Humidity increase in home because of evaporation

[vetteguy53081]

HI All,

In May we setup a 40G display tank and 20 gallon sump. I noticed the homes humidity increased quite a bit.
The air conditioning was keeping humidity down in the 40% range ( according to my humidifier meter on the furnace).
Now that we are nearing the winter ... with no a/c .. humidity has jumped to 60% which i feel is much too high.
The humidifier on the furnace is OFF... I purchased a standalone dehumidifier and ran it for 24 hours...and its not budging from the 60% reading.


Adding nearly one gallon a day for evaporation.
Temperature of water is 78degrees

I am concerned the humidity will be too high for the winter ( normally should be at 35% ).

I have a Nyos2 that has water running out the reactor cylinder.
Could this be causing part of my problem?
Just wonder if anyone has had to tackle this situation?
Thoughts on how to bring the homes humidity down?

Thank you in advance.

Tony

I find tank acts like a humidifier during the year hence water loss every couple of days

 

[Reefering1]

I'm also in Florida, 180g system volume with mh/led in a closed hood with fans and a chiller to maintain 78-79 degrees. A couple moths ago I added a dehumidifier, best money spent in a long time. It pumps itself into bathroom sink. tank stays under 78, chillier hardly runs(even in 79-80 ambient temp while I'm away) the air just feels better/ more comfortable in the house. It even stopped the a/c condensation drain line(in garage ceiling) from sweating and dripping on the hood of my car! One day I accidentally turned the a/c off all day,it got up to 87* in the house- the tank stayed within 79* definitely worth it

GE 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Built-in Pump for Basement, Garage or Wet Rooms up to 4500 sq. ft. in Grey, ENERGY STAR APHL50LB - The Home Depot

GE Appliances Energy Star dehumidifiers are designed to effectively remove excessive moisture for various dampness levels, offering optimal home comfort for you and your family.This 50 pint Energy Star

www.homedepot.com

 

[tigre44]

My sump room in the basement has humidity so high that I have to spray wd40 on anything metal in that room to keep rust down

 

[Mark Goode]

I like to look on the bright side: at least my cigars keep fine without a humidor.

 

[Trucker Den]

Last year I had new windows and a new roof put on. We started getting mold on the ceiling. I thought our new roof was leaking. Turns out it was the high humidity in our house. Now I have a dehumidifier on every floor and no longer have problems. It does suck emptying the dehumidifiers however. But we are much healthier.

 

[Pirate Ben]

true for warmer climates... when the temperature is at 0 degrees Fahrenheit humidity levels need to be lower to avoid damage. Thank you for your input

Yep!

In my earlier post, I did qualify that we were talking about new, tightly sealed houses that do not take in much fresh air and are well insulated.

Totally agree that older drafty houses are very different, and often require humidification in the winter, and certainly if you have air circulating next to your window, you will have less drips on the glass.

In my new house - the windows get wet unless I keep the humidity down to about 40% in very cold weather. It is a fine line between keeping the glass dry and not getting nosebleeds! I have old farmers in my practice who talk about the old drafty houses being better. They have a point. Especially, with a reef tank.

I do intentionally bring fresh outside air into the sump room and I have no problems in the basement with wet windows. It's primarily in the 3 floor bedrooms where the windows get wet. No fresh air intakes up there. Perhaps, this is what you mean by "badly isolated windows". True true.

I'd really like to know how things went for the two of you this past winter. I live at 9600' elevation and my home is fairly sealed. We have to be diligent about running the bathroom fan after showers or we will get ice build-up on the windows of our bedroom. Between the cold and the altitude (water boils at 194 degrees) evaporation is very much on my mind.

I'm very excited about starting my first saltwater tank and I am planning on a 50 gal rimless peninsula. I have been researching everything about the hobby since December but I don't have a reference for how this tank will react in my home. The ice build-up has always been restricted to the bedroom and never been an issue in the living space where the tank will be.