Does anybody have any experience with the Humidex System? Is this thing just a fan with a humistat control or is there more to it? I've got a damp basement and wonder if this thing really works or is it just BS. Thanks,
Well since they don't say how it is suppose to work, I would guess it is nothing more than a fan. The claims don't make sense. There are certain laws of physics that would be violated if it did what it says it does.
There's a "how it works" section...
***Humidex is a mechanical ventilation unit engineered to exhaust the moist, musty and contaminated air that becomes trapped in the house due to the poor circulation of indoor air... Ventilating excess humidity... High relative humid air, Molds, Musty Odors and Gases are expelled to the outside via the Humidex unit, and replaced with Fresh Air from upstairs.
Cool moist air is heavy and will gravitate to the lowest point, namely to the basement of the house. The basement floor is also cold and will condense when in contact with moisture seeping in or coming down. In poorly ventilated areas, the damp air stagnates and creates an environment conducive to mold growth, structural damage and discomfort. When a Humidex is installed and operating, this stale, humid, contaminated air is drawn to the bottom vents of the unit by a... [200 cfm fan.]
It is then expelled to outside of the house through a 6" duct... This [air] is then replaced with a flow of relatively drier, warmer and fresher air drawn downward from the upper levels. The interior air is then replaced with cleaner, fresher outdoor air entering the home naturally via windows, doors, cracks, etc. The warmer replenishment air raises the surface temperature which lowers relative humidity. Humidex continues to expel this moist air until the desired preset humidity level is reached...
Unit is automatically controlled by an adjustable humidistat... When the desired level of humidity is achieved, the fan will reduce speed. It will resume a higher speed if humidity level increases. The direct effect of the air being expelled and the flow of air downwards, creates an air exchange of approximately 10 times a day. As the moisture is drawn off the surface, the moisture absorbed in the walls and floor comes to the surface and is then expelled.
The unit automatically monitors the relative humidity and adjusts the ventilation rate. In the summer set the humidistat control to between 50-60 percent and in the winter between 40-50 percent. The fan should be set at the high speed... The fan will expel the moist air and will automatically go to a minimal speed, after it has reduced the relative humidity to the desired level. The unit never shuts off providing constant ventilation.
***
Which claims do not make sense? How?
Which laws? How? What happens on a humid summer day?
Nick
PS: They never mention the price on their web page with scary language and anonymous testimonials. Click on "satisfaction guaranteed" to produce their
10-year parts guarantee, with a notice that this is their only guarantee, and it does not include any "fitness for purpose."I did see how it works -- there is a six inch duct to the outside, and it expels the nasty air. It mentioned the duct work, dehumidistat, and outside louver.
I didn't see prices mentioned. But, with a pretty decorator unit like that, they gotta soak you good.
A heating and AC guy oughta be able to make a dehumidistat and ventilator. The ad mentions no filter, and no removing moisture from the air. What's left? Vent fan, and some duct. And a very expensive looking white case.
I'd go with the small town heating guy.
I missed that somehow. I guess I did not really try all that hard.
In some areas that should help, IF (that's a big if) the local conditions are right and it can move enough air. Of course a window fan could do the same, maybe better and I have seen some with humidistats.
I agree. You can expect the results to work better and in the long run be cheaper.
Under the Federal Magnuson-Moss Act, Guarantee means a refund of money. Warranty means repair for free. Sounds like their Gaurantee is really a Warranty.
Stretch
Guys,
The humidex is one of the dumbest ideas that I have seen in years. I went to their web site and found it is a basement exhaust fan. It sucks cool air conditioned air from the house, through the basement and
then blows it outside. Now the house is under a negative pressure and outside air will come in to the house to replace the exhausted air.
If the humidity ratio of the outside air is lower than the humidity ratio of the basement air, there is no point in getting the house air involved, it would be better to blow basement air outside to be replaced with dry air from outside. You may as well run the AC with the
windows open. Or run the heat in the winter with the windows open.
If the humidity ratio of the outside air is higher than the basement or
crawlspace air, you are adding a lot of moisture to the house and adding load to the AC system, increasing electric bills in the process.
You could start growing mold in the house. The Humidex just moves the problem from the basement to the house. Bad Idea.
Buy a dehumidifier instead. In humid climates the Humidex is a disaster about to happen. In dry climate areas, it is just a waste of money.
Stretch
I agree with Stretch's reply:
If you can afford it and deem it necessary, get a good heat recovery ventilator - at least they can be controlled by both indoor and outdoor conditions with the right "thermostat" from the mfg. Otherwise, a dehumidifier should do the trick for you. I've got one in my basement and it drains directly in to the sump pit (both by original owner - it works, why mess with it).
GSavage
I had a humidex in my last home and it does what it says. My basement was as dry as it was when I was using a dehumidifier, however, my electric bill was much lower with the humidex. While the unit was running, you could feel the moist, cool are blowing out of the vent. I paid $450 for it back in 2001 and installed it myself. They wanted another $450 to install it. Installation took me about 2 hours. When we moved last fall, I called to purchase another one, however, the price went up to $900 for the unit without installation. For what the product consists of, I thought that $450 was overpriced and $900 was outrageous. After arguing with them, I decided to pass on their final offer of a $500 demo unit and elected to build my own. We were remodelling our basement, so I installed 6" ductwork in one of the walls, attached a 200CFM 6" In-Line fan, which is normally used to boost air flow in heating/cooling ducts, installed vents on both sides of the wall (it was an interior wall) about 4" off the floor and vented it out the exterior basement wall. It works pretty well. All parts cost me under $100. However, this basement is much bigger than my last house (about 1500 sq. ft.) and there still is a little dampness, so I will have to try to find a bigger fan. When I used my dehumidifier in this house, it ran non-stop. I found that the humistat was unnecessary in both houses since this device also ran non-stop in both homes. I just installed a switch so that I can turn it off during the dryer months. All-in-all, this concept does work and is much more economical than running a dehumidifier. Too bad the Humidex dealers are getting greedy. I think they would sell more units with better pricing.
Yep -- basic exhaust fan with a demudistat. But, it's got great packaging. I think that's the seller, the packagaing.
Now, that is a fine testimonial. Thank you for sharing. Amazing what a fellow can build himself.
A good dehumidifier will do a better job of humidity control. Humidex is just an expensive exuast fan. If you dont run AC upstairs and have relatively high humidity you wont dry anything out, you just circulate air, and bring in more unconditioned outside air for you to pay to condition. In my basement an exaust fan did nothing, only when I instaled a 200$ Dehumidifier at 1/2 the price of a Humidex did I see comfort. Get a dehumidifier with a hose atachment so you can run a drain hose. Running my dehumidifier calculates to 3.50$ a month with a Kill A Watt, Running a 100 watt fan 24x7 for me would be 10$ a month. I see the Humidex as a waste of energy and of little more effect than an open window.
With a lot more electrical energy.
With a humidistat and a duct to draw up air from the basement floor.
With what? :-)
Perhaps you omitted the duct. That seems essential, since cold air sinks.
$200 would be 1/5 the Humidex price.
Nick
alal,
Where do you live?
As I said, in a dry climate it is a waste of money, you can do it cheaper yourself,even though it will work. If you are in a wet climate, you are exhausting already cooled air from your house through the basement.
Stretch
I currently live near Syracuse, NY. My last house was in Northern New Jersey. The damp air comes in through the basement walls and floor and settles near the floor. This system pulls that air out. I'm sure that some air from upstairs is pulled out as well, but my basement is much drier when I use this system. Our climate is somewhat humid in the warmer months, but I am sure there are more humid areas than ours.
Try sealing the walls and floors with a waterproofing compound like Seal Crete or DryLock to reduce moisture incursion.
Exhaust fans can cause unexpected side effects. You can backdraft a flue if you have a gas furnace or water heater, for example. I hope you have a carbon monoxide alarm in your basement.
Stretch
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.