I have a dehumidifier that is described as a 'basement dehumidifier'. Is it appropriate to use such a unit in my crawl space? It is a portable 70-pint unit made by Whirlpool, with a drain hookup (so it can drain to the sump pump in my crawlspace).
If your crawlspace is ventilated to the outside no, you might as well put it in your back yard to make the day less humid. It would be bettrer to add a powered vent or more vent openings.
If the crawlspace is sealed like a low headroom basement, I see no reason not to use it.
If this is a non living space, it is not necessary to lower the humidity to comfortable levels, just lower than the dew point (during the coldest part of the night) to prevent condensation.
Sure, but how well enclosed is the crawlspace? If fresh air is coming in all the time, it will run constantly and do little. Do you have a moisture barrier down over the earth?
As others have noted, if the area is ventilated, it will not work and hopefully will not be needed. If it is not ventilated, then that is the right type to use. "Basement" models should be designed to work in cool damp areas without freezing up. One would think that all dehumidifiers would be designed to work in cool damp conditions, but no.
Most likely not since most dehumidifiers frost up below 65f. there are a few low temp models out Sears sells one 45f model. But why waste the money, vent and use plastic on the ground.
I do have a vapor barrier. The crawlspace has vents but they are sealed. I also have two high capacity vent fans on one side of the crawlspace, and two 'moisture scrubbers' on the other side of the crawlspace. Also have a french drain with a sump pump. I had all this put in because I was having huge problems with moisture, with lots and lots of mold growth. I even had soggy insulation on all the a/c ducts down there. All this seems to have dryed things out okay (though I haven't gone through the hot part of the summer yet, so we'll see), but there is still an area in one corner that still seems to be staying a bit damp. So I thought a dehumidifer in that area, drained to the sump pump, might help.
What are "moisture scrubbers?"
A moisture scrubber is a box you install in a crawlspace vent. The vent fans on the other side of the crawl space pull air through the scrubber. The scrubber has coils in it over which air passes, and this is supposed to condense water out of the air. The water is then supposed to drain back out of the crawlspace. I can't say for sure whether they works very well yet, as I had them installed at the end of last summer, so they haven't gone through the hot part of the summer yet. But my crawlspace has certainly been far more dry since they were installed. They were installed by a local company here in Knoxville, TN, but here is the url for the company that makes them:
What cools the coils?
I wonder what those fans draw, 100 watts each? 100 watts = 10$ a month at my rates. My dehumidifier costs me 3$ a month to dehumidify 700 sq ft. Figure your cost to run them at your rate, Sears make a dehumidifier that runs to 45f, then you seal the crawlspace closed.
FIRST UNSEAL THE VENTS! Install a little muffin fan on one, the kind computers use, leave run forever, use very little energy about a nite lights worth.
ventilation and a good vapor barrier are the key to a dry crawlspace
The cooler air in the crawlspace is supposed to cool the coils. Obviously, this only works during warm weather (but that's when they are needed).
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