Dehumidifier???

[two11devan]

How many people use a dehumidifier because of the evaporation from their tank? I have a 130 gal tank that I would estimate loses approximately 10 gal of water a week. Can that evaporated water cause problems in the house overtime?

 

[austinsdad]

I had one before my tank 'cause it can get moist in the basement. Now with a 155g and losing about 3g daily, I wouldn't think of not having a de-humidifier.

But my uneducated opinion says yes, it could cause damage over time. Mold I'm guesing.

 

[roka64]

If you use a dehumidifier, you will get more evaporation.

 

[MACATUA]

I had to for my wife in my old house. It was in the main living area and she is very sensitive to things like that, so we had to run a dehumidifier so she did not get sick. However, at my new house it is in my basement, so it does not bother her.

 

[austinsdad]

If you use a dehumidifier, you will get more evaporation.

How's that?

I know it feeels awfully damp down there when it's not running (when the de-humidifier tank gets full - auto shut-off)

 

[roka64]

A dehumidifier sucks the water out of the air/tank.....I imagine it does depend on the location of the tank. A damp basement may do better to have one, whereas my living room is not damp.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Also... to put things in perspective, one adult - doing nothing but sitting around the house and breathing - will put about 2 gallons/week of water vapor into the air.

 

[roka64]

LOL! Good thing to know!

 

[MT79]

Now that's a "fun fact" Kurt. That's is very interesting to know.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Not sure if it's a fact or not, but I read it on the internet - so it must be true... right?

The actual thing I ran into a bit ago was a quote from a doctor that said through normal sweating and breathing, the average person pumps out 1 liter of water a day into the air. So doing the math and rounding up a bit, that's where I got the 2 gal/week.

With my 46g, I lose about 2 gallons/week in evaporation - so from a humidity standpoint my tank's evaporation is the same as adding another person in the house. I also have a digital humidity thingy (technical term) in the house, and I haven't noticed any increase in average humidity levels since I've added the tank.

 

[MT79]

FWIW two11devan I don't use a dehumidifier. My tank evaps 1 gal a day. The room it's in is not very big and has no windows but my electronic temp/humidity thingy, to also be technical, usually reads between 30-38% humidity. Not sure if that is high, low or normal but it has not caused any noticeable problems for me over the last 3-4 years.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

That's actually pretty low humidity. Electric heat?

 

[two11devan]

Thanks for all the input so far. The tank is in the dinning room which opens up to a decent size living room. I think I'll get a "humidity thingy" and check out how humid it actually is.

 

[ellisz]

I would check to see what the humidity is before I bought one. My tank loses about 4-5 gal a day. The sump room is in an unfinished part of my basement. I try to keep my humidity in the low 40's. The dehumidifier will add heat to the room it is in though. The one I have has preset humidity setting - dry , dryest, etc. This I hate. The dry setting holds at 50% and the dry I cant figure out where it goes. Humidity will hold 42% and it still runs 24/7. Might need a bigger one ...

Make your you size it right.