Basements, Attics and Crawl Spaces - fan for crawlspace window: is there such a thing?
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luckydriver
12-02-08, 05:33 AM
http://www.air-n-water.com/photos/3517-m.jpg
I know there are fans like that but unsure they are meant to be in the cold of winter and in contact with snow/rain possibly? (i do have a bay window box sticking out about 10 inches but still, the fan will inevitably get wet).
My situation is i need a fan for a few months until spring when i plan on my yard being regraded. I have a window approx 18 x 30 inches to the crawl and standing water when it rains. I do have a whole house dehumidifier in the main living area and have it down to 55-60% now. But id like to get a fan to help 'suck out' the water from the crawlspace so i can not have to run the dehumidifier so often
in summer the screen i have in that window is adequate to let the water evaporate but in winter with the colder temps, the water doesnt seem to evaporate as quickly.
Though maybe it's all in my head as I thought the water would evaporate more quickly with the dryer winter air? I know my spa loses water more quickly in winter than summer.
I know there are fans like that but unsure they are meant to be in the cold of winter and in contact with snow/rain possibly? (i do have a bay window box sticking out about 10 inches but still, the fan will inevitably get wet).
My situation is i need a fan for a few months until spring when i plan on my yard being regraded. I have a window approx 18 x 30 inches to the crawl and standing water when it rains. I do have a whole house dehumidifier in the main living area and have it down to 55-60% now. But id like to get a fan to help 'suck out' the water from the crawlspace so i can not have to run the dehumidifier so often
in summer the screen i have in that window is adequate to let the water evaporate but in winter with the colder temps, the water doesnt seem to evaporate as quickly.
Though maybe it's all in my head as I thought the water would evaporate more quickly with the dryer winter air? I know my spa loses water more quickly in winter than summer.
Bud9051
12-02-08, 06:09 AM
Dirt floor or concrete floor, I would consider a sump pump.
Bud
Bud
luckydriver
12-02-08, 06:59 AM
concrete floor and i have a surface sump there now but water isnt deep enough to actually work. And i'm not digging a sump hole in concrete just for a few months use. Plus the grade of the floor isnt consistent..there are several low lying spots so that effectively nixes the usefullness of any sump
i just figured a fan, even not a super strong one, would help suck the moisture out of the crawl over winter when it got rain/snowmelt in it.
i just figured a fan, even not a super strong one, would help suck the moisture out of the crawl over winter when it got rain/snowmelt in it.
Bud9051
12-02-08, 09:31 AM
OK, no sump pump, coward:) I have, in one case and it worked very well, drilled a couple of holes in the concrete to let gravity deliver the water back to where it came from.
If you still want the fan, just anchor any fan you can trust running down there, to a couple of blocks so it points towards the window. Shroud it with something to direct the air to one half of the window and leave the other half open for return air to get in.
They make attic fans that are about 16" in diameter and have a metal shroud already on them. Home Depot about $70.
Or you could raise fish.
Bud
If you still want the fan, just anchor any fan you can trust running down there, to a couple of blocks so it points towards the window. Shroud it with something to direct the air to one half of the window and leave the other half open for return air to get in.
They make attic fans that are about 16" in diameter and have a metal shroud already on them. Home Depot about $70.
Or you could raise fish.
Bud
luckydriver
12-02-08, 10:40 AM
i really wanted an IN the window one to avoid any ducting like you were describing. (plus it's sooo ez to install) Otherwise id just set up a box fan on blocks and aim it lol.
And i never thought about return air but with a 60 yr old foundation leaking (obviously leaking per all the water), do i really need to worry about return air? I wouldnt think any window fan would be powerful enough to have to worry about air being sucked down from the living quarters etc. And there is one other window on the other side of the house but it's always closed.
I have seen screenfans just with the other side of the window being a screen so i guess that's what i'd be more likely to get. I could even put it behind the homemade screen i have there. now that i think about it more. And i have a remote upstairs to only use it while i'm home..wouldnt trust it while i'm away.
And i never thought about return air but with a 60 yr old foundation leaking (obviously leaking per all the water), do i really need to worry about return air? I wouldnt think any window fan would be powerful enough to have to worry about air being sucked down from the living quarters etc. And there is one other window on the other side of the house but it's always closed.
I have seen screenfans just with the other side of the window being a screen so i guess that's what i'd be more likely to get. I could even put it behind the homemade screen i have there. now that i think about it more. And i have a remote upstairs to only use it while i'm home..wouldnt trust it while i'm away.
airman.1994
12-02-08, 04:39 PM
Well I could not resist adding my two cents! Using a fan to pull the moisture out of a crawl would be the last thing that I would recommend for a solution to the moisture problems, but I know in a couple of months you are going to correct the problem the right way. Have you looked at http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml
luckydriver
12-02-08, 05:21 PM
well it's actually to remove the small pond under the house :) Not just moisture. And i already realize keeping the screen open theoretically adds to the moisture problem upstairs however i believe if the pond is removed, the upstairs will be easier to keep lower RH. plus in winter outside is less RH there too)
I currently have 55-60% and even unplug the santa fe sometimes to give my electric bill a rest.
a cursory review of that site shows a ton of different fans...will have to examine more closely later. I havent even looked locally yet but am willing to try a 'throw away' to see how it does, if anything. And i guess if it shorts due to water that would just throw a breaker and not burn down the house right?
I currently have 55-60% and even unplug the santa fe sometimes to give my electric bill a rest.
a cursory review of that site shows a ton of different fans...will have to examine more closely later. I havent even looked locally yet but am willing to try a 'throw away' to see how it does, if anything. And i guess if it shorts due to water that would just throw a breaker and not burn down the house right?