Best location for Dehumidifier?

Aug 02, 2003 11 Replies

I am using a 50-pint Dehumidifier for an area with a staircase. Cold air normally descends, but I don't know the properties of "humidity"--does it tend to travel "up" like warm air?



My question: Is it better to place the Dehumidifier at the bottom of the staircase, or is it better to place the Dehumidifier at the top?



Arthur


Cold air cannot hold as much total moisture as warmer air, so condensation would tend to occur at the lowest location. A dehumidifier chills the air to condense moisture, and then uses it for cooling, making it somewhat warmer, drier and lighter. Or taken to the extreme, which way does water run?

Given time the humidity will be even, it will not sink or float up or down. I would suggest several factors that you may want to consider.

First as noted, you should choose a spot where you can drain it directly.

I would suggest choosing a location as close as possible to the source of the humidity.

Along the same lines would be a location that has good airflow to the damp area.

Turtle

You know you are beating a dead horse right? Altho....its something different than what TPP is slappin...

BINGO!

We just found out where Mr Young, a self proclaimed HVAC guru is getting his training...on the Home repair network.

Good for your parents. There are times, (as you will find out when you get proper training) that a gravity feed is not the ONLY way to go. There are times, and situations where a condensate pump is the better method....

offensive tag line snipped

Hi Stormin, hope you are having a nice day

On 04-Aug-03 At About 00:16:28, Stormin Mormon wrote to All Subject: Re: Best location for Dehumidifier?

SM> From: "Stormin Mormon"

SM> On the local home repair show, some weeks ago they suggested mounting SM> a dehum about three feet up from floor level. And good air SM> circulation to the unit. So it doesn't make a dry corner and not dry SM> out the rest of the cellar.

What the hell are you talking about?? humidity transfers quite nicely through air and no matter where you put the dehumidifier the whole open area will be the same. you really need to stop trying to answer these questions!!

-=> HvacTech2

Try the fan blowing TOWARDS the AC. I can't explain it, but it sure cools a lot better. I've tried towards and away, both, and towards cools better.

My windowshaker cools right in front of it, and hardly at all on the other side of the room.

Try fan blowing towards the AC. Seems to wrok better, though I don't totally know why.

hi if i leave my dehumidifier in the lounnge will it do a 2 bed house ok without moving it thanks

hi yes but if many btu rating is each bed lounnge then no thanks

It may seem counter-intuitive, but humid air IS lighter than dry air. That's because water vapor (which is a gas) is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, a lighter gas than dry air - which is almost completely composed of nitrogen and oxygen. And nitrogen is much heavier than hydrogen. Therefore, it is better to place your dehumidifier at the top of the staircase area (assuming you have a safe place for it that will not cause people to trip over the dehumidifier and fall down the stairs!)

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