only issue is the pump fails, otherwise it wont increase humidity.