BASEMENT DEHUMIDIFIER SYSTEMS

What Is a Basement Dehumidifier System?

A basement dehumidifier system is a device that treats the air in your home to create a less humid environment. In other words, a dehumidifier draws the moisture from the air in your home or building to make it drier. Now, you may be wondering, why put the dehumidifier in the basement instead of another room?

Typically the basement is the most likely to house excess moisture. This is because water can creep into your home from the foundation. Since the basement is underground, this puts it at the highest risk for unwanted humidity.

What Does This System Help With?

Before investing in a dehumidifier, you may wonder if one of these devices is a good choice for you. Generally speaking, yes, you should get a basement humidifier. It is an essential component for any building if you want to ensure that your air is safe and your home’s foundation is kept in good condition.

Removing humidity from your home or building’s air can help with several problems, but the most important of these is your air quality. Air that carries too much moisture is a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria, viruses, and other harmful pathogens. Continually breathing in this air can spread sickness and lead to long-term health issues.

Features of Dehumidifier Systems

If you’re shopping for a dehumidifier, you must know what features to look for. Luckily, many dehumidifiers offer similar features, so finding the best one for your home is typically not too challenging.

This said, some features of a good dehumidifying system are:

• A suitable pint capacity (the amount of moisture your dehumidifier can hold). This is typically less than 70 pints for a home and over 70 pints for a commercial building.
• A collection tank or storage container for condensation. If you plan on running the dehumidifier constantly, you may want to consider a model with a built-in drainage system rather than a collection tank that must be emptied.
• A humidistat.
• Electronic or manual controls. Many models today feature electronic controls but note that these may need to be manually turned back on after a power outage.
• Tolerable noise level.
• Automatic shut-off. This occurs when the collection tank is full to prevent overflowing.

How Dehumidification Works

Dehumidifiers collect moisture from the air by drawing warm air currents into the machine using a fan. The coils inside the machine are refrigerated, which causes the warm air to contract, leaving condensation inside the dehumidifier.

This condensation is collected in a storage container inside the machine. This container must be emptied when it fills up for the humidifier to continue working.

Benefits of Installing a Basement Dehumidifier System

Now that you know what a basement dehumidifier system is and how it works, you may wonder why you should get one. Realistically, there are numerous reasons to regulate the moisture content of your home’s air. Here, we will dive into the four most important reasons why getting a basement dehumidifier is essential for any home or building.

Mitigates Biological Growth

Biological growth, like mold, is common in basements because they are typically quite humid. Humidity plus some form of the food source — such as pet dander or dust — is a simple recipe that typically results in more than a few unwelcome growths in your basement.

Unfortunately, mold is difficult to remove and can cause lasting damage to your health if left unaddressed. Keep an eye out for the signs of mold, and address the issue as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of lasting health effects.

A dehumidifier reduces the moisture in your air. This lessens the likelihood of mold and other biological growth, such as harmful bacteria, so you do not have to worry about the negative health effects that these can bring.

Reduces Your HVAC’s Workload

Houses that do not have dehumidifiers rely on their HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems to process the air in their homes. This means this system is responsible for drying, cooling, and heating your air. Unfortunately, air with too much moisture can be incredibly hard for your HVAC system to process, and leaving all of this work to your HVAC can drain a lot of power and even lead to failure.

Dehumidifiers help your HVAC system by ensuring that the air in your home is not too wet. This allows your HVAC to focus on heating and cooling your air, which can increase its longevity and reduce the amount of power this system needs to use.

Better for Wood

If you’ve ever seen a pile of firewood after a good thunderstorm or even left a wooden spoon in your sink for longer than you should have, you know that wood and water do not mix. Many homes and buildings use lumber frames, walls, and floors. If these wooden structures are exposed to moist air for too long, they will soften and can even deteriorate.

Mitigates Risk of Water Damage

We know that wood and water do not mix, but what about water and paint? Water and drywall? You’d be right if you guessed that these pairings aren’t exactly made in heaven, either. Water is essential to all life on our planet, but it is not exactly helpful for our homes and buildings.

When the air in your home is too humid, it can lead to peeling paint, mold and mildew growth on walls and ceilings, and even cracks in the walls from excess moisture. Bottom line? Moisture and buildings do not mix; a dehumidifier removes that moisture, so you do not have to worry about these types of damage.

Why Moisture Loc?

Moisture Loc is thea family owned & operated company that has has been serving the Carolinas  since 1988. So whether you notice mold in your home, too much humidity in your building’s air, or standing water in your basement, Moisture Loc is here to help. No project is too big or too small for our family-owned and operated business, and we are here to help the members of our community.

So, if you do not already have a basement dehumidifier system or you are looking for a replacement system, contact us today at Moisture Loc to start improving your air quality.

ENERGY STAR DEHUMIDIFIER
The Santa-Fe Dehumidifier is designed specifically for crawl space or basement application’s. The fan of the dehumidifier draws moist air through a cold evaporator coil, which cools the air below its dew point. Moisture forms on the evaporator coil and is collected in a condensate tray, which is equipped with a permanent drain, in order to discharge the collected water.