De-humidify Immediately for a Safer Home

Because children are noisy, overly energetic creatures they are often relegated to the basement. Many a weary mother thinks of the basement playroom as the next best thing to a nanny. But, by doing this you may be placing them in the part of the home that is the dampest. You wouldn't work in a damp office, so why expect your children to play where the moisture content is too high.

Symptoms of excess humidity ===========

Too much moisture in a room can leave the air feeling uncomfortable and smelly. Wooden objects such as furniture and tables may swell or crack, and be seriously damaged. Irreplaceable family treasures of stored clothing (your wedding dress), photograph albums, pictures, or books can be permanently damaged. Walls and floors (including carpets) can take on too much moisture. Even metal is affected - primarily by rusting prematurely.

Excess moisture increases the possibility of mold and mildew building up on the walls. Both have been linked to the increased incidence of asthma, especially in children. Therefore anything you do to alleviate this problem in your home may help your children in later years.

What to do =======================

So if you find the basement damp the simple addition of a de-humidifier may be a quick and inexpensive solution to this problem.

A de-humidifier is somewhat of a crossbreed. It is a mixture of a refrigerator and an air conditioner. It is designed to do only one thing - remove moisture from the air. No other appliance can do this as well.

It is similar to an air conditioner because both will remove moisture from the room air. But while an air conditioner cools the room, a dehumidifier will actually add heat to the room as it works. It is somewhat of a niche product. But, for anyone with a damp room or basement it can be an appliance worth its weight in gold.

What to look for before purchasing ====

They do require some work on your part. You have to empty the water collection bucket. At certain times of the year this may have to be done every few days. Therefore, make sure the one you purchase has a light that indicates when the bucket is full. The indicator light quickly reminds you.

Also make sure your de-humidifier comes with a threaded drain connection. This is a threaded nozzle at the rear of the machine that empties into the water bucket. Some models have a hose connection attached to the water bucket itself - this works equally well. It allows a drain hose (or an old piece of a lawn hose) to be attached to the rear of the machine. This eliminates the need to empty the bucket. Once a hose is attached the water drains into the hose, which can be directed into a floor drain or sump.

How to make it automatic ==========

While most people leave them on the floor, some consumers install the de-humidifier above a sink to allow for easy draining. The over the sink method works but limits their usage to one area. Also regular maintenance such as cleaning the filter becomes difficult. Simply leaving the de-humidifier on the floor is usually more convenient. Plus it allows it to be quickly moved to others rooms, if required.

A better method is to take advantage of the threaded drain connection at the rear. With a lawn hose added for draining, the distance between de-humidifier and drain hole becomes virtually unlimited.

Remember water will always flow downhill. Therefore if the floor drain is lower than the drain

If unsure if de-humidifier drain connection is higher or lower than the floor drain try the following.

1. Disconnect the drain hose from the de-humidifer. Lay the drain (lawn) hose along the floor, between the floor drain and the de-humidifier. Make sure the floor drain end is inserted into the floor drain, and the de-humidifier end is located close to where the de-humidifier will be operating.

2. Lift the de-humidifier end of drain hose from floor until it is at same level as it will be when connected to de-humidifier.

3. Pour water into the de-humidifier end of drain hose and have someone tell you if water empties into floor drain. If not pour in more water while slowly raising hose higher into the air.

4. Keep raising hose until water drains out the lower end. This may take a couple of tries because the hose must be full of water for it to work.

The level at which the water runs out is how high above floor level the de-humidifier end of the hose must be raised to ensure proper drainage. If this distance is higher than the drain nozzle connection on the dehumidifier then the machine will have to be raised up using blocks or other supports.

5. Reconnect the drain hose to the drain hose nozzle at the rear of the de-humidifier. The de-humidifier drain is now fully automatic. You should never have to manually empty the machine again.

Limitations ======================

A de-humidifier does have limitations and is not meant to operate all year long. It is primarily a machine that does its best work between the heating and cooling seasons. You will find it works mainly in the spring and fall. If your de-humidifier works all year long, you probably have more serious moisture problems. One that will have to be addressed by a company that seals basement walls against water leakage.

A de-humidifier will not operate efficiently if the room temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Below this temperature the cooling coils will begin to frost up and very little moisture will be removed from the air. This usually occurs at the same time of year that you begin feeling the need to turn on the furnace. Some de-humidifiers even have a sensor to turn them off when the room temperature is too low.

If the amount of water being removed by the de-humidifier drops off suddenly, suspect the room temperature. The water output from a de-humidifier should be fairly regular unless there has been a drastic change in the weather. But, if the production seems erratic always check the filter at the rear of the machine. Also, anything that impedes the air flow through the dehumidifier will affect its operation. This includes other items around or beside it. So do not be tempted to pile things such as clothing, toys, or other basement paraphernalia against this appliance.

If this slowing of water production seems to occur earlier in the season than last year, then also suspect a de-humidifier that requires maintenance. This can be done by the homeowner as long as you use caution. If unsure call your appliance service company.

About the Author

Copyright 2005 by Donald Grummett. All right reserved. Donald Grummett is an appliance service manager in Ottawa, Canada. In the trade over 30 years as a technician, business owner, and technical trainer. Learn more valuable information about your household appliances by visiting http://www.mgservices.ca