Humidity problems from the tank

[seth the wine guy]

andregarcia_73;693551 wrote: Does it help if you used bathroom sheetrock for walls.in your fish system?

I used bathroom sheetrock for my sump room and used a two part epoxy paint over it. Working flawlessly for me thus far.

But, back to the thread question. I use evaporative cooling on my tank and it's in the basement. Humidity is EXTREMELY high down there since putting in the tank. I'm trying to hold out for my cabinet door maker to get my doors on enclosing my tank to make any final judgements about buying a dehumidifier. I may also be able to move the cooling fan to the sump room eliminating a huge amount of the moisture being put into the air.

 

[carlitosreef]

You can also get asthma and other respiratory issues.

 

[acroholic]

Schwaggs;694631 wrote: I had a Frigidaire that lasted 18 months (6 months past warranty) so none of the brands are exempt from failure... I think quality in general has suffered due to price competition from the cheap brands or no-name brands...

I would agree with you that any brand can fail, but some fail more than others. I had an LG dehumidifier go bad last year and it was under warranty, so LG ended up replacing it. I had to take it to a warranty center in Lawrenceville that serviced all brands, foreign and domestic, and they showed me their room full of returned dehumidifiers, and told me 19 out of 20 returned for failure were imports, LG being the highest percentage. They had about 4 American Brand dehumidifiers in the entire room of 100 or so.

 

[tchristman]

I added one about 10 days ago to my fish room. I got a Fridgidaire from Lowes and I am very happy with it. It is the small one and I have to empty it at least once a day. Once I get the fish room cleaned up I will add it near the sink with a drain. It has a digital setting to only come on when the humidity is at a certain level. It was money well spent.

 

[grouper therapy]

I gave up on a dehumidifier and installed a window ac that was cheaper to run than the dehumidifier which usually runs a larger compressor than an ac. The ac cools the room. The dehumidifier adds heat. Both remove moisture. Food for thought. I guess it is not a great choice in the winter but I did not need humidity control then but rather invited a little moisture in the air. I'm using the compressor out of the dehumidifier for a vacuum clamp in my shop lol.

 

[stacy22]

My 300 gallon and associate tanks are all in my basement. My other half is "greatly concerned" about mold issues due to my tanks. The basement is unfinished but is insulated.

I will eventually be running metal halides over the main tank within a canopy. The sump and refugium will be located within an enclosed stand. What are the chances I am going to have humidity issues?

The basement is not heated or cooled as of now (except by nature). Can I buy some kind of meter that guages % humidity? Are these accurate? Is it true that if the % is <50% there are typically no mold issues?

 

[tchristman]

Mold can not grow in less than 50% humidity according to what I have read from the mold experts.

Edit:

grouper therapy;695541 wrote: I gave up on a dehumidifier and installed a window ac that was cheaper to run than the dehumidifier which usually runs a larger compressor than an ac. The ac cools the room. The dehumidifier adds heat. Both remove moisture. Food for thought. I guess it is not a great choice in the winter but I did not need humidity control then but rather invited a little moisture in the air. I'm using the compressor out of the dehumidifier for a vacuum clamp in my shop lol.

It does add heat. In the summer I think the ac unit will pull the humidity out of the air well enough that I will not have to run the dehumidifier. It has not had to run much the past couple of days but it ran steady for a week.

 

[hammcd]

i loved in savannah also and without a tank at that time and we HAD to have a dehumidifier...they are one of those things where once you have run them you cant remember how you lived without them...ours was a medium sized one that covered half of the size of our house there..we kept it in the bathroom where of course it was most humid and i think it had a 10 gallon bucket that collected the water...i probably changed it out every 2-3 days..imagine all that moisture built up in your house...we have one now here in atlanta and it collects less because our house is better insulated but id hate to go back to the feeling of not having one..u definately notice it...like others said..the air feels more fresh and light etc