Does My Basement Need a Dehumidifier
Do you have a basement and are asking “Does My Basement Need a Dehumidifier?” Basement dehumidifiers are overlooked by basement waterproofing contractors and homeowners many times when dealing with flooding.
Basements are similar to crawl spaces in that they are normally more humid than the rest of the home. This is true whether the basement is conditioned or not but more so in an unconditioned basement. Conditioned basements usually have lower humidity than unconditioned but we see them have higher than recommended humidity as well.
Free Standing Dehumidifier in Basement
The simple approach is to install a free standing dehumidifier in your basement. This should be done with or without other waterproofing measures. Just like in a crawl space, a basement dehumidifier will help keep the humidity low in the rest of the home.
A free standing dehumidifier is the easiest one to install because it requires no ducting. I recommend you install a dehumidifier with a condensate pump to ensure water is removed regularly. Dehumidifiers with buckets that you empty every few hours normally get overlooked.
Ducted Dehumidifier in Basement
If your basement is finished with interior walls, a ducted dehumidifier or whole-home dehumidifier may be a better option. The walls and doors can inhibit the dry air from traveling to all areas of the basement. In a basement with central heat and air ducts, this can be fixed by ducting the dry air into the HVAC system.
The HVAC system is then allowed to carry the dry air to all parts of the home whether doors are closed or not. The dehumidifier can also have separate ducts installed. This is to port dry air to that unconditioned storage space, garage or mechanical room.
