Please recommend a good basement dehumidifier

[Ketz]

Hi

I'm looking around for a good inexpensive dehumidifier for a finished basement (25x25x7). The basement doesn't really have a big humidity problem, but there's still enough moisture and dampness to sometimes create a little mildew/mold in the kitchen and bathroom areas. There's no moisture on the Walls and floors. I haven't measured the humidity levels, but during the summer some dampness is noticeable only when temp is in the 90s. I wish to keep these areas as dry as possible during the house-heating/winter season too. Should I get something bigger or smaller than a 20-30 pint? I don't know if I should worry much about this, but I just want to play it safe.

I live in New Jersey.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Lamer]

It really depends on how much your basement leaks. Not only water from the water table, but in terms of hot air from other areas.

I have a small dehumidifier that does fine for a larger basement than yours. I just bought the cheapest I could find at Wally World. I have it dump water directly into my floor drain, so capacity is no issue.

During the winter, humidity is generally not a problem (except too low humidity). Check the shelves. The store sell humidifuiers in winter. Dehumidifiers are hard to find.

I guess you need to explain what the problem is. Does your home have wood construction? Wood has certain humidity levels inherently. Do you really want to disrupt those? Is it mold, cement problems, cracking walls, paranoia, what???

Are the kitchen and bathroom in the basement? (doubt it). If so, look at air leaks to the basement. If not, why blame the basement?

[Art Begun]

Consumer Reports recommends the biggest ones available because they tend to be energy efficient and you can always turn them down. The Sears models always do well and are cheap.

finished

There's

[Andy & Carol]

I bought one at Walmart, just pulled it of the shelf, into my cart, didn't worry about consumers report, efficentcy,or any of that stuff, it is the best product I ever bought! It must pull a gallon of water ot of the basement a day! The wife uses the water for her flowers. I think I payed about 150.00 for it. Andy

[Doug Kanter]

My only recommendation would be to shop FIRST for a quieter one. Believe me - a lousy dehumidifier can make quite a racket. You might want to poke around the Consumer Reports site and see if they've reviewed the machines. If so, you can buy access to the site for under ten bucks.

[Kevin O']

Hi,

As always - Energy Star compliant devices save BIG on your annual electric bill - savings could actually pay for the unit in a few years...

Try to find a way to use gravity to drain the de-humidifier via a hose - otherwise you will tire quickly of dumping the bucket (which on a 40 pint dehumidifier might only be 15-20 pints (emptying twice a day would be a pain, which would be required if area was very damp for some reason) - remember, the machine only works when the bucket isn't full...

If you can't do that - in the past I've used a small "aquarium" type pump ($10.00 at the pet store) to pump the water up and out to a drain or casement window. Put the pump in the bucket and forget it, it will pump whenever the water gets a couple of inches deep...

Lastly, many de-humidifier models are sensitive to cold - they will freeze up at temp's lower than about 60 degrees. Look for a model that is more temperature flexible - I bought a whirlpool 45 pint that is rated to work in much lower temps if necessary - works great.

Good luck,

Kevin O'

[Ketz]

a little paranoia, maybe.

Oh, sorry, the kitchen and bathroom I was referring to is in the basement, as it's a finished livable space equipped with stove, refrigerator, microwave, etc. The bathroom is also complete with tub and shower, etc. There are two small windows, but not in the kitchen or bathroom areas.

There isn't any big humidity problem in the rest of the house, just some in the basement, at times. There was leaking in the basement years ago but was fixed.

The basement was to be rented out, but is now used as an entertainment and sometimes guest space. There is a lot of cooking and showering down there, and that in itself sometimes causes a little mildew/mold build up around the walls, particularly in those areas.

Thank you all.

[Doug Miller]

Do you have exhaust fans, vented to the outdoors, in those rooms? If not, you should.

An exhaust fan removes humid air from the shower *far* more efficiently than a dehumidifier. Install exhaust fans first, then look at dehumidifiers if you still have a problem. I've been very happy with my Whirlpool 25-pint unit: effective, quiet, and not terribly expensive.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)