Do You Need A Basement Dehumidifier?
A few cost-conscious homeowners inevitably ask themselves this question when the winter season comes around. Those who experience several warm months may feel that a basement dehumidifier is not a necessity. However, if you consider the damage that unchecked moisture in your basement can do not only to your furniture and precious belongings but to your basement’s floor, ceiling, and walls as well, then you should seriously think about investing in an efficient basement dehumidifier. They collect large amounts of moisture in the air, which, when left circulating in your basement, can cause hard-to-solve mold growth and leave an offensive musty odor.
What to Look for in a Basement Dehumidifier
Basements often trap moisture leading to growth of mold and rank, musty smells. One way to keep these at bay is by using a basement dehumidifier. In simple words, a dehumidifier is an appliance which reduces the humidity in a room. It runs moist air over a cold refrigerated metal coil with a fan. The air loses its capacity to hold water and this water is drained into the catch of the dehumidifier. The air is then run over the warm side of the metal coil and released back into the room.
There are several things you need to keep in mind when buying a basement dehumidifier. When deciding on size, keep in mind the area of the place you want to dehumidify. As a rule, experts believe that the larger basement dehumidifiers are more energy efficient. While they take up large amounts of energy at start up, they also dry out the air faster. A small basement dehumidifier in the same room may have to run continuously for longer periods of time to remove the same amount of moisture.
Since the moist air is being dried out, there is obviously going to be a place where the moisture extracted from the air collects in the form of water. You will have to decide how you want to drain this water from you basement dehumidifier. Most dehumidifiers have a catch into which the water drains. The dehumidifier shuts off automatically when the catch is full; and you can empty the catch at regular intervals. The problem in this case is that you will not get uninterrupted function from the basement dehumidifier and the catch of a big dehumidifier can be quite heavy when full of water. To solve this, you could get the company to install the dehumidifier in such a manner that the water drains into a sink or a drain in the basement.
To maintain your dehumidifier, keep the coils clean. Keep the dehumidifier clear of dust and smoke too. You can continue to use the unit all year around depending on the weather and humidity in your area.