Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers - Dehumidifier in unfinished storage room?
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Dehumidifier in unfinished storage room?
estevek
07-19-09, 07:42 PM
We have a storage room in our basement that is unfinished. Unfortunately, it gets very damp in there, so it's not really a good place for storing anything. I'm thinking of installing a dehumidifier, but since the room is unfinished there isn't a ceiling to close the room off from the space between the first floor and the ceiling of adjoinging rooms. So if I run a dehumidifier, I'll be dehumidifying more than just the storage room. What is done in this kind of situation? Is there an alternative to running a dehumidifier. The storage room has no windows or air ducts.
Thanks
E STEve K
Thanks
E STEve K
GregH
07-19-09, 08:18 PM
The room needs ventilation.
A dehumidifier might help some but you need to get the air out of there.
Try leaving the door open and have a fan blowing into a corner.
Also, where is the mosture coming from.
You may want to look for the source and seal it up.
A dehumidifier might help some but you need to get the air out of there.
Try leaving the door open and have a fan blowing into a corner.
Also, where is the mosture coming from.
You may want to look for the source and seal it up.
CyFree
07-20-09, 09:35 AM
Chances are that the rooms above and adjoining have high levels of moisture as well.
That is due to a physics phenomena we call the "stack effect". As the air warms up above grade it rises and escapes through any openings in the upper levels of the house. The replacement air is then sucked from the lower levels of the house, meaning your basement.
There is a consistent rate of air exchange in the basement and about 1/3 of the air you breath upstairs is coming from the basement. So there is no harm in dehumidifying the basement. It is actually very beneficial, to control moisture inside a home, as mold and dust mites are the 2 most common causes of indoor allergies and they both thrive under moist conditions, besides other pests, such as termites.
However I would also recommend you try to improve the conditions a bit by solving any drainage and run-off issues around the foundation. Check your gutters, extend your downspouts as far as you can from the house, grade the terrain as to slope away from the foundation, keep plants that need constant watering far from the foundation walls, check for leaks in yard faucet and hose.
In other words, do everything you can to keep the soil around the foundation as dry as possible so that less water will be infiltrating the walls. Consider installing a drain tile internally and a sump pump, to relieve the hydrostatic pressure which is pushing the moisture into the basement.
This way you will have your dehumidifier run more efficiently (and at a lower cost). You might not even need one if you are not finishing the basement.
When you correct the drainage issues, buy an inexpensive hygrometer and check the RH levels. If they are at or below 60% you will be just fine. More than that, and mold might begin to appear. You will then need a dehumidifier.
That is due to a physics phenomena we call the "stack effect". As the air warms up above grade it rises and escapes through any openings in the upper levels of the house. The replacement air is then sucked from the lower levels of the house, meaning your basement.
There is a consistent rate of air exchange in the basement and about 1/3 of the air you breath upstairs is coming from the basement. So there is no harm in dehumidifying the basement. It is actually very beneficial, to control moisture inside a home, as mold and dust mites are the 2 most common causes of indoor allergies and they both thrive under moist conditions, besides other pests, such as termites.
However I would also recommend you try to improve the conditions a bit by solving any drainage and run-off issues around the foundation. Check your gutters, extend your downspouts as far as you can from the house, grade the terrain as to slope away from the foundation, keep plants that need constant watering far from the foundation walls, check for leaks in yard faucet and hose.
In other words, do everything you can to keep the soil around the foundation as dry as possible so that less water will be infiltrating the walls. Consider installing a drain tile internally and a sump pump, to relieve the hydrostatic pressure which is pushing the moisture into the basement.
This way you will have your dehumidifier run more efficiently (and at a lower cost). You might not even need one if you are not finishing the basement.
When you correct the drainage issues, buy an inexpensive hygrometer and check the RH levels. If they are at or below 60% you will be just fine. More than that, and mold might begin to appear. You will then need a dehumidifier.