For those who layouts are in the basements

dkdkrd posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'd like to know what dehumidifier you have that has lasted 20 years, I want one of those!

Since you asked...I checked.

It's a Whirlpool 25-pint dehumidifier purchased in July 1998...nearly 21 years, in fact!  We bought it from Home Depot.  Set it at 60%.  Right now not running because....

Well, the Whirlpool of yesteryear isn't the same as the Whirlpool of today, their stuff does not last nowadays!

dkdkrd posted:

But it got me thinking...  Basically a dehumidifier has a refrigeration unit/coil, and that's what gives up after a while.  I'm no appliance repairman, so I don't know the nitty-gritties about the forensics of deceased dehumidifiers.  But, I do know that back in the mid-1930's General Electric sure knew how to make a refrigerator that lasted!!  Mom & Dad bought a GE refrigerator that was similar to this one...

I think all the appliances are made as throw-away products nowadays.  We had a fridge that we bought new in 1973, and it moved with us twice and finally croaked around 2006.  Maybe not 50 years, but that old GE got over 30 years of continuous use, around 11 of them in the garage, an environment that's supposed to be pretty hard on refrigerators.  Then we went through two that lasted around five years, a Whirlpool and a Maytag.  Both of those cost way more than the old GE, but they barely made it past the 5 year sealed unit warranty. 

The telling part of the story is the 1 year warranty most dehumidifiers have.

Stephen G posted:

Does anyone know the best humidity level.

For our purposes (model railroading), you pretty much can't go wrong with a relative humidity that is maintained between 45% and 55%. Keep in mind that your personal comfort may seek something a bit higher or lower. 50% is what I keep my three basement dehumidifiers set at (two of which evacuate water directly into drains).

My Sears Cold spot 25cu ft. refrigerator from 1971 died last summer.   Forty seven years of continuous service and the last year or two the door seal was leaking bad I bought a universal seal kit that sealed OK if you pushed it in just a bit but the magnet inside was not strong enough to hold it tight. So the compressor ran nearly continuously.  Part of the problem with new AC, refrigerators and dehumidifiers is to meet fed efficiency mandates the evaporator coil and the condensing coil walls have been made thinner and thinner as this raises efficiency and they use a smaller compressor that runs longer.  Thus the compressor has a shorter life and the paper thin walls of the coils develop leaks both from vibrations and the resulting fatigue and from corrosion, which may have something to do with the quality of the aluminum used.   Aluminum Rot,  is that a word ?          j

In upstate NY, I run a Frigidaire 70 pint dehumidifier set at 45% humidity from May thru October in my 800 sq ft basement, with a drain hose to the sump crock.  Basement is constructed of Superior walls (5000+ PSI pre cast concrete, pre insulated).  The rest of the year I run a fan to circulate air. This setup has worked great for 20+ years in 2 houses  (albeit with multiple dehumidifiers). Over the years I have found that most dehumidifiers die right after the compressor warranty runs out, although the last one died just before then and I got a brand new $200 one for no charge from local Frigidaire dealer. 

Sounds about right, only a couple of times have I got more than two or three seasons out of a dehumidifier.  I have also noticed that the new A/C stuff is way more fragile, A/C used to easily last 20-30 years, now you're lucky to get 10-12 years out of a new system.

I live in SW Pa. and I too have sump pumps that have a tendency to run often. My old dehumidifier, cant recall the name, bit the dust after 4 years and we purchased a Hisense from Lowes last November. I tried doing various settings but hav found that on auto cycle, the humidity is between 48% and 50%. My basement is about 570 sq. ft. and I am happy with it so far. Actually, since I have been running a dehumidifier I have not noticed anything being rusty, electrical stuff works good too. 

I have about 1,000 sq/ft in a daylight basement.  I'm running two dehumidifiers at 40%.

Like GRJ I have about 1,000 sq ft walkout basement (majority is layout room); the dehumidifier shut off after about a year at 50%; hasn't run since (about 6-7 years ago). I believe the walkout nature of the basement structure contributes to the dryness. Also, the basement is open to the first floor. Comfy and no rust here.

Wally

I must be very lucky here, because my basement doesn't have a humidity problem. It stays around 65 degrees year round. In the summer, the central air keeps it dry, and the winter is never a problem.

I am so glad I moved from the 4 seasons, the humidity here in AZ is seldom above 20-30%, and rust is a non issue here.

Ron_S posted:

I am so glad I moved from the 4 seasons, the humidity here in AZ is seldom above 20-30%, and rust is a non issue here.

Oh, but the static electricity is probably frying your electronics.

George

Ron_S posted:

I am so glad I moved from the 4 seasons, the humidity here in AZ is seldom above 20-30%, and rust is a non issue here.

I visit my sister in law in LV, and the low humidity is a real issue, I'll take the four seasons, thanks.

When we bought our 1950 cottage overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast, it was headed to foreclosure and had been vacant for quite some time.  It had been left in heated for much of the winter to the point where the hardwood flooring was starting to warp, and both the main floor and the basement/garage smelled damp and musty.  Although there was no black mold to be found, there was mildew in some dark corners.

And, of course, anything metal that is not stainless steel or similarly protected will rust very quickly at the coast.

I installed a programmable thermostat and set it to keep the heat at least at 62 degrees at all times.  That took care of the dampness and smell in the main living area, and even the flooring flattened back out.

After insulating, adding a vapor barrier and sealing off the crawl space from the basement/garage area and installing new garage doors that were designed for use in coastal conditions, I was ready to tackle the basement humidity.

I bought a portable dehumidifier from Ace Hardware.  It filled its reservoir in less than a day.  Since we are not there all the time, I needed a way to have the water drain out.  The laundry facilities, such as they were, were in an alcove in the garage.  I bought an old microwave cart from a local Thrift store and set the dehumidifier up on it to drain into the laundry tub.  Later when we turned the area into a second bath and laundry, I had a dedicated drain for the dehumidifier put in just outside the new bath/laundry.

The dehumidifier now sits on the floor just outside the bath/laundry and empties into the drainpipe shown sticking up by the new wall in the pictures.  I cut the pipe down to near floor level, and only a couple of inches of the collar now show above the floor.

The basement/garage and laundry now remain at 50% humidity (unless I have the garage doors open for a while) and dry and free of smells and mildew.  No sign or rust found on the garage doors, my tools, the car that is kept there or anything else that we store in there.

Cheers!

Alan

PS: The wet floor in the last picture is from cleaning up after cutting and setting tile in the new shower, not from any leak or trouble with the drain or the dehumidifier.  :-)