Humidity control

Yodeling · 01/09/2021, 10:43 AM

Hey folks,

I’ll be getting my basement finished soon and plan on starting a large tank (300-ish gallons). My wife is worried about humidity. I did some research and the answers are all over the place, suggesting anything from fans, to HRV, to whole house dehumidifiers. I’m thinking the answer probably depends on the specific situation.

In my case, the tank/sump will be located in a large open space in the basement. We have 3 Lennox HVAC systems (one for each floor), and they all have humidity control built in (I believe it’s achieved through variable speed operation during AC mode - but not heat). The house itself is about 7,800 sqft including the basement, so there’s a lot of space for the humidity to spread around. The air can move freely between floors. Should I be worried about humidity? If so, what would be the appropriate way to control it?

Thanks.

ohioreef · 01/09/2021, 02:30 PM

I wouldn’t be too concerned until I knew I had a problem. Get a humidistat and place it in the basement to see what your humidity levels are. If they are high get a dehumidifier.

thirst · 01/18/2021, 04:59 AM

300 gallons should be okay. I run a dehumidifier but I run a lot of surface area in a 800 sq ft basement.

I do monitor my humidity with this thing

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Raoul5Duke · 01/18/2021, 08:12 AM

Running a ~ 460 gallons in a basement as well and never have any issues. Used a
dehumidifier for a while which filled up about once a week I think. Now I just run a fan like this: https://www.amazon.com/Holmes-HAWF20...0979053&sr=8-3
which is cheap and easy.

01/09/2021, 10:43 AM	#1
Yodeling Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Atlanta Posts: 556	Humidity control Hey folks, I’ll be getting my basement finished soon and plan on starting a large tank (300-ish gallons). My wife is worried about humidity. I did some research and the answers are all over the place, suggesting anything from fans, to HRV, to whole house dehumidifiers. I’m thinking the answer probably depends on the specific situation. In my case, the tank/sump will be located in a large open space in the basement. We have 3 Lennox HVAC systems (one for each floor), and they all have humidity control built in (I believe it’s achieved through variable speed operation during AC mode - but not heat). The house itself is about 7,800 sqft including the basement, so there’s a lot of space for the humidity to spread around. The air can move freely between floors. Should I be worried about humidity? If so, what would be the appropriate way to control it? Thanks.

01/09/2021, 02:30 PM	#2
ohioreef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Western Ohio Posts: 3,106	I wouldn’t be too concerned until I knew I had a problem. Get a humidistat and place it in the basement to see what your humidity levels are. If they are high get a dehumidifier. __________________ Gary

01/18/2021, 04:59 AM	#3
thirst Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,907	300 gallons should be okay. I run a dehumidifier but I run a lot of surface area in a 800 sq ft basement. I do monitor my humidity with this thing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

01/18/2021, 08:12 AM	#4
Raoul5Duke Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Near Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,070	Running a ~ 460 gallons in a basement as well and never have any issues. Used a dehumidifier for a while which filled up about once a week I think. Now I just run a fan like this: https://www.amazon.com/Holmes-HAWF20...0979053&sr=8-3 which is cheap and easy.