humidity = mold

[melev]

145 cfm isn't bad, actually. You'lll be the judge of course.

 

[RogerWilco357]

I run a DH but it still isn't enough. I need to find a decent venting unit for my basement. If anyone has a link to something from lowes or HD please let me know.

Sonny

Hey sunny when you do find one that works call me so I can drop by and see how it works I need one too and my DH is not enough also..
Roger

 

[SunnyX]

Hey sunny when you do find one that works call me so I can drop by and see how it works I need one too and my DH is not enough also..
Roger

Ok, will do.

Sonny

 

[ricwilli]

So, when you guys use these exhaust fans, how are you replacing the air? Do you open windows? This also can be dangerous if people have their furnace or hot water tank in the same room as the fan in the basement. The exhaust fan will pull air from the chimney, which can pull in bad fumes.

 

[Paul_N]

well I have 2 tanks in the basement and need to cut down the humidity which is causing mold what is the best way to do so simply add A dehumidifier if so what is the best setting so it is not running all day taking the tank's water? what method do you use? Wish I had A fish room with built in exhaust fan..

Mold starts above 75%. I have a damp basement to begin with and I just put my temp system down there last year until I get my 220 up and I also installed a shower while I remodeled my main bathroom so I was having serious issues with moisture and mold in the spring and summer. I got a DH from Sears and it has been running for over a year and a half. The range they recommend is between 40-60% but when I set it to 40% it ran non-stop. I settled on 60% as it ran the least and there were no issues in the basement with dampness or mold. My basement is wide open and measures about 26'X16' and I have a 50 pint DH.

 

[Jcr's Reef]

Do they make Central Air until or furnaces with a built in dehumidifier now? I know I will need one, but I don't want a DH in my Family Room.

 

[Murfman]

Look in to something like this; Panasonic WhisperComfort Spot Energy Recovery Ceiling Ventilator for 4" Duct

 

[Paul_N]

Do they make Central Air until or furnaces with a built in dehumidifier now? I know I will need one, but I don't want a DH in my Family Room.

They are not necessarily built into but an option to add on at the time of install.

 

[swannyson7]

Has anyone used a ventilation fan with the built in humidity sensor? From what I've seen, the humidistat in them isn't adjustable, but it would be an easier installation. Is there any advantage to the seperate humidistat, beyond being adjustable? Also, my tank is in my spare bedroom....living in icy New England, I'm worried about it sucking all the warm air out of the hosue in the winter. Has anyone in colder climates notices a huge jump in heating costs since installing a ventilation system?

 

[coralfarm123]

I purchased one of these to control temp and humidity attached to an inline exhaust fan.

CAP AIR-1 Temperature & humidity control - Plantlighting Hydroponics

 

[melev]

The thing about dehumidifiers is that they put out heat while they run, which isn't good in the summer months for most people, and they collect a lot of water in a short period of time. If you have to empty it twice a day, that's actually a lot of work. When it is full, the unit shuts off until you empty it, and humidity rises again. Dehumidifiers use quite a bit of electricity. I checked out a few with a Kill-o-watt and they were using nearly 1500w of power. That's more than the lights over most tanks. Heck, that's like turning on a hair dryer and leaving it running for hours on end. It'll add to your bill. If the A/C kicks on more often because of the heat venting out of the dehumidifier, that's another source of dollars spent.

If you can hook one up in your basement that allows you to plumb it to a drain, that would be ideal. At least it would run as needed and not shut off.

 

[swannyson7]

Marc-
Any thoughts on the ventilation fans with the built in humidity sensors? I know on your RA blog, you talked about shutting yours off when the temp gets below 30 at night. Living in New England, that's a problem for me for about 5 months of the year... any suggestions on how to prevent massive heat loss beyond running a dehumidifier in the winter and a ventilator in the summer?

 

[Reggie]

Look in to something like this; Panasonic WhisperComfort Spot Energy Recovery Ceiling Ventilator for 4" Duct

Thinking about a ventilation fan as well - thanks for that link. Maybe the Panasonic WhisperGreen is much better - here's the operating instructions: http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/FV08VKM2.pdf

It looks like you can have it running everytime (user settable CFM), and use a switch to override and have it run at the highest CFM.

 

[melev]

Marc-
Any thoughts on the ventilation fans with the built in humidity sensors? I know on your RA blog, you talked about shutting yours off when the temp gets below 30 at night. Living in New England, that's a problem for me for about 5 months of the year... any suggestions on how to prevent massive heat loss beyond running a dehumidifier in the winter and a ventilator in the summer?

If you want, they have humidistats that fit when the on/off light switch would go. You simply set it and it will trigger it on and off. Another option is a timer. I have some neat looking ones that I've never used that fit in the same spot, where the light switch would go. You could have it on for a fixed amount of hours, a few times a day, cycling it on and off according to your schedule.

For my fishroom, humidity was really bad at night because the lights were out and there was no heat to help it evaporate away. The walls would sweat with water shorting out all kinds of stuff. I would definitely have it on a few hours during the night.

Melev's Reef: Proper ventilation at last | Reef Log

 

[mdb_talon]

i must say that if you have mold in your basement the tank wasnt the problem, but more than likely added to an issue that was already building.

i dont think any of you have quite as many tanks running in the basement as i do. i have 6 running current and ive had as many as 11.
one would have to quesion the construction and how much the walls themselves sweat.

I would have to disagree with this one. Every basement has humidity. If the addition of even one take results in a buildup of too much humidity that is where the problem is and in itself can cause the mold. It does not mean the basement construction is faulty it means the basement was fine before you added additional humidity. So much also depends on the tanks you have in your basement. At one time I bred African cichlids and had over 30 small (average 20g but several larger tanks in the basement fish room). With a dehumidifier I never had humidity problem. The variables of my saltwater tanks though are very different and I could never get by with just a dehumidifier.

In that same fish room now with 7 saltwater tanks (plus 2 120g sumps) I had to add vents as even running 24/7 my humidifier would never keep up. Most of my tanks are frag tanks so large, but shallow, tanks with a lot of surface area. I run fans over them for cooling which also adds a lot of humidity to the air. My point is there are a lot of variables that go into how much humidity the tanks will add, but if you add tanks to your basement and a mold issue develops it does not mean its related to the construction of the basement.

As a side note I would not discount how many fanatics are out there that have as many tanks in your basement as you do it is not so unique; I have 2 friends locally who have more than 6 tanks in their basement. A couple of us address the humidity issue. The other rents a duplex and does not seem as concerned......