Advice for Ventilating and Drying Cellar

I recommend a ceiling mounted dehumidifier, preferably one that can have a drain line empty right into a slop sink or other drain.

HRV is not necessary is nice, especially if your basement air mixes with your house air. It won’t act like a humidifier per se, but the air is tempered.

dorkofwindsor

in General Discussion 3 years and 10 months ago

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nathanjoe755 | 3 years and 10 months ago

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Hello! I posted a while ago about the insane amount of mold in our cellar. We’ve bought and put in two dehumidifiers which we have to empty 1-2 times a day right now (in the winter it hardly runs). It is a hassle but works as I try to save money and figure out a long term no-fuss solution. It really really helps knock down on the musty smell. I can tell when they are full and not running from the smell.

shahnandersen

in General Discussion 3 years and 10 months ago

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I assume you don’t have a floor drain into which you could continuously empty your dehumidifier into instead doing it of manually. If your sewer line runs above the cellar floor the ideal solution was to get a dehumidifier with a built-in pump to remove the condensate. But since you already have the dehumidifiers, you could get an accessory condensate pump such as https://www.amazon.com/Little-554425-VCMA-20ULS-Condensate-Removal/dp/B000SM342Q/ref=asc_df_B000SM342Q/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198079373928&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17145891343175830262&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004356&hvtargid=pla-349148507253&psc=1 to automatically remove the water. No more hassles.

nathanjoe755 | 3 years and 10 months ago

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Thanks for this! I am going to buy 2!

arewedoneyet | 3 years and 10 months ago

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I would also recommend dehumidifiers – I run mine year-round and it cycles on and off as needed. I also have a french drain along the wall closest to the front wall where water occasionally comes in. Both the dehumidifier and the french drain empty into a sump pump which is piped to our sewer line.