Humidity in the house -- any solutions?

jackri

jackri

Active Member
I run 2 - 100g tanks and I get about 3 gallons of evaporation a day. When we reach really cold temps the windows frost up which isn't a really big deal but the problem I'm having is frost in the attic of the house. The insulation lays over the flat roof -- you pop the access cover to the attic and look up there and I'm getting frost.. which melts into water... which in turn can cause problems like mold.
Anyone dealt with this or have a solution besides taking down a tank? This is a tad more stressful than a fish dying.
 
chrisnif

chrisnif

Member
If you're pulling more than 3 gallons/day out of the air with your dehumidifier then you've got water coming in elsewhere. You may want to talk to a heating and air person or think about adding forced ventilation in your attic (like an attic fan that has a thermostat and a humidistat). I used to put these in all the time when I worked for an electrician.
Also 3 gallons is 24 pints, so if you have a 30 or 40 pint per day dehumidifier it'll need to run 12+ hours per day to keep up. You may need to upgrade to an 80+ pint/day unit which will pull more out with less running time and use less electric.
hope that helps
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Yeah 3g a day off the tanks... but it seems like all the humidity goes up in the attic. The "roof" part isn't insulated, just above the walls if that makes sense.
I run the dehumidifier 24/7 and needs emptying once a day.
Is what you're talking about in the attic an air handler by chance? I've heard of that but by no means have a clue beyond that :)
 
W

westwind77

Member
Wow that seems a little high! I have a 110g, humidity in the house is between 40% & 50%, which is too LOW! I have humidifiers running to get it up to around 60%. I loose about 1/4 gallon a day. The drier your air is the more water it can absorb, the faster your tanks will empty. If you saturate the air with water (humidity) your tanks will not evaporate as fast. I would NOT run a de-humidifier in the house unless you know your humidity is too high, do you know what it is? As for water in the attic, check your bathroom vents (if you have them), make sure they are vented OUT. If someone showers that is HOT HUMID air going into the attic if the vent hose is broken, that can and will cause moisture. Just a couple thoughts.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Yeah humidity in the house is between 60-90%
I don't care about replacing the water in the tanks.. I just want it out of my attic area. Most people here have problems with too dry of air in the winter here as well.
 
chrisnif

chrisnif

Member
No air handler is part of your air conditioning system (moves are through the cold coil and back to the house). Anyway, an attic fan looks like a mushroom, it blows air out of the attic (and usually fresh outside air is sucked into the attic through vent holes or through cracks and crevices that are already in teh attic.
I'm assuming from your humidity level that you dont have gas heat... could you tell me what kind you have...that may be part of the issue too...maybe.
If you're handy, an attic fan is self install (if you're willing to cut a hole in your roof and run a quick wire) if not then an electrician will be more than happy to supply and install one for you (it will save you on your air conditioning bill in the summer too, they pay for themselves in about 2-3 years). Make sure it has a HUMIDISTAT. They all have a thermostat (so the fan comes on when its over like 90 in the attic), but a humidistat turns on the fan when humidity is over say 65% or whatever its set to.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
I do have gas heat and central air.
Thanks for the ideas. I definately need to do something and this gives me a good direction to head in.
 
chrisnif

chrisnif

Member
Usually gast heat helps dry the air in the house (most ppl w/ gas heat run a humidifier in the winter). What I'd do to be honest with you would be check the furnace's exhaust pipe very carefully as if it is leaking a bit in the attic that could be the moisture source (gas heat exhaust is very moist hence you can see the vapor from the flue pipes on houses in the winter). Another thing to try is to crack a window (1 finger opening) and see if air coes in when the furnace runs, this would indicate negative pressure in your home which can happen from over doing caulk/weather stripping (sealing the house too good).
I had a similar water problem in my last house and we found there was a water leak in the crawl space, but I think in your area there would probably be ice more than water, but if you have a crawlspace you may want to look around for a leak too.
Either way you slice it I highly doubt your aquariums are the issue, they may be contributing to something else, but the are not the focal issue
If I have anymore ideas i'll let you know.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Thanks, I just don't want wet sheetrock/mold come this spring or anytime it gets about freezing now and then goes back to -10 and up and what not.
 
W

westwind77

Member
Originally Posted by Chrisnif
http:///forum/post/3206308
Usually gast heat helps dry the air in the house (most ppl w/ gas heat run a humidifier in the winter).
Either way you slice it I highly doubt your aquariums are the issue, they may be contributing to something else, but the are not the focal issue
Forced hot air systems can have a humidifier system built into the return air line, making the air 'comfortable'. I do not have one but called a week ago to have a quote for one being installed because I do not like how dry the air is.
Does the OP have one of these? Is it working properly?
I agree with above, your tanks is NOT the main issue, something else is the bigger problem.
 
T

tfolke1

Guest
Someone mentioned it earlier, but check your bathroom exhaust vents.
Poke your head up in the attic and look to the area's where your bathroom exhaust fans are. There should be either rigid or flex ducting directing the bathroom exhaust to either a ridge or mushroom vent.
Sometimes when Roofers replace a roof, the connections are knocked loose and left laying in the attic or covered with insulation.
If the ducting is loose, it can usually just be stapled back into place.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Ok I did actually buy a ladder today and went up there. It is soaked over both bathrooms. It's venting into my attic as it hits the fan box, takes a 90 degree angle and some goes through the vent, some in the attic. It was actually raining in my attic today as it warmed up to 15-20 degrees.
Called the builder and we really never noticed a problem until a coworker who spends the week moved in with us and used the othe bathroom for showers --- which is also the time I set up the frag tank and blaming my tanks for hte humidity problem which I'm convinced it's not.
I may still need an air exchanger but that's not the problem. The house is 5 years old but we'll see what the builder says tomorrow. They should "fix" the problem or something correct?
 
chrisnif

chrisnif

Member
The builder here did a 1 year walkthough/inspection and fixed a few things. I found something since then and they dont even want to hear it... they referred me to my "structural warranty" which basically is through a separate company and they come out and inspect and its almost like doing a homeowners claim (ie PITA).
An HVAC person shouldn't charge much to get up there and fix whatever is wrong with your bathroom fans if you're builder doesnt want to fix it.
Keep us updated, hate to see someone have troubles with their home :(
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Ok it's not the humidity in my house. Right now it's 20-30 above out and I'm running 40% which I think is ideal.
The problem lies in my shower fans. Although they DO vent outside they run horizontally along the top of the inside of the house and through the soffet/gable and DOWN.
The other problem here is they go WEST and NORTH from which I have no protection either way.
When cold air (up to 35 below or so) comes in it blows from the north and the west or NW usually. IF the shower vents make it outside at this point they just blow right back up through the soffet/etc.
My fix when it warms up is to put some whirly birds in place of the static vents and run the bathroom vents straight up with insulation around the venting duct.
Should be a ton cheaper than installing an air exchanger which wouldn't have solved the problem. WHEW (so far).
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Here's a temporary fix......Don't turn ON the shower/bathroom fans until you fix the duct work problem. This will make the bathroom all steamy during showers, but much better than having mold growing in the attic
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Yeah, thats the plan when it gets really cold. I have no problems from 10 degrees and warmer.
I guess the big reason we blamed the frag tank is the bad part in the attic is over that room (basement for the tank). The secondary shower is over that though -- and I built the frag tank the same time a co-worker of mine came to live with us during the week vs 160mile commute a day. It was his showers and a really cold winter last year and a cold stretch this year that made things show up.
Of course my 2 - 100g humidfiers always are the first to get blamed though lol
 
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