House of Humidity
Last year I posted about our humidity issue. At first we decided on a whole house dehumidifier to solve the problem. When we got estimates for $2000, we backed off and planned to save. Notice I said planned to save and not started to save? It turns out our single room dehumidifier hadn't died and we made it through the winter.
In the spring when we decided on a pellet stove for heat, we assumed it would take care of our humidity issues and stopped discussions/savings for a whole house dehumidifier.
About the time we got Gretchen Jen got a head cold she just couldn't shake. She went to the Dr. and they said allergies. Jen didn't believe them. She didn't want to be allergic to the new dog. When the sickness got worse, she went back and got some anti-biotics. The anti-biotics worked, sort of, for a little while, but it was still there.
Finally she went to an allergist for the back scratch fun. Turns out Jen is allergic to Dust Mites and Cockroaches. Since we don't have cockroaches, but do have humidity, it must be Dust Mites - they can't live or live very well at humidity levels below 50%.
So back to the whole house dehumidifier idea. I called Wesley Woods and they sent a "Comfort Specialist" out that afternoon. I sort of explained the situation and dollar signs lit up in his head when I mentioned allergies. Comfort Specialist my ass! He was a sales rep. His first question was "Have you heard about our one year same as cash financing?" Second question was "Would you mind filling out this credit application?" After that it was a list of things I should buy to stop the allergies. I mean why not? I don't have to pay for it for a year.
Dust mites! This is about humidity and dust mites I reminded him a couple of times. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't that bad and I don't fault him for doing his job. He was very thorough in measuring/analysing my HVAC equipment to be sure he sold me the biggest most expensive equipment he could. Again, I kid.
He did clue me into something I should have considered already. Our humidity issues aren't because the house is so tight (heat streak proves that). Our house is practically sitting in water. When it rains hard for a couple of days, water seeps up through the cracks in the basement and garage floor. When we walked in our work/storage room (basement) and saw this (the dark discoloration)
he said "You've got water."
The seepage, so far, has never gotten to the point that it collects or floods. It does occasionally get wet, but I've yet to wish I had a sump pump or even a french drain along the walls.
The walls look like this all the time. I don't know if it's staining or some hydrostatic pressure effect. It's moisture none-the-less. The 65% humidity reading from the gauge above is in this part of the house and this part of the house is directly below our bedroom.
So a whole house dehumidifier, though possibly necessary, wouldn't solve my problem. It would only alleviate the effects.
My problem is moisture entering the basement. I wonder if I stop that, how much of a humidity problem will I have?
- b
In the spring when we decided on a pellet stove for heat, we assumed it would take care of our humidity issues and stopped discussions/savings for a whole house dehumidifier.About the time we got Gretchen Jen got a head cold she just couldn't shake. She went to the Dr. and they said allergies. Jen didn't believe them. She didn't want to be allergic to the new dog. When the sickness got worse, she went back and got some anti-biotics. The anti-biotics worked, sort of, for a little while, but it was still there.
Finally she went to an allergist for the back scratch fun. Turns out Jen is allergic to Dust Mites and Cockroaches. Since we don't have cockroaches, but do have humidity, it must be Dust Mites - they can't live or live very well at humidity levels below 50%.So back to the whole house dehumidifier idea. I called Wesley Woods and they sent a "Comfort Specialist" out that afternoon. I sort of explained the situation and dollar signs lit up in his head when I mentioned allergies. Comfort Specialist my ass! He was a sales rep. His first question was "Have you heard about our one year same as cash financing?" Second question was "Would you mind filling out this credit application?" After that it was a list of things I should buy to stop the allergies. I mean why not? I don't have to pay for it for a year.
Dust mites! This is about humidity and dust mites I reminded him a couple of times. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't that bad and I don't fault him for doing his job. He was very thorough in measuring/analysing my HVAC equipment to be sure he sold me the biggest most expensive equipment he could. Again, I kid.
He did clue me into something I should have considered already. Our humidity issues aren't because the house is so tight (heat streak proves that). Our house is practically sitting in water. When it rains hard for a couple of days, water seeps up through the cracks in the basement and garage floor. When we walked in our work/storage room (basement) and saw this (the dark discoloration)
he said "You've got water."The seepage, so far, has never gotten to the point that it collects or floods. It does occasionally get wet, but I've yet to wish I had a sump pump or even a french drain along the walls.
The walls look like this all the time. I don't know if it's staining or some hydrostatic pressure effect. It's moisture none-the-less. The 65% humidity reading from the gauge above is in this part of the house and this part of the house is directly below our bedroom.
So a whole house dehumidifier, though possibly necessary, wouldn't solve my problem. It would only alleviate the effects.
My problem is moisture entering the basement. I wonder if I stop that, how much of a humidity problem will I have?
- b
posted by JenBob at
10:33 PM
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