decent, reasonably priced dehumidifier

[jadeguppy]

I'm getting mildew and mold on some of my windows and nearly everyone has sad it is because of the tanks. Florida is humid enough without hundreds of gallons of saltwater bubbling away in your house. I'm looking at a salery freeze plus I live in a low pay area to begin with, so money is tight. Does anyone know of a resonably priced dehumidifier that would help out in my "fishroom"?

[Scottt]

Another thing Mr. Calfo tipped me onto was twin-wall duct dehumidifiers. Refrigeration based ones are not cost-effective to run, in a for profit business. We set one up here in NY, and it worked wonders, only drawing ~50watts. Does anyone have a link to a good discussion on them?

[DanUnderwood]

Where would I find info on one of these?

Dan

[KathyL]

I asked mr calfo about that, and though he replied, I got a dead end.

[Scottt]

I'll post a thread about them asap (maybe this weekend).

[BaboonScience]

As for regular dehumidifiers, I have found that the older models are more efficient than the newer models (enery star compliant). While the newer models use less power per unit time, the older models of similar size pull out more water in a shorter period of time. The efficiency vs power consumption means that the older models will use slightly more power but cut off sooner, thus use less power in the long run.
Hope this makes sense because it means that you can save electrical consumption with the older models.
Where to get them? I bought mine at the Habitat for Humanity surplus store here. Most GoodWill style thrift stores are good places to look. And you may be able to pick up a couple of 10 and 20 gallon tanks for a buck apiece to boot.

[jadeguppy]

Not a place I would have though to check, but I'll be sure to stop by.

I'm looking forward to reading the article too.

[Chad Vossen]

check your local online auctions too. here in MN, we have K-bid.com, and i got a new in box dehumidifier that retailed online for 250$ for only 20$ in December. I think i got the dehumidifier for such a killer deal because it was the "off season".

it's the best investment i've made for my room. also want to point out that putting a small fan/desktop fan directed at the windows will keep water from building up, and prevent mold. my windows have some water on them in the morning, but i have a fan that turns on when my lights come on, and the water is gone after the fan turns on.

[jadeguppy]

thanks for the idea, good thought

[BaboonScience]

The fan is a great idea!
So is buying from the local online auctions. Craigslist is another.
As for electronics, like dehumidifiers, I plan for them to work hard and fail soon! The salty humidity cycling through them will be tough on the components. That is why I suggest that you buy used or at least never pay full price.
It would be like buying a new car for use in a demolition derby!
John

[jadeguppy]

I see one of craigslist for $50. I tried calling, but no one answered. I'll give it another try today. It is a wirlpool energy star rated one.

[Scottt]

So, a little info before we get to it. I'm pretty sure this is all right, correct me if I'm wrong.
Humidity control changes with the seasons.

1- If you use an air-conditioner, your fishroom will be dry, they are just like a dehumidifier.
2- An exhaust fan will push your humid air outside, and bring dryer outside air back indoors through the cracks in your house.
3- A regular dehumidifier puts out a lot of heat, so it would be nice in the winter. But in the summer, an AC unit would be much nicer/more efficient.
4-Normally people don't have humidity issues in the summer, as the cooler indoor air can't hold as much moisture as the warm outdoor air.
5-So, the only time you really would want to run a regular dehumidifier would be in the winter. At which point, the one Calfo refers to is much more efficient. But, it is a DIY.

An exhaust fan (many use a bathroom one) pushes your warm moist air out, in doing so pulls cold air in. This design exhausts your warm moist air, but keeps the heat inside. As the cold outdoor air passes the warm indoor air, the heat is transferred through the metal duct. You exaust your humidity, but keep your heat.

8" metal heating duct outside, 6" inside. Or, 6" and 4". Insulate the 8" duct.

[jadeguppy]

Thanks for the design and explination. The only problem I see is that I live in Florida minutes from the water. High humidity is normal to have outside. Will this design be able to counter the high outdoors humidity? I just checked and at 62degrees outside we have a humidity of 58%. Actually lower than I thought it would be.

[Scottt]

It would work in the winter. Not in the warmer months. But, in the warmer months, you'd want an in-window AC rather than a dehumidifyer.

[jadeguppy]

I found a used Whirlpool on craigs list and was able to get it for $40. Since my husband doesn't want it, I figured I had better go ahead and get this one before he flat out said no.

[DanUnderwood]

Thanks Scott! Any recommendations on length. It would seem to me, that up to a point, a long duct would be more efficient on the heat transfer.

Dan

[aquagrrl]

Wow Scott, that's really great. It sounds like a simplified heat exchanger which helps bring in fresh air in the winter. I looked into having on installed and it starts at 3 grand, a large part of that the cost of the unit. I like the DIY version, looks like no more than $50-$100 in parts.

[Scottt]

Jade,
Good Work! That should help with the mildew.

Dan,
You're right on. The longer the more heat you save. I'd recommend 20'. I built a 10' one, and it worked pretty well. Brought the incoming air from 20F up to maybe 60F. I was looking to get it closer to room temp of 75F+.

Aqua,
$3,000! Everything is always so expensive. I DIY most things, as I have time but no money. All the parts are pretty easy to find. They even sell fans that fit right in the tubes at hardware/HVAC stores.

[BaboonScience]

Hey, that design looks simple enough to build from spare parts and leftovers that I have laying around.

In the mean time, the dehumidifier should solve Jade's problems. Yes, they do shed quite a bit of heat. BTW, I keep my fish room at about 65% relative humidity and 80 F. Wondering what others keep their rooms at.
John

[jadeguppy]

I probably got 1/2 a gallon within a few hours out of my bedroom. Darn it though, I forgot to check the windows this morning. Hubby already complained about it, but too bad. I love the vent idea for my little fish room. I wonder if he would notice a hole in the ceiling...

[BaboonScience]

Mine went out a while back and it took me about two weeks to find a replacement (remember, I am cheap). Found a Kenmore (Sears Brand) at the thrift store for $20. First two days in the fish room, the 2.5 gallon reservoir filled 6 times. Who knew that walls and flooring could hold so much moisture.
I am curious about how much others get in the first days of service.
John

[aquagrrl]

Aqua,
$3,000! Everything is always so expensive. I DIY most things, as I have time but no money. All the parts are pretty easy to find. They even sell fans that fit right in the tubes at hardware/HVAC stores.

I believe the heat exchanger I was talking about uses baffles and much smaller pipe to achieve the same effect in a much smaller space. It also uses a filter to keep things like pollens out. But honestly, for the cost difference, I'll take the longer DIY version. And I bet you could rig up a hepa filter or even a high merv furnace filter to deal with any outdoor pollutants you didn't want to bring in.

[jadeguppy]

I'm probably going to bring it into the fish room today. I'll let you know how it goes. The room is carpeted.

[fishyfred]

The key isn't just the dehumidifier. You need to keep it maintained and clean. A moldy mess could injure the fish and create issues in the lines, etc. You can get discount filters all over the web...