Dehumidifiers

[honeychile]

Does anyone have any "must buy" suggestions about them?

We're (I'm!) preparing my mother's house for an estate sale, and my bro & sil, who have never been to one, keep saying "this will never sell" or "that will never sell". With their blessing, I've taken many of these "won't sells" to my house - but my basement has always been on the humid side. I've considered getting one before, but it's becoming necessary - I took a box of books out there on Friday, and the box was wimpy by Sunday. Granted, this will also give me an extra 900 square feet to use the built in shelves etc, so it's not like it's a temporary condition - until I get some baseboard heat put installed.

Is there a difference about how many pints it takes? I like the idea of the ones that have an optional hose, so I don't have to worry about the automatic shut off every day.

This one also comes in a 40 pint size, but the reviews say that it's not very quiet. But I've never heard of a quiet dehumidifier. And why are so many dehumidifiers sold "refurbished"?

Help? Anyone?

[IrishLake]

The difference in size just determine how much "pull" it has, which should be based on the size of the area it's treating. The 30 pints versus 40 pint is based on running continuously over a 24 hour period. The tank will not hold that much at once (obviously). I don't know anything about the kind with a drain hose. If your basement is 900 square feet, I think a 30 pint one would be too small.

We have one in our garage and in our house. I HATE feeling humid. Both have dials that allow me to adjust how often it runs, not at all, or continually, or somewhere in between. Mine holds about 2 gallon of fluid (on the small side) when full, and I empty them about every 2-3 days, and I think they both have 45-50 pint capacity. I have also never heard of a quiet dehumidifier. Wish I could give you better advice!

[honeychile]

The office next door had two going constantly after a flood. I suppose I should see what type the better one was. The other didn't have the automatic shut off - what a mess!

[honeychile]

Well, I bought one with a 45 pint capacity. I've been emptying it once a day (probably should be twice a day) since Friday, because I can't get the hose to go downhill. I had thought I could put the hose into the stationary tub.

Next question: would two work better? I'm thinking of either borrowing one from work, or even getter another with an eye to reselling it eventually. Will just one burn out? I was thinking of setting the two so one will cycle off when the other cycles on. I would have gotten the 60 pint one, but it wasn't on wheels. It's about 600 square feet of a basement that thinks it's a time capsule that needs dehumidifying.

Oh, and don't worry. I'll be back with more home improvement questions! This is a house that was built in 1950 but has had only two owners. The original owner was a carpenter, and started paneling the basement/gameroom. He did some good things, but it's just too dark, especially with the lack of light. I'm trying to decide between staining it a lighter wood, or using that textured wallpaper to make it look like real walls. There is a french drain, so I think that laminate that looks like hardwood floors would be much better than actual hardwood floors - which are through the rest of the house. One wall has built-in shelves all the way across and a small out of season clothing rack is built in, too. A good scrub and painting, and I'm in business! I am going to put beadboard wallpaper (it's 3-D) halfway up the bathroom, with a small ledge. I'm still working on an idea for the guest bedroom, which will also store a few thousand of my books - I'll keep y'all apprised of that, especially if it works.

I think I'm watching way too much HGTV!