Hey everyone! I need some advice about my basement dehumidifier. We bought this house a few years back, and I've learned that it had some serious flooding issues in the past. The previous owners invested over $35k to waterproof the basement, which included encapsulating the crawl spaces, adding vents, and installing a large dehumidifier along with a sump pump system. Now that summer is here, the dehumidifier seems to be running almost all the time—like 20 hours a day! I usually keep the filter pretty clean and set the humidity level at 54%. If I bump it to 58%, it shuts off more but then we start to get that funky basement smell again.
I've even tried running fans by the basement windows but it's still on constantly. I was thinking about piping the dehumidified air outside instead of circulating it back into the basement, but honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good move. Has anyone had similar experiences or have ideas on how to handle this? Really appreciate any tips you might have!
2 Answers
You might want to consider upgrading your dehumidifier if it's not cutting it for your space. If the one you have is on the lower end in terms of quality, it might struggle to keep up with the humidity levels, especially in the summer heat. A commercial-grade model can be a game-changer and can handle larger spaces better, but yeah, they come at a higher price point.
Don't forget, the dehumidifier itself isn’t blowing out air that needs to go outside—the condensate it collects is what you're dealing with. It’s great that you’ve looked into the model you have, and if it’s heavy-duty, you might just need to give it some time or adjust settings instead of swapping it out right away!
It sounds like you've got a lot going on with your basement! Honestly, it's pretty typical for a dehumidifier to run non-stop during the hot and humid months, especially in a basement. The key thing is if it's effectively keeping the humidity down—if it runs all the time, that just means it’s working hard. I wouldn't stress about it too much, just focus on how comfortable it feels down there.
About your idea of venting the air outside, I'm not sure that’s ideal. You really want to keep the dry air in rather than letting it escape. Plus, having windows open while running a dehumidifier can actually be counterproductive. It might be worth considering turning it down to 50% and keeping the windows closed to see if that helps with the smell!
Oh, and regarding those previous flooding issues, I get the sense that it takes more than just one fix to completely eliminate that risk. Keep an eye on it and maintain that sump pump!
Thanks for the insight! You’re totally right. I didn’t think about it like that before. Seems like I just need to let it do its job and see how it goes.
That’s good to know! I thought maybe I’d need to replace it, but sounds like mine is decent for the most part. I guess I just need to keep monitoring!