dehumidifier

[iidylii]

hi guys...So i was just wondering if you guys had any insight on this topic...

I have my main tank in my living room and my sump is down in my basement...so my basement is kind of damp and what not i guess kind of like your typical unfinished basement...Do any of you use a dehumidifier in your basement? I only ask because like i said its pretty damp down there to begin with and then add a 125 gallon open sump to the mix and i have some black spots starting to appear on my basement walls...I guess what i wanna know is it a lost cause to have a dehumidifier down there? or is there a certain humidity level you guy have yours set at? or do you just keep it at a constant ON all the time? do you keep it at 40-60%? etc...just thought i would get some thoughts on the idea thanks a lot

 

[lmforbis]

I have my sump in a small room in my basement. Mines smaller but so is the room. I have a large part of the sump covered to keep humidity down. I don’t see why a dehumidifier wouldn’t help.

 

[jay0705]

Agreed. I don't think itll will effect your sump terribly. It may increase the need to top off a bit but nothing crazy

 

[silverado61]

Those black spots are a major problem. It's black mold and is the worst kind there is and will spread like wild fire as long as there's humidity in the basement. It'll cause health problems for you and anyone else that lives in the house because the spores from the mold become air born and effect the lungs. It can and will kill you. You need to address this issue ASAP. So yes, get a strong dehumidifier, get it going and get rid of that mold. Just getting a humidifier won't get rid of the mold and it will continue to grow. Any big box home improvement store sells a cleaner specifically designed for killing mold. Follow the directions to the letter. Make sure you wear gloves and a face mask for protection from both the cleaner and the mold during clean up. Sorry if I scared you but you should be scared. If the problem gets out of hand the house can be declared unfit for anyone to live there and will require and abatement cleanup which will cost thousands of dollars.