I want to finish our basement and plan to use a plastic underlayment product
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just "in-case" any hydrostatic moisture bubbles up. I'm looking for a dehumidifier with external sensors so I can place them under the flooring (in the air channels) in the middle of the rooms. The unit itelf will be placed in the HVAC area near one of the corners of the basement. With the sensors under the flooring, the unit should turn on any time hydrostatic starts to be a problem, way ahead of the time that I would notice (if I even *do* notice) the moisture running into the HVAC area (from below the underlayment).
Does that make sense? I haven't been able to find a dehumidifier unit with such capabilities. Any ideas?
This doesn't make much sense to me. Turning the dehumidifier on isn't going to do a whole lot until there is actually some humidity in the HVAC area (is this a closet?) to remove. Ultimately a standalone dehumidifier (as opposed to whole house) can only dehumidify the air in its immediate vicinity so there generally isn't a need for a remote humidistat.
I'm banking on the air channels under the Platon underlayment for air flow (that's what the it's made for) but not to the extent that there's so much moisture under the floor (in the middle) that it starts to raise the humidity in the corner of the room where the dehumidifier will be. Hard to explain, but imagine a 30'x30' concrete slab and then the underlayment in the middle going to the foundation walls but stopping short 6" away (for the stud walls and extra air flow). Then picture one corner of the room, roughly 5'x5' with no underlayment either.
The idea is to create an opportunity for any moisture under the plastic subfloor (Platon) to meet the basement air so it can evaporate. This is done by stopping the underlayment 6" short of the exterior walls and also the 5'x5' HVAC area where it's just a concrete floor.
If any moisture bubbles up in the middle of the floor, under the Platon, it would take a significant amount in order to create a puddle that extends to either the HVAC area or the 6" perimeter gap. I would like a sensor under there to catch the presence of water ASAP and not rely on it traveling to the perimeter. Because in some cases, there may only be surface moisture and not standing water. I'd rather have the dehumidifier turned on in that case (helping to dry everything) than to not know there's even moisture present.
Of course, this could all be overkill. Maybe I should just rely on the Platon to do it's job, and if there's enough water under there to raise the overall humidity in the basement then the humidifier will kick-on. If there is just surface moisture, then so be it since it can't get through the Platon to the subfloor and carpet anyway.
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