Tips for purchasing a Dehumidifier

[returnofsid]

We live in a small home, and have 3 aquariums, a 200DD, a 75 and a 40 breeder, all on the main floor, which is 3 rooms. We're noticing a problem with increased humidity, causing some slight mold issues. So, we want to purchase a dehumidifier and I need some advice. I've never purchased one, nor researched purchasing one, until now. From early spring, until late fall, we run an AC unit. During the winter, it's cold here, but the humidity from the tanks seems to increase.

So, give me your best advice!!

[doctorgori]

...we have a Zenith; its loud as heck and the auto shut off doesn't work (well actually it does, unfortunatley even when the overflow is directly plummed)

...wish we had bought the LG

[returnofsid]

Originally Posted by doctorgori

...we have a Zenith; its loud as heck and the auto shut off doesn't work (well actually it does, unfortunatley even when the overflow is directly plummed)

...wish we had bought the LG

So, I'll steer clear of Zenith...lol. Thanks!

How should I go about picking the size that I need?

[fishgate]

They aren't cheap to run. Not quite as bad as an A/C unit of similar size but close. They do remove a lot of water from the air which I think you would be able to recycle back into your tanks as distilled water. Like most refrigeration units, they are pretty reliable. You do want to plumb these into a drain or else monitor the bucket pretty closely.

[scapes]

get one that has a drain tube so you don't have to keep emptying out a bucket. I got a LG energystar one last year. paid a couple hundred I believe, atleast. It has a timer (2,4,6 hrs) and you can adjust the humidity level that you want. It does have a drain tube, but for some reason I haven't figured out how to use that part (it's probably me). got it at either HD or Lowes.

[disc1]

Originally Posted by fishgate

They do remove a lot of water from the air which I think you would be able to recycle back into your tanks as distilled water.

While that water has been through a process of evaporation and condensation that is very similar to distillation, that water is not distilled. A still would be kept very clean and all of the action would happen on the inside. In the case of a dehimudifier, the water has been condensed over the outside of some metal coils. It is very likely that this water will not only pick up dust and debris from the air, but also may pick up any number of nasties from the coils themselves including oils and even heavy metals.

Putting the water from your dehumidifier into your tank is not recommended. That is something very different from distilling water in a still.

[scapes]

Originally Posted by disc1

While that water has been through a process of evaporation and condensation that is very similar to distillation, that water is not distilled. A still would be kept very clean and all of the action would happen on the inside. In the case of a dehimudifier, the water has been condensed over the outside of some metal coils. It is very likely that this water will not only pick up dust and debris from the air, but also may pick up any number of nasties from the coils themselves including oils and even heavy metals.

Putting the water from your dehumidifier into your tank is not recommended. That is something very different from distilling water in a still.

ooh, yuck. i've spent WAY too much money to even risk putting that old water in my tanks. i'm with disc1 on this one

[returnofsid]

Our home is a rental, so I don't think I'd be plumbing it into a drain, until we owned a home. I'm still a bit confused on how to pick the appropriately sized unit.

[scapes]

No, you misunderstood. Get the ones that have a tube so you can run the tube so the water goes down a drain so you dont have to empty the water container all the time. Theres actually no "plumbing" involved. You know, its like the waste water line that comes from your ro unit. I stick that ro line so the waste goes down a drain....same concept

[jrapp13]

what is the approx sqft of your house? I've had a soleus air for about 1.5 years now. Runs well still.

[Metal Man 1221]

Originally Posted by disc1

While that water has been through a process of evaporation and condensation that is very similar to distillation, that water is not distilled. A still would be kept very clean and all of the action would happen on the inside. In the case of a dehimudifier, the water has been condensed over the outside of some metal coils. It is very likely that this water will not only pick up dust and debris from the air, but also may pick up any number of nasties from the coils themselves including oils and even heavy metals.

Putting the water from your dehumidifier into your tank is not recommended. That is something very different from distilling water in a still.

+1

Before I moved my tank, I was running a dehumidifier and out of curiosity I tested the TDS of the water with a result of 67 TDS. You dont want that in your tank.

[ILoveReefer]

I cant really give any advice on which one to buy. But I am not very happy with my 1 yr old LG. It works well but it's very loud. It's in the basement under my bedroom on the 1st floor. I often get up at night to turn it off. The rattling sound it makes will drive you insane when your trying to sleep. They may not all be like that but I wouldn't buy another LG dehumidifier.

[mc-cro]

My LG worked great for about 3 months, then the humidity sensor went out. So now it still runs, but it never, ever shuts off

[jacob.morgan78]

I just set the timer on mine... I'll run it for about 2-4 hours a day to try to cut some of the running costs.

[Hal]

I can't help you on brands other than to say that I don't think much of Korean engineering in this product area, but in the interest of full disclosure, know that I work for a company that sells dehumidifiers. I recommend checking out Consumer Reports or even Amazon for ratings.

Just know that a dehumidifier will add heat to the room. That may not be a bad thing. For me, I have a dedicated fish room in my basement, and when I installed a dehumidifier in that room it raised the air temp to 80 or 90 degrees. That obviously affected the temp of the water in my sump in that room, which drove up the temp in my display tank. I ended up having to remove the dehumidifier.

[RA]

Just a thought but you might opt to put glass tops on your 200 for the winter. Heat shouldn't be an issue in the winter and it will keep a lot of water from evaporating.

[sdc19982002]

They measure performance based on pints per day of removal. We install whole house dh's and generally install 120 pint per day units on a 2000 square foot home. Being that your in a rental thats probably not a good option. Figure amount of water lost per day in evaporation and convert to pints then look for something that will do double that amount.

[Dustin1300]

My basement is about 1300 sq ft and I run a Frigidaire de-humidifier from Lowes and have had good luck with it. I currently only have a couple brutes with water in them and a 90 gallon for live rock fuge while I'm getting the rest of my system up. I'll likely have to ramp up the 300 pint unit and have one dedicated to my fish room but will have to see what happens.

Below is a great link from Lowes showing how big of a model you would need in normal conditions without an aquarium.

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Dehumidifer+...r_Buying_Guide

[biecacka]

i have an 800 square foot apartment and a 220 gallon tank. i too need a dehumidifier, any thoughts on size?
corey

[biecacka]

anyone

[ILoveReefer]

The link in an above post from dustin1300 is a pretty good. Probably a unit rated around 25 pints a day. You may be able to get away with a little bit smaller unit, but id go for a 30 or 40 pint. They all consume alot of power but they should average out to the same monthly bill or pretty close to it. A Bigger unit will remove water from the air faster therefore running less often. Also the larger units hold more water so you have to empty it less often.
I have a 40 pint in my basement and I have to empty it daily. 1000sq feet home with a full basement. 2 90g tanks 29g and a 20g. I should have bought a larger unit. A 60 or 70 would suit my needs better.

[biecacka]

ok thanks
corey

[returnofsid]

Thank you all, for the great advice. I'm leaning towards a Soleus 50 Pint, http://www.lowes.com/pd_377199-37610...r|1&facetInfo=

I'll do a bit more research before making a final decision and plan to make a purchase in the next week or so.