# Humidity contol methods



## RoBoTeq

I'm interested in knowing how you guys deal with humidity issues. I would prefer you let us know in what area you are in and what the humidity and seasonal heat load is for equipment in your area.

There are a lot of theories for controlling humidity, some good, some not so good, some worthless and some harmful. What, if anything, do you do for customers who have humidity issues?


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## beenthere

Varies with the site application, source of humidity.

In most of the residential applications around here. A VS blower can handle the problem, if the system is reasonably sized to the actual cooling load.

If the home is near a steam, and or heavy shading. A dehumidifier is also needed sometimes.


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## RoBoTeq

beenthere said:


> Varies with the site application, source of humidity.
> 
> In most of the residential applications around here. A VS blower can handle the problem, if the system is reasonably sized to the actual cooling load.
> 
> If the home is near a steam, and or heavy shading. A dehumidifier is also needed sometimes.


Exactly my situation, and I am in your area. This season has been unusually wet, so my constant operation of my undersized system has not been able to keep up with the humidity problems. 

I didn't want to buy a dehumidifier and I had an extra window shaker, so I just stuck the window shaker in one of my laundry tubs and ran it full blast all summer. With virtually no cooling load, the darn thing runs for penny's a day and keeps my basement very dry.


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## hvaclover

RoBoTeq said:


> Exactly my situation, and I am in your area. This season has been unusually wet, so my constant operation of my undersized system has not been able to keep up with the humidity problems.
> 
> I didn't want to buy a dehumidifier and I had an extra window shaker, so I just stuck the window shaker in one of my laundry tubs and ran it full blast all summer. With virtually no cooling load, the darn thing runs for penny's a day and keeps my basement very dry.




Heck. I make de humidifiers for friends. Keeps a guy busy on a week end.


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## JohnH1

RoBoTeq said:


> Exactly my situation, and I am in your area. This season has been unusually wet, so my constant operation of my undersized system has not been able to keep up with the humidity problems.
> 
> I didn't want to buy a dehumidifier and I had an extra window shaker, so I just stuck the window shaker in one of my laundry tubs and ran it full blast all summer. With virtually no cooling load, the darn thing runs for penny's a day and keeps my basement very dry.


Don't most window shakers have a pick up on the condenser fan blade to sling the water on the coil to help cool down. You may be adding a lot of the moisture back into the space running longer than needed if this is true with your system.


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## beenthere

Thats just on the condenser blade. Not on the evap fan.


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## JohnH1

But it was not in the window exausting outside. It is sitting on the sink venting into the basement.


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## beenthere

Bet some of the condensate is still going down the drain.

So a fair amount of most of the moisture is still being removed from the house.

But, you are right. Not all of it if its slinging water off the blade.


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## RoBoTeq

JohnH1 said:


> Don't most window shakers have a pick up on the condenser fan blade to sling the water on the coil to help cool down. You may be adding a lot of the moisture back into the space running longer than needed if this is true with your system.


Not this cheap thing I have. Besides, it's sitting on quite an angle keeping it from building any condensate.

PTACs usually have condensate slingers on the condenser fans to keep from having water stains running down the walls.


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## KnightRider

Down here if you have a basement you can get your house humidified by making your basement a return air plenum and add some supply heat also. It will pick up the moisture and keep the house from getting to dry and the basement from getting to damp and stale. In the summer use return air to ac the basement providing you have most of your walls underground. Add a little air if necessary. That is cheap and simple if you got a basement that is.


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## RoBoTeq

KnightRider said:


> Down here if you have a basement you can get your house humidified by making your basement a return air plenum and add some supply heat also. It will pick up the moisture and keep the house from getting to dry and the basement from getting to damp and stale. In the summer use return air to ac the basement providing you have most of your walls underground. Add a little air if necessary. That is cheap and simple if you got a basement that is.


This is what I do with my basement. It just got so much more damp then usual due to the amount of rain we got this year that I needed to do a little more then usual keeping the basement dry.


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## beenthere

Is today our 3rd or 4th straight day of rain.


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## RoBoTeq

beenthere said:


> Is today our 3rd or 4th straight day of rain.


Third, I think. I cannot keep up with my grass growth. I swear I can hear it growing. If I wait to only mow my lawn on weekends, I wind up with a lot of rows of piled clippings. It got a little out of hand before my last mowing and my neighbor chided me that I needed a harvester.


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## beenthere

I got the same problem.

Gets too high for the mower to mulch right.


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## RoBoTeq

beenthere said:


> I got the same problem.
> 
> Gets too high for the mower to mulch right.


Yep. As soon as I would get ahead of it by mowing three times in a week, it would rain for several days and grow past my mowers mulching capabilities.


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## beenthere

We have never had this much rain. As we have had for the last 4 years.

That I, or anybody else from this area can remember. 

I'll be 53 this month. And I have asked people in their 60's and 70's. And they don't recall this kind of weather ever happening before either.


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## RoBoTeq

At least we don't have to hear farmers crying about their crops not growing. 

Even though it's been rather cool this summer, the global warming advocates will say this "weather change" is an effect of our chemical dumping.

Ya know what? If melting polar ice puts more water into the world and increases the amount of rainfall to produce more vegetation which in turn produces more oxygen and fixed nitrogen (from rotting vegetation)....where's the down side? Other then my having to mow my lawn more often, which is the only real exercize I get, isn't this a good thing?


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## beenthere

Actually. All this rain has a lot of farmers crying.
They lost a lot of their corn crop because of too much rain.
Lots of field had to be replanted/seeded.

A lot of hay was lost because it got wet, or couldn't dry before it molded.

Generally takes 3 days to dry cut hay. Too many weeks we didn't have 3 days in a row of no rain.


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## RoBoTeq

Figures. Damned if it's good and damned if it's bad. You won't hear me crying if it's too hot or too cold for too long.


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## hvaclover

RoBoTeq said:


> Figures. Damned if it's good and damned if it's bad. You won't hear me crying if it's too hot or too cold for too long.


Screw the tree huggers!:furious:


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> Screw the tree huggers!:furious:


I was talking about those whiney farmers. Ever since the government started subsidizing farmers, they cry about everything until they can change the zoning of their land and sell it off to some developer.


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## hvaclover

RoBoTeq said:


> I was talking about those whiney farmers. Ever since the government started subsidizing farmers, they cry about everything until they can change the zoning of their land and sell it off to some developer.



My grand daddy got subsidizes for not plowing and he still had a big ass family of ten kids:blink:


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> My grand daddy got subsidizes for not plowing and he still had a big ass family of ten kids:blink:


One way or another, a farmer has got to plow and plant seed.


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## milk man

That interesting. Putting a window shaker in a basement and let it run wild. 

Did the basement start to warm. You are removing heat then reintroducing it back into the space. The there is the heat of compression to add more heat to the space.

I like that idea for a cold clammy basement.


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## RoBoTeq

milk man said:


> That interesting. Putting a window shaker in a basement and let it run wild.
> 
> Did the basement start to warm. You are removing heat then reintroducing it back into the space. The there is the heat of compression to add more heat to the space.
> 
> I like that idea for a cold clammy basement.


Yes, a little bit of heat does increase in the basement, but since the basement is normally cooler and I am taking a lot of return from the basement it is mixed well throughout the house as dry air.


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## beenthere

Its acting the same as a regular dehumidifier would.


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## hvaclover

Hewy Robin; I am a sucker for eastern architecture. Do you live in one of those cool old homes from the 30s or is your place a lot newer. ?


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## RoBoTeq

beenthere said:


> Its acting the same as a regular dehumidifier would.


Exactly. The only difference, and the resulting cost factor is a lot different then I expected it to be, is that this thing runs constantly wide open because there is no humidity controller and the temps never drop because it is producing a little more heat then it is reducing.


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> Hewy Robin; I am a sucker for eastern architecture. Do you live in one of those cool old homes from the 30s or is your place a lot newer. ?


Neither. Most likely circa 1760's (Revolutionary War period) farmhouse.


The front portion of this house is a log structure covered with 1" polyfoam board beneath the vinyl siding and brick veneer. It has new, well fitted double pane windows. 

The first floor joists are full hand hewn tree trunks. There is no subflooring under the soft pine floor boards. All of the exposed roof structure in the walk up attic are pegged tongue and groove connections, no nails or other metal fasteners.

The back two story structure is about 150 years old. This was added to provide a connected kitchen (original kitchen was seperate structure in back yard, now completely gone and covered over) and master bedroom. The floor joists are hand hewn, full sized 3x8's.


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## milk man

RoBoTeq said:


> Neither. Most likely circa 1760's (Revolutionary War period) farmhouse.
> 
> 
> The front portion of this house is a log structure covered with 1" polyfoam board beneath the vinyl siding and brick veneer. It has new, well fitted double pane windows.
> 
> The first floor joists are full hand hewn tree trunks. There is no subflooring under the soft pine floor boards. All of the exposed roof structure in the walk up attic are pegged tongue and groove connections, no nails or other metal fasteners.
> 
> The back two story structure is about 150 years old. This was added to provide a connected kitchen (original kitchen was seperate structure in back yard, now completely gone and covered over) and master bedroom. The floor joists are hand hewn, full sized 3x8's.


 
That sure is a neat house. I love looking at the craftsmanship of the older places.


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## RoBoTeq

milk man said:


> That sure is a neat house. I love looking at the craftsmanship of the older places.


While the exterior has all been revamped for an efficient envelope, the interior is still mostly old...old scholl construction. You cannot sneak around this house. My cats sound like heavy people when they walk across those creaky floor boards.

The horsehair on wood lathe plastered walls keep the place fairly cool without air conditioning and the density of the log walls with the new sealed envelope makes this place like a thermos bottle. As long as I keep the indoor temps the same, it is not that much to maintain the indoor temperature.


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## beenthere

RoBoTeq said:


> You cannot sneak around this house. My cats sound like heavy people when they walk across those creaky floor boards.


Wonder what the cats think when you walk across those floor boards. ROFL :laughing:


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## milk man

beenthere said:


> Wonder what the cats think when you walk across those floor boards. ROFL :laughing:


As a fat guy myself, *THAT'S FUNNY!*


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## beenthere

milk man said:


> As a fat guy myself, *THAT'S FUNNY!*


And I'm not thin either.


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## hvaclover

on't get a hang over and lets the cats run around,! They'll sound like herd of elephants on loose!:laughing:


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## RoBoTeq

I have three cats, and all of them take advantage of my not being able to sneak into any room for them to follow me hoping I'll sit or lay down where they can climb up on me to nap.


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## hvaclover

For some reason I just can't see you as a cat guy Robin.


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## hvaclover

You got on'a theses bad boys?


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> For some reason I just can't see you as a cat guy Robin.


I'm an animal guy. I like all animals. Here I am holding an armadillo;


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> You got on'a theses bad boys?


 I do now:laughing:


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## hvaclover

RoBoTeq said:


> I do now:laughing:



go fly a kit with a whole in it wise guy:001_tongue:lol


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> go fly a kit with a whole in it wise guy:001_tongue:lol


I've made 75 skydives with parachutes with holes (we refer to them as "modifications") in them. Does that count?


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## hvaclover

RoBoTeq said:


> I've made 75 skydives with parachutes with holes (we refer to them as "modifications") in them. Does that count?



Yeah that's cool:blink:


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## hvaclover

Hey, Robin,make the cats pull their weight and earn a living like this guy did


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## RoBoTeq

hvaclover said:


> Hey, Robin,make the cats pull their weight and earn a living like this guy did


 
I wish. My cats are about worthless creatures.


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## hardhatharriet

All the rain makes it difficult to keep up with -- I see I'm not the only one with this problem! I made an appointment to speak with the someone from dehumidifierexperts.com -- hopefully they have a great solution for me.


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## RoBoTeq

hardhatharriet said:


> All the rain makes it difficult to keep up with -- I see I'm not the only one with this problem! I made an appointment to speak with the someone from dehumidifierexperts.com -- hopefully they have a great solution for me.


And you are only 13 months late for this thread.:yes:


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