Size of Dehumidifier needed? (1 Viewer)

[Matty P]

Did a search and founds some good general tips but didn't see anything regarding size...my wife and I just bought our first home and we need to get a dehumidifier in our basement ASAP...just wondering how big of a one we need? I see three options at Home Depot's site, all Maytags, 30 pt. per day moisture removal, 45 pt. and 65pt. Are the larger sizes going to mean I won't have to empty the tank as often? Or are they working harder? The basement is approx. 700 square feet total, with about 500 square feet fully finished (the area where I'll have a tv, dvds, etc.) Thanks for any advice you can give!!

-Matt

 

[Matty P]

Did a search and founds some good general tips but didn't see anything regarding size...my wife and I just bought our first home and we need to get a dehumidifier in our basement ASAP...just wondering how big of a one we need? I see three options at Home Depot's site, all Maytags, 30 pt. per day moisture removal, 45 pt. and 65pt. Are the larger sizes going to mean I won't have to empty the tank as often? Or are they working harder? The basement is approx. 700 square feet total, with about 500 square feet fully finished (the area where I'll have a tv, dvds, etc.) Thanks for any advice you can give!!

-Matt

 

[Evan S]

My basement is pretty big (approximately 500 sq feet finished off and another 400 sq feet unfinished) and I have the smallest version you can get at Lowes with the energy star rating. I think it was 40pt. The larger sizes simply mean you empty the tank less. I don't think they necessarily work any harder. I also think that unless you have an unbelievably large room, the small to mid sized ones should do you fine. At least my small/mid size one is doing the trick for me so far.

 

[Evan S]

My basement is pretty big (approximately 500 sq feet finished off and another 400 sq feet unfinished) and I have the smallest version you can get at Lowes with the energy star rating. I think it was 40pt. The larger sizes simply mean you empty the tank less. I don't think they necessarily work any harder. I also think that unless you have an unbelievably large room, the small to mid sized ones should do you fine. At least my small/mid size one is doing the trick for me so far.

 

[LDfan]

Do those things actually work that well with removing humidity from the air? How long does it take to notice it's working?


Jeff

 

[LDfan]

Do those things actually work that well with removing humidity from the air? How long does it take to notice it's working?


Jeff

 

[Bryan X]

My basement is about 1,700sq feet and my dehumidifier has a port where I attach a garden hose which runs directly into the sump. No need to empty it ever.

The only problem I have is that in the winter, when the temp in the basement gets to the lower 60's, the dehumidifier will frost up.


They do work well. I have a digital humidistat in the basement which tells me the relative humidity. From that it's easy to tell how much the dehumidifier is helping.

 

[Bryan X]

My basement is about 1,700sq feet and my dehumidifier has a port where I attach a garden hose which runs directly into the sump. No need to empty it ever.

The only problem I have is that in the winter, when the temp in the basement gets to the lower 60's, the dehumidifier will frost up.


They do work well. I have a digital humidistat in the basement which tells me the relative humidity. From that it's easy to tell how much the dehumidifier is helping.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I also have the smallest home depot model (a Hampton Bay), and even in super-humid GA I only need to empty it about once a day to keep my humidity around 50% in the basement. If you have a way to run the hose to your sump or outside, thats the best setup; mine would have involved drilling holes in walls, so that was out.

I noticed a difference after just 2 days of having mine; the slightly musty basement smell was gone and i quit sneezing. Our laundry is in the basement, so it was getting really humid down there without it.

FWIW, they never seem to go on sale, so if you need one you might as well go ahead and take the plunge. I'm sure someone on FatWallet can tell you how to get a 10% off coupon for Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I also have the smallest home depot model (a Hampton Bay), and even in super-humid GA I only need to empty it about once a day to keep my humidity around 50% in the basement. If you have a way to run the hose to your sump or outside, thats the best setup; mine would have involved drilling holes in walls, so that was out.

I noticed a difference after just 2 days of having mine; the slightly musty basement smell was gone and i quit sneezing. Our laundry is in the basement, so it was getting really humid down there without it.

FWIW, they never seem to go on sale, so if you need one you might as well go ahead and take the plunge. I'm sure someone on FatWallet can tell you how to get a 10% off coupon for Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[Robert Marc]

They work great and are a must have in a humid climate. Get one that you can hook up a hose to and run the hose into a floor drain like bryan did.that's what i did as well and it works great. btw, i put mine in the utility/laundry/furnace room and it took care of the whole basement.

 

[Robert Marc]

They work great and are a must have in a humid climate. Get one that you can hook up a hose to and run the hose into a floor drain like bryan did.that's what i did as well and it works great. btw, i put mine in the utility/laundry/furnace room and it took care of the whole basement.

 

[Chris Lanni]

Matty...

The three sizes that HD sells are exactly the same size and shape except that the 30 pint does not have the electronic controls. Of course I am in Ohio, so the electronic controls might not be the same as where you are living. All of the water collecting buckets are the same size. The difference is that they have bigger condensers for taking the water out of the air. The 30 takes 30 pints out of the air in a 24 hour period, the 45 takes 45 pints out in a 24 hour period, and so on. They do not measure the dehumidifiers in room size. They measure in room moisture. Which goes as follows:

30 pint: humid room
45 pint: damp room
65 pint: wet room and or standing water

Of course if you have standing water then a dehumidifier is the least of your worries.

In Ohio the 45, and 65 pint have the electronic controls which means that you can actually set a room temperature, or a specific room humidity percentage (i.e. 50 percent room humidity). All of the units can be hooked right up to a regular garden hose and run to a drain so that you never have to empty again. Makes it nice and easy.

Gods Love
chris

 

[Chris Lanni]

Matty...

The three sizes that HD sells are exactly the same size and shape except that the 30 pint does not have the electronic controls. Of course I am in Ohio, so the electronic controls might not be the same as where you are living. All of the water collecting buckets are the same size. The difference is that they have bigger condensers for taking the water out of the air. The 30 takes 30 pints out of the air in a 24 hour period, the 45 takes 45 pints out in a 24 hour period, and so on. They do not measure the dehumidifiers in room size. They measure in room moisture. Which goes as follows:

30 pint: humid room
45 pint: damp room
65 pint: wet room and or standing water

Of course if you have standing water then a dehumidifier is the least of your worries.

In Ohio the 45, and 65 pint have the electronic controls which means that you can actually set a room temperature, or a specific room humidity percentage (i.e. 50 percent room humidity). All of the units can be hooked right up to a regular garden hose and run to a drain so that you never have to empty again. Makes it nice and easy.

Gods Love
chris

 

[Eric Samonte]

I also recently bought one, the 40 pint type. It works great but I can't seem to figure out what humidity is best down there. I run it at 50%. Should be higher or lower? And my HT is down there as well, HT seats, pj, spkrs, AVR, players and even my all 300 of my DVDs.

 

[Eric Samonte]

I also recently bought one, the 40 pint type. It works great but I can't seem to figure out what humidity is best down there. I run it at 50%. Should be higher or lower? And my HT is down there as well, HT seats, pj, spkrs, AVR, players and even my all 300 of my DVDs.

 

[Chris Lanni]

Eric...

Relative Humidity(RH) levels in your home should be in the 30-50% range. If you or someone in your household is asthmatic a RH of 40% or less is recommended in the bedroom. I also discovered on another webpage that dust mites prefer a RH of 50% or higher, so if you want to eliminate some of the dust, and debris in your home you should go less than 50%.

Gods Love
chris

 

[Chris Lanni]

Eric...

Relative Humidity(RH) levels in your home should be in the 30-50% range. If you or someone in your household is asthmatic a RH of 40% or less is recommended in the bedroom. I also discovered on another webpage that dust mites prefer a RH of 50% or higher, so if you want to eliminate some of the dust, and debris in your home you should go less than 50%.

Gods Love
chris

 

[Drew Bethel]

I set our Goldstar 55 gal at 70% and forget about it. I can take it down to 35% but I like a little moisture in the air.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Jeff, A typical townhouse basement in No. Virginia can get about a gallon (give or take) of moisture drawn out of it each day by a dehumidifier. If the area is served by an air conditioner, the draw of moisture will be a bit less since some of the dehumidification is being done by the A/C also.

People that I know who own them are quite pleased with them because without the dehumidifier, their basements would be really musty smelling. The dehumidifier greatly reduces both the smell and the dampness.