What should I set my dehumidifier at for my basement

I bought a cheap digital humidistat at Walmart to keep an eye on the humidity in my basement. I hung it on the wall not too near my dehumidifier. I have found that the settings on the dehumidifier are misleading, but I found a setting that keeps my humidity between 40% and 55% (at around 70 degrees), as measured by the humidistat.

Actually, your husband is correct. The settings reflect the amount of humidity you want to remain in the house. I really don't think you want to leave 50 to 60% humidity in the house.

35% removes the greatest amount of humidity.

Hope this helped answer your question and thanks for choosing FixYa.

Hi,

Here is a tip that I wrote that will help you understand why and what you cando with a dehumidifier that ices up.

Dehumidifier is Freezing up and not working

heatman101

I have to agree with you. I don't see the need for the dehumidifier either. As the AC unit alone, does have some dehumidifying capability.

Your customer would be better served using an independent Low Temp dehumidifier in the basement. If that's the area they are trying to dehumidify because of dampness in the basement.. It certainly would be less costly to operate. But, any unit that is not a Low Temp unit won't work well in a basement.

I hope this helps and good luck convincing your customer of this.

Thanks for choosing FixYa.

If there is actual water in the basement, any setting will probably cause the unit to run. I would suggest setting it around 60%, and turn it up as you feel necessary. Hope this helps

Well to knowledge the problem 40 percent is dry. means your basement is great. humidity should be 30/50 percent 50 grows mold. also if it runs for a min the auot shut off is activating. check this first.

Manifestr

I thnk you are expecting too much from your machine. DO NOT RUN IT WHEN IT IS FROZEN!

This is what I would do. Slow down the process. You shuld be agle to select the % humidity you seek. Set it high, say 90. Get another fan in your basement working to sirculate the air. When your machine has achieved this goal without excessive running and freezing, go to 85% or 80%. It may help if you direct a small fan at the coil that freezes.

Are you certain your machine drains properly? Hose to a sump pump? Is the sump pumping properly?

And lastly, you may want to add a second machine. I operate two in my basement and they keep it 50% in the summer. My basement is about 4000 cubic feet.

I hope this helps you

a

Your coil temperature has to be below the dewpoint of the air in the basement to remove the moisture. If you can set the temperature lower or the fan speed lower it will help.

A Dehumidifier will not cool your basement, just make it seem cooler at the same temp. Your dehumidifier may be undersized even for that purpose.

You need an AC outlet of a central AC in your basement, or a window unit if there are windows.

Warm air at discharge is normal.

Yup, they eat energy.

An electric dehumidifier includes a refrigeration cycle that is very similar to a window AC units and refrigerators. They cool the air in the basement to condense and collect water and remove humidity, heat the air as a required consequence of the refrigeration cycle and dump it back to your basement.

Two sources of humidity in basements include warm outside air that naturally cools due to below grade earth contact and water passing from the ground though the floors and walls and evaporating into the basement. Dehumidifiers do most of the work in the summer when higher temperatures outside enable air to hold more water content.

In the winter, cooler outside air contains less moisture by weight eventhough it may be raining and the relative humidity in basement will be less because the air is warmed relative to the outside. The lower moisture content in the winter also absorbs the water passing through the walls and floor.

From an energy perspective, you may want the humidity set NOT below 50%. This will keep humidity below the level mold desires, but prevents the dehumidifier from doing more work and eating more energy than needed. A cheap battery powered temp/humidy meter left in your basement will help. Sources that include the "mold triangle" (temperature, water & food) often separate fact from expensive hype.

If the dehumidifier doesn't keep up, consider adding a moisture barrier to the basement walls and floors such as Dry-lock and floor paints to ****** moisture entry. Moisture barriers act very similar with water as insulation does with heat. They don't eliminate the need for a dehumidifier, but they reduce the work they do and energy they eat.