18
votes
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
Looks more like mildew, which is related to mold, but not as dangerous (from a health standpoint). Yes, a dehumidifier could help prevent mildew. I would also look for sources of the moisture, e.g. a ...
- 15.1k
17
votes
How to dry a hard-to-access space?
What I would do: first, make another hole in the cavity that you want to ventilate, preferably on the opposite side from the existing hole. I don't know what your bathroom looks like, so I can't tell ...
- 2,229
13
votes
Will running a dehumidifier in a basement impact room temperature?
Yes. Or maybe. It depends on what ventilation or circulation practices you have in place.
A dehumidifier works by cooling a coil, on which water vapor then condenses. In order to cool something, you ...
- 149k
10
votes
"Continuous dehumidifier" randomly fills bucket and stops. Why?
This sounds like a leak at the internal connection from the bucket drip point to the hose adapter.
Internally, our Artic King dehumidifier has a small pipe coming out of the dehumidifier over the ...
- 12.2k
9
votes
Accepted
When trying to keep moisture in the house down, at what point would it be best to close the doors and windows, is there a calculation?
The calculations are not very straightforward. You want to look for a Hygrometric chart, that shows the relationship between absolute humidity (amount of moisture in the air), relative humidity, and ...
- 7,022
9
votes
How to dry a hard-to-access space?
You do need both an input and an output path for air, but you don't need 2 holes.
Instead poke a hose through the hole, up to about 1/2 the diameter of the gap. Push it as far into the space as it ...
- 7,926
7
votes
"Continuous dehumidifier" randomly fills bucket and stops. Why?
Here's one further possibility: an ice blockage.
If the airflow is too weak (dirty filters, externally obstructed, or a failing fan), or the humidity very high at fairly low temperature, ice builds up ...
- 7,926
7
votes
Accepted
Fastest way to dry a vented dirt crawl space (no vapor barrier) in California (Bay Area)
Fastest, without tearing the house apart:
4 fans sized to your 4 vents - two blow in, two blow out. Less fans will probably work fast enough, but 4 would fit "fastest" as requested. If you ...
- 226k
7
votes
Will running a dehumidifier in a basement impact room temperature?
A dehumidifier converts vapor to liquid water - that releases heat.
It also has a electric motor that also releases heat.
It's basically the inverse of a swamp cooler.
- 24.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to recharge a dehumidifier
TLDR: Not just no, but heck no.
Throwing good money after very bad
First, electricity costs: any dehumidifier old enough to use R-22 is also super inefficient as-built: The government's Energy Star ...
6
votes
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
Yes it is mold. However it doesn't appear to be growing. It looks like the apartment had a water issue and it wasn't dried very quickly.
This surface mold can be cleaned up from most things pretty ...
- 50.4k
6
votes
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
All of the answers here are great! Taking a noteworthy but slightly different angle on answering it:
Is it safe? I agree with everyone given the pictures you showed that it doesn't seem bad, but there ...
- 2,025
5
votes
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
I'd get a dehumidifier.
Areas that don't have good air circulation like closets are more effected. What kind of heating system is your apartment on? Mold needs food (dust works) and moisture. ...
- 14.4k
5
votes
Confused about humidity levels in basement - a math problem
Your basement is not nearly as sealed as you think. Which is actually a good thing.
You need to constantly have make up air. That is air to replace the air you breathe. Otherwise, while your H2O is ...
5
votes
Accepted
"Continuous dehumidifier" randomly fills bucket and stops. Why?
I want to give Glen Yates the credit for cracking this (at least for my situation, which may or may not be the same as the OPs) but his comment on the question about p-trap put this together for me. ...
- 2,239
4
votes
Accepted
To reduce damp: heat or dehumidifier?
With "damp", your enemy is humidity, or water which is dissolved in the air. Warm air can disolve a lot more water than cool air. When warm, water-saturated air moves to a cooler place, it cools the ...
4
votes
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
While you're checking out where the moisture's coming from, try a few of the desiccant products available at your home stores to absorb the excess moisture. You'll be amazed at how well they work. The ...
- 86.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Is a condensing tankless heater that expels excess water outside also a dehumidifier?
The condensate from natural gas burning comes mainly from the burning. Methane is the primary component of gas, and it is chemically CH4. When burned, you have:
... a problem, because MathJax does not ...
- 1,826
4
votes
Accepted
Venting a dehumidifier into a dryer vent?
Venting a dehumidifier into a dryer vent would be useless.
You WANT the "exhaust air" from a dehumidifier - that's the air you just paid to make warm and dry.
You only need to get rid of the ...
- 226k
4
votes
Fastest way to dry a vented dirt crawl space (no vapor barrier) in California (Bay Area)
For standing/very wet surfaces fans will be the best(besides mopping/sponging/pumping).
You want a good breeze blowing in from one end and out the other.
Amount of fans will depend on area.
- 30.3k
4
votes
Accepted
What would cause drywall moisture to raise during the day and drop at night?
Wet drywall would be a concern, but your wall is not wet. You are getting an instrument reading that does not comport with your own observation that the wall is actually dry.
Gypsum, the main ...
- 12.8k
4
votes
Will running a dehumidifier in a basement impact room temperature?
Yes for sure. The more the humidifier works the greater the energy output. Unless it is dissipating the energy out a window and in only in that direction your basement will be warmer.
In a closed ...
- 50.4k
3
votes
What is this, and I can pump my dehumidifier water into it?
Should be fine. All HVAC equipment that make condensate drain into risers just like this, no need for air gap because the source of the water is not connected to the potable water system in the house....
- 7,025
3
votes
Garden hose spins but does not unscrew
The knurled portion of the fitting is the part that unscrews. The longer brass-colored portion should be held stationary, perhaps with pliers while loosening, perhaps with another set of pliers, the ...
- 11.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to turn off dehumidifier by switching power off
Refrigerant cycle dehumidifiers have some sensitivities, and I would recommend operating in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.
I operated several types of conventional and LGR ...
- 204
3
votes
Accepted
Dehumidifier with multiple float switches
Your instructions are basically telling you this:
Remove the JUMPER from Float Switch terminals.
Wire the Float Switch to the terminals (you should have two wires - one wire goes to one terminal the ...
- 5,443
3
votes
Why doesn't my dehumidifier stay on the humidity setting I select?
You set a Relative Humidity value with a humidifier, not a temperature (as indicated on the control pad). The reason for your confusion may be that when you set some humidifiers, the set point is ...
- 149k
3
votes
Accepted
How can I keep my computers cool in a 100 degree house?
You need an ultimate-heat-sink OUTSIDE the house
Here's what you can't do: Server makes heat in box, A/C moves the heat out of the box and into the tiny-house, tiny house copes with ambient + solar ...
3
votes
Why is my aircon increasing relative humidity?
For an A/C unit to reduce the % of relative humidity in your home a properly sized A/C unit coupled with a dehumidifier must run a long time to decrease that humidity. When the A/C unit is first ...
- 12.5k
3
votes
Accepted
Humidity in cool basement
The issue with dehumidifiers is they are basically air conditioning units that once they cool the air by passing it over the evaporator coil to collect the moisture they reheat it by passing the air ...
- 103k
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