I've been dealing with some water issues in my crawlspace since last year, maybe even longer. My house is 15 years old, and I noticed some signs that there was previous moisture. I found that irrigation water from nearby farmland is raising the water table every two weeks, causing water to collect in my crawlspace. I've made a lot of upgrades, like installing sump pumps and encapsulating the space, and I also added a dehumidifier. During the winter and spring, the humidity was manageable, but now that it's summer and peak irrigation season, it's creeping up to 60-61%. My dehumidifier kicks in when it hits 60% and takes a couple of hours to bring it back down. Am I overreacting about this humidity level, or is it reasonable? Would it be better to adjust the dehumidifier's threshold to 65%? Thanks for any thoughts!
3 Answers
Honestly, it sounds like you might be overthinking this a bit. You've done a lot of work to fix the crawlspace issues, and the humidity is naturally higher in the summer. It’s totally normal for humidity levels to fluctuate with the seasons, especially with a dehumidifier in place. If it's running regularly and the basement is sealed off, you should be in a good spot.
Reaching 60% in the summer is pretty much expected; it's generally not alarming. What's more important is how well everything is functioning down there. Just keep monitoring it and make adjustments as needed. Also, remember that humidity affects different spaces in different ways, so stay aware!
A lot of people misunderstand humidity. Relative humidity can be tricky since it changes based on air temperature. Even if it's at 60% in the crawlspace, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. The actual moisture levels can vary with temperature changes too. Consider looking into absolute humidity for a more accurate picture, but from what you described, you seem to be managing it well.