Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers - Portable dehumidifier sizing

I have a 1000 sq. ft. musty basement. I just bought a portable 30-pint Frigidaire dehumidifier and it works very well in making the basement smell and feel dry. But it's been running non-stop now for the past 3-4 days. Is this normal, does it need time to catch up and get rid of years of dampness, or did I undersize the unit?

I've read at the AHAM website that a 17-pint unit should be adequate for 1000 sq ft., yet other websites say 50-pint is needed for this amount of space. Any thoughts or suggestions?

It will have to run a few days. No way to answer your question. We don't know how much water vapor is coming into your basement! Don't know how tight your home is. 30 pint is very small!

Took your advice. Exchanged 30 for a 50 pint dehumidifier. Now cycles off. I think 30 was a bit on the small side for a basement.

Richard8655 - Do you have central AC? If so, did putting the 50 pint dehumidifier improve the air upstairs and help cool better?