I have been spending a lot of time in my basement this summer. I
haven't been using a dehumidifier because it's not damp nor was there
any real musty smell. I brought one down recently and it registered 80
degrees humidity. I've been reading online that 50-60% is the safe
level to combat mold. My question - if mold was growing in my basement
all summer wouldn't I be able to smell it right now in the clothes and
furniture fabrics? I don't. Is there mold growth that has no smell
that I should be worried about? Also what are the physical dangers of
spending time in a basement that has 80% humidity?

"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...

I have been spending a lot of time in my basement this summer. I
haven't been using a dehumidifier because it's not damp nor was there
any real musty smell. I brought one down recently and it registered 80
degrees humidity. I've been reading online that 50-60% is the safe
level to combat mold. My question - if mold was growing in my basement
all summer wouldn't I be able to smell it right now in the clothes and
furniture fabrics?

The practical point is: by the time you can smell mold in
textiles you have two problems not one. You must now (#2)
clean or recondition these textiles as well as (#1) find and
cure the source problem in the basement. Since we have
to tackle #1 as well as #2, it is usually more economical
to tackle #1 before #2 appears.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Aug 2, 11:23 am, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message

ups.com...

I have been spending a lot of time in my basement this summer. I
haven't been using a dehumidifier because it's not damp nor was there
any real musty smell. I brought one down recently and it registered 80
degrees humidity. I've been reading online that 50-60% is the safe
level to combat mold. My question - if mold was growing in my basement
all summer wouldn't I be able to smell it right now in the clothes and
furniture fabrics?

The practical point is: by the time you can smell mold in
textiles you have two problems not one. You must now (#2)
clean or recondition these textiles as well as (#1) find and
cure the source problem in the basement. Since we have
to tackle #1 as well as #2, it is usually more economical
to tackle #1 before #2 appears.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

so should I run the dehumdifier non-stop or is a couple of times a day
enough to keep mold at bay?

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...

so should I run the dehumdifier non-stop or is a couple of times a day
enough to keep mold at bay?

Decide what level of basement humidity you want:
then run the dehumidifier for as many hours per day
as will reduce the actual level to your target level.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Aug 2, 4:27 pm, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message

oups.com...

so should I run the dehumdifier non-stop or is a couple of times a day
enough to keep mold at bay?

Decide what level of basement humidity you want:
then run the dehumidifier for as many hours per day
as will reduce the actual level to your target level.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Well I ran it for an hour this morning and it brought the level down
to 60%. then I ran it a couple of hours later and it was back up to
80%. Just wondering how long it takes for the humidity to build up.
For the record it's a very hot day - 93 degrees.

Joe writes:
Well I ran it for an hour this morning and it brought the level down
to 60%. then I ran it a couple of hours later and it was back up to
80%. Just wondering how long it takes for the humidity to build up.
For the record it's a very hot day - 93 degrees.

Unless you've got something actively circulating the air in your entire
basement, the dehumidifier is only going to significantly affect the
air that's relatively close to it. Then, when you shut it off, the
humidity from farther away will quickly seep into the air that the
dehumidifier already worked on, and the humidity near the dehumidifier
will shoot back up.

Doesn't your dehumidifier allow you to set the humidity level you want
and set it to cycle on and off as needed to maintain that level? If
so, then you should just do that. If not, consider getting a
dehumidifier that has such settings :-).

You may wish to get an humidity meter in your basement, at the
farthest point possible away from the dehumidifier. That way, you'll
be able to tell if the dehumidifier is actually succeeding at keeping
humidity down in the entire basement.

--
Help stop the genocide in Darfur!
http://www.genocideintervention.net/

On Aug 2, 2:05 pm, Joe wrote:
On Aug 2, 4:27 pm, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message

roups.com...

so should I run the dehumdifier non-stop or is a couple of times a day
enough to keep mold at bay?

Decide what level of basement humidity you want:
then run the dehumidifier for as many hours per day
as will reduce the actual level to your target level.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Well I ran it for an hour this morning and it brought the level down
to 60%. then I ran it a couple of hours later and it was back up to
80%. Just wondering how long it takes for the humidity to build up.
For the record it's a very hot day - 93 degrees.

It might help to know where you live, and what the climate is. Do
you have regular air conditioning?
If you are in a dryer climate, perhaps all you need to do is ventilate
the basement. If you are in a hot/damp climate, your regualar AC
might be modified to pull the moisture out.

Where is the moisture coming from? Retrofitting a basement to keep
out moisture might not be easy, but at least it's an option.

On Aug 2, 9:46 pm, wrote:
On Aug 2, 2:05 pm, Joe wrote:



On Aug 2, 4:27 pm, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message

roups.com...

so should I run the dehumdifier non-stop or is a couple of times a day
enough to keep mold at bay?

Decide what level of basement humidity you want:
then run the dehumidifier for as many hours per day
as will reduce the actual level to your target level.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Well I ran it for an hour this morning and it brought the level down
to 60%. then I ran it a couple of hours later and it was back up to
80%. Just wondering how long it takes for the humidity to build up.
For the record it's a very hot day - 93 degrees.

It might help to know where you live, and what the climate is. Do
you have regular air conditioning?
If you are in a dryer climate, perhaps all you need to do is ventilate
the basement. If you are in a hot/damp climate, your regualar AC
might be modified to pull the moisture out.

Where is the moisture coming from? Retrofitting a basement to keep
out moisture might not be easy, but at least it's an option.

I'm in Connecticut. It has been very humid lately but there is no
dampness in the basement yet the humidity level is high. I only
brought down the dehumidifier to check on it and was astounded that
the humidity was so high yet it didn't feel very hot, or damp. The
cold water pipes are bone dry. I guess I need to know if I should be
dehumidifying the air down there if there are no warning signs. I've
always heard that if the air feels damp or the pipes are sweating then
there is a need to dehumidify the air but do I need to do so if the
humidity is just high?