Get a new one that is "energy star" and has a built in humidity sensor.
Then set it up to drain to a floor drain and then all you have to do is set
you humidity level and forget it.

If you don't have a floor drain the feed it into a "descasent pump" [like
what is used a lot with furnaces etc] that will pump it to a drain.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:46:47 -0700 (PDT), N8N
wrote:

Hi all,

got a fairly old (1940's) house with a basement that tends to get
humid in the summertime - no visible water intrusion, it just gets
damp. I assume because it stays nice and cool down there and the hot
air from outside has a lot of water in it that just can't stay when
the air cools off. I have an old dehumidifier that came with the
house, but I don't think it's doing a whole lot - it runs a lot, but
the container never seems to get full. I suspect that this is wasting
a lot of electricity, plus it's loud. (the door is missing to the
laundry room, so if I'm trying to sit in the other room and watch TV I
have to turn the volume up when it kicks on.) I suspect I should just
buy a new one, any particular recommendations on brands? Quiet would
be my first concern, efficiency second. I may not need it at all once
it gets warm as we have central A/C installed (which we didn't last
year) but there are still a couple months where it is warm/humid that
I probably won't use the A/C.

thanks

nate


You may want to seal the walls if they are concrete. There are
rubber-based paints made specifically for this. Dehumidifiers are
noisy and require considerable power. You can put the dehumidifier
on a 24-hour timer so it only runs at certain hours. A fan can help
circulate air or you can run the furnace blower. Moisture tends to
move away from warmer locations and toward cooler areas.