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Dehumidifier - add to HVAC or stand alone tom carr 03-25-2008
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Posted by tom carr on March 25, 2008, 10:39 pm
My house is not extremely moldy or humid, but my wife has developed a
bad mold allergy and we have to get the house less humid before the
weather gets warmer in May. I have talked to several HVAC people
about adding a dehumidifier to the main system. This will be
expensive but I will do it if I have to.

One guy told me that one stand alone unit often does the trick. I can
buy one of these at Home Depot for about $160. They are noisy and you
have to empty them frequently though and I don't really want one
running in the house. Then he told me something I am questioning, and
this is my real question for you. My house has a crawl space, just
about 3 feet high. I put plastic down years ago. This fellow told me
I could put a stand alone dehumidifier in the crawl space under the
house and it had a good chance of solving my problems and lowering the
humidity in the whole house. Does this make sense?

Posted by Zyp on March 25, 2008, 11:12 pm
tom carr wrote:
> My house is not extremely moldy or humid, but my wife has developed a
> bad mold allergy and we have to get the house less humid before the
> weather gets warmer in May. I have talked to several HVAC people
> about adding a dehumidifier to the main system. This will be
> expensive but I will do it if I have to.
>
> One guy told me that one stand alone unit often does the trick. I can
> buy one of these at Home Depot for about $160. They are noisy and you
> have to empty them frequently though and I don't really want one
> running in the house. Then he told me something I am questioning, and
> this is my real question for you. My house has a crawl space, just
> about 3 feet high. I put plastic down years ago. This fellow told me
> I could put a stand alone dehumidifier in the crawl space under the
> house and it had a good chance of solving my problems and lowering the
> humidity in the whole house. Does this make sense?

You put plastic down years ago?

York makes an air conditioning unit with dehumidification as a benefit and
reheat. I don't remember the model numbers, but it was presented several
years ago at a York Dealers meeting. Give them a look up.


--
Zyp



Posted by Jeffrey Lebowski on March 26, 2008, 12:46 am

> My house is not extremely moldy or humid, but my wife has developed a
> bad mold allergy and we have to get the house less humid before the
> weather gets warmer in May. I have talked to several HVAC people
> about adding a dehumidifier to the main system. This will be
> expensive but I will do it if I have to.
>
> One guy told me that one stand alone unit often does the trick. I can
> buy one of these at Home Depot for about $160. They are noisy and you
> have to empty them frequently though and I don't really want one
> running in the house. Then he told me something I am questioning, and
> this is my real question for you. My house has a crawl space, just
> about 3 feet high. I put plastic down years ago. This fellow told me
> I could put a stand alone dehumidifier in the crawl space under the
> house and it had a good chance of solving my problems and lowering the
> humidity in the whole house. Does this make sense?

Wife spends a lot of time in the crawlspace ?

--





Posted by Stormin Mormon on March 26, 2008, 7:50 am
Any AC system will remove humidity from the air. It's one of the things they
do naturally. Please tell us about your heating system. Gas, oil? Radiators?
Forced air?

As to the portable dehum, most of them have a knock out, so you can drain
the bin through a garden hose, into a sink or other drain. Since dehum dump
the heat into the room, they are a heat gain, as well as using a bunch of
electric.

Plastic in the crawl space. Just to mention the obvious. If the plastic is
on the ground, then put the dehum on top of the plastic may help. If the
plastic is stapled to the bottom of the floor, that's different.

The last time I had some serious allergy problems, I had to take apart the
AC, clean it out and sanitize it. Amazing, what grows in wet areas. If you
have central AC, may be long past time to have the indoor coil taken out,
and cleaned. Not a job for a home owner. Please also look under your
refrigerator. Open the doors, and snap off the "kick plate". Often they
have a tray for the condensate. This tray lifts and pulls out. Scrub it, and
sanitize with a blast of clorox bleach.

Best wishes, and let us know what happens.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.


My house is not extremely moldy or humid, but my wife has developed a
bad mold allergy and we have to get the house less humid before the
weather gets warmer in May. I have talked to several HVAC people
about adding a dehumidifier to the main system. This will be
expensive but I will do it if I have to.

One guy told me that one stand alone unit often does the trick. I can
buy one of these at Home Depot for about $160. They are noisy and you
have to empty them frequently though and I don't really want one
running in the house. Then he told me something I am questioning, and
this is my real question for you. My house has a crawl space, just
about 3 feet high. I put plastic down years ago. This fellow told me
I could put a stand alone dehumidifier in the crawl space under the
house and it had a good chance of solving my problems and lowering the
humidity in the whole house. Does this make sense?



Posted by tom carr on March 26, 2008, 10:11 pm
> Please tell us about your heating system. Gas, oil? Radiators?
> Forced air?

It is a forced air system. I had it installed about 7 years ago. It
is in the attic. Central heat and air. The house is a one story
wood house built in 1950 here in Atlanta Ga. Atlanta is pretty humid
in the summer, but not in the winter.

> Since dehum dump the heat into the room, they are a heat gain,
> as well as using a bunch of electric.

I have had lots of warning about the electricity. Just how bad is
it? Is it worse than a window unit AC for example? If I do add a
denum to my central heat and air, will it increase my electric bill in
the summer by 50% or 100% or what?

> Plastic in the crawl space. Just to mention the obvious. If the plastic is
> on the ground, then put the dehum on top of the plastic may help. If the
> plastic is stapled to the bottom of the floor, that's different.

The plastic is on the ground. I put it out myself several years ago.
At the time someone told me you are supposed to leave 10% of the
ground uncovered. I didn't understand why but I did it that way. I
think I will go back and put down more plastic and make sure 100% of
the ground is covered unless someone here tells me you are not
supposed to.

> The last time I had some serious allergy problems, I had to take apart the
> AC, clean it out and sanitize it.

I am going to have someone who knows what they are doing do that.
Also, I was told I need to replace the plenums with metal plenums.
The ones there now feel like some kind of heavy cardboard and I was
told that is not good.

> If you have central AC, may be long past time to have the indoor coil taken
out,
> and cleaned. Not a job for a home owner.

The system is 7 years old. How often should that be done?

>Please also look under your
> refrigerator. Open the doors, and snap off the "kick plate". Often they
> have a tray for the condensate. This tray lifts and pulls out. Scrub it, and
> sanitize with a blast of clorox bleach.

Will do.


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