As I sit here in my hotel in Dallas I came across a thread on another site talking about humidity problems from their reef tank. It got me thinking, first off what are the primary problems associated with humidity? How do you know when your tank is posing a problem within your house? Does humidity negitively affect allergies? I plan on getting a humidity meter on Saturday, any know whether or not they are accurate? Also what level is normal within your house?
Humidity problems from the tank
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When I had my 125 in Savannah, I didn't have glass tops, or a canopy, and Savannah being as humid as it is, the house felt like a sauna in the summer time! It was terrible. When I broke the tank down, the problem mysteriously disappeared.... Up here I have a 50g and a 210g, both with glass tops, and have no problem! We do have a de humidifier just in case.
The main issues with humidity: potential cause of mold and mildew, "sticky" feeling environment, can cause wood to warp and paint to peel and other damages related to excess water build-up.
The main issues with humidity: potential cause of mold and mildew, "sticky" feeling environment, can cause wood to warp and paint to peel and other damages related to excess water build-up.
What about allergies? This year my girlfriend and my dogs allergies seem to be far worse than last year! Only thing that changed within the house is the tank. If I have been the cause of their misery...... At the very least changes would take place immediately!
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Sorry bud, can't give any advice there. I haven't personally ever experienced allergies that I could directly link to humidity. The only time I have had ANY allergies was when I lived in Savannah and spring had just begun.
I was a little more stuffy in the morning than usual when I had the tank set up. The dehumidifier might help. Keep in mind that if humidity creates mold and mildew, that could be the cause of an allergic reaction. I am no expert, just a theorist!
I was a little more stuffy in the morning than usual when I had the tank set up. The dehumidifier might help. Keep in mind that if humidity creates mold and mildew, that could be the cause of an allergic reaction. I am no expert, just a theorist!
We use a dehumidifier and can tell a difference, the AC felt cooler at a higher temp. We also run the fan on, all the time, instead of on auto. The air circulating helped too.:fish:Holley
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In my experience, here in Savannah, the reason allergies are worse is due to humidity. The moisture in the air tends to clump together spores, dust, and dander. This would cause more irritation to someone with allergies. Also as Ripped pointed out, the mold could cause allergies. Do you have a hood, or lid to your tank? This could also be controlled by evaporation. If you don't have a lid, what kind of light are you running on? How high is it off the water? Do you run a chiller? I know a lot of lights have built in fans, to control the heat on the ballast. The heat coming off of the bulb is what it more than likely turning your water into vapor.
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I once started to have some mold in my fish room; especailly on the door and upper walls near the ceiling.
So I talked to Dave Baker, of WSB Radio's "Home Fix It Show" when he had a mold specialist on his program. I asked them about mold and humidity related to my fishroom. Their reply was that if I kept the Relative Humidity (RH) below 50% then mold could not survive.
In the 2 years since I talked to them, I've been keeping my RH between 50-60% and am still trying to get it below 50%. My mold issue has gone away.
I use both a dedicated window a/c unit as well as a dehumidifier. But with 16+ square feet of open display tank surface area, it's tough to get it below 50%.
So I talked to Dave Baker, of WSB Radio's "Home Fix It Show" when he had a mold specialist on his program. I asked them about mold and humidity related to my fishroom. Their reply was that if I kept the Relative Humidity (RH) below 50% then mold could not survive.
In the 2 years since I talked to them, I've been keeping my RH between 50-60% and am still trying to get it below 50%. My mold issue has gone away.
I use both a dedicated window a/c unit as well as a dehumidifier. But with 16+ square feet of open display tank surface area, it's tough to get it below 50%.
Quite the opposite,
High humidity clumps the spores and pollen, due to their now larger size filters can catch them and they're less likely to irritate you.
Plus your nose, throat and eyes are kept moist - so allergens have a harder time adhering to them.
As we move closer to winter I actually add a humidifier to keep the house from getting too dry. In the summer I only have issues when it's nice enough to open the windows and not run the AC. When the humidity does get over 50% I run a dehumidifier in the fish room and it doesn't take long to get it lowered.
How does one go about deciding the size of dehumidifier for a fish room. Are they square footage rated? Would reefers need something rated higher than a normal person (no, we are not normal) because of the amount of evaporate we create?
I have needed to run a humidifier during the winter months as the gas heat in the house tends to dry everything out. Since this is my first winter with a tank (155g bowfront w/canopy and led's) do you think that I may have less of a need for a humidifier?
Dehumidifiers are rated in the number of liters H2O they remove per day, and the price goes up the more they remove, and the more they remove the more electricity they draw. They have compressors. You can kind of think of them like chillers or room air conditioners regarding electrical draw. Usually, the model box will give a room size they are effective for, like 9 x 9 or whatever.
They are controlled based on a humidistat. Set the % humidity you wish to maintain and it kicks on a that percentage.
The easiest way to use a portable dehumidifier (IMO) is to have it empty into a drain....otherwise you have to empty the collection tub in the unit, and the unit stops working if the tub is full (float valve). I have a 70 liter/day dehumidifier in my tank area that empties into a bar sink. I keep it at 55% humidity. It comes on occaisionally in the summer, but never in the winter.
Finally, based on my experience, buy an American brand of dehumidifier. The Asian built ones break down fast. Stay away from LG if you can. You might pay a bit more initially for a brand like Frigidaire or similar, but it should last you a long time.
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I cannot use fans to cool my system due to the humidity it causes. To cool my system with fans, puts 5-6 gallons PER DAY into the air. If I could keep windows open, I suspect it wouldn't be a problem but open windows in summer is quite impractical. Removing that much water from the air is expensive and generates a lot of heat therefore I use a chiller. I do have a dehumidifier set to 50% RH that runs A LOT during the spring and fall (now) and less during the summer when the AC serves as an effective dehumidifier. Without the dehumidifier, my basement smells like a swamp. I don't see any mold or mildew but can smell it if the RH gets too high.
In the winter, one is not needed IME.
In the winter, one is not needed IME.
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Anyone vent their hood outside with an exhaust fan? That's what I do for my 600 gallon tank. The exhaust fan also pulls air from the stand for the sump and skimmer which also humidify the air under the tank.
The fan is a fantech rvf4. http://fantech.net/docs-resi/450483-rvf-brochure.pdf">http://fantech.net/docs-resi/450483-rvf-brochure.pdf</a>
Doesn't use much electricity at all but you do have to cut a hole in your house. I don't know how well this would work for open top systems. Another benefit is it pulls all the heat from the lights outside.
The fan is a fantech rvf4. http://fantech.net/docs-resi/450483-rvf-brochure.pdf">http://fantech.net/docs-resi/450483-rvf-brochure.pdf</a>
Doesn't use much electricity at all but you do have to cut a hole in your house. I don't know how well this would work for open top systems. Another benefit is it pulls all the heat from the lights outside.
+1
This is very true!! I read nothing but bad review of Hauer (Chinese) and LG (Korean) when I was looking to buy one last year. Most of them only last a few months of use from what I read.
I have a Frigidaire and it's still going strong. I use it my basement as I don't use the A/C down there that much so this allows the air to be normal and not too humid. Plus it costs less to run than my AC unit.
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