humidity

[hwynboy]

I am running 2-135 gallon tanks and a 55gallon and a 30 gallon....I am having big time humidity issues in the house. I have since put in a big dehumidifier and it kicks ***. I probably evaporate about 3-5 gallons of water every day or two from the tanks. Does anyone else have this issue and how do you deal with it. I also have mold in the corners of some rooms around the house.

Kind of a stupid question also..would you be able to pour the water collected back into the sump? IT seems the water is going right from the sump into the dehumidifier.

Thanks

[myreef]

I evaporate about 7-10 gallons right now depending on how I have my fans...I am not using a dehumidifier...but will be soon. I plan on throwing the water out...or better yet, get a drain for it and drain it outside....

[hwynboy]

wow no one else with humidity issues? please post with your experiences and how you have dealt with it. Thanks for your response Andy.

[Nanook]

Originally posted by hwynboy
wow no one else with humidity issues? please post with your experiences and how you have dealt with it. Thanks for your response Andy.

I have humidity issues that I am ignoring right now. When i get the new tanks up and running though, I will have a humidistat on a fishroom vent of some kind.


dave

[vmiller]

I have a 600G system. A 180 and 125 in one room and a 150 sump and 150 refugium in the basement. I'm running two small dehumidifiers. One with the two displays and one downstairs with the sump and refugium. This works fine unless it's colder than 20F, which can be often during a NY winter. If it is this cold, then I get condensation on the windows. I'm in a new house and it's kind of frustrating.

I'm curious to see how others are handling it.

[Scuba_Dave]

I have a 125g on 1st floor, 40g sump in the basement. Once I setup the 180g & a 75 frag tank, I will start to vent air to the outside. Fish room in the basement will be enclosed to keep humidity out of the rest of the basement

[VegasMike]

With my 150 it is not any issue at all and I evap about 3-5 gallons a day depending on the time of the year. The humidity is never really an issue in Las Vegas since it is dry most of the time here. We actually have whole-house humidifiers in the house. The tank actually makes it more comfortable.

That being said, I am having an addition put on the house with a 450 gallon tank, 700 system, on its' way, due to be delivered on Monday per ABF Shipping. For humidity in the fish room, I am planning on a large exhaust fan that will be automatically turned on whenever the temp or humidity reaches a certain level. I can also turn it on with the flip of a switch in case of any smell issues. I may also wire a timer into it if find I need to. The dedicated AC to this room will also serve to remove some of the humidity issues.

[Diatom2]

Originally posted by myreef
I evaporate about 7-10 gallons right now depending on how I have my fans...I am not using a dehumidifier...but will be soon. I plan on throwing the water out...or better yet, get a drain for it and drain it outside....

Andy,
I use mine to water the plants around the house. I also use my reject water from my RO/DI unit to fill the washing machine so I don't waste the water.

Not all of us have that fat Acrylic Fabricator cash :p

[ri]

I currently have a 60 pint/day dehumidifier and a 20-inch box fan running in my "sump" room.

Before using them, I started to notice some mold on the 2x10 ceiling joists. I'm not sure the growth has stopped...

The fan is a new addition to combat the humidity. I hope that the extra circulation of air helps. I have not noticed any condensation on the window since the addition of the fan so I'm hopeful the problem is minimized.

My next project is to add a cold air return in the sump room. Should reduce the need to humidify the rest of the house. :D

ri

[myreef]

Originally posted by Diatom2
Andy,
I use mine to water the plants around the house. I also use my reject water from my RO/DI unit to fill the washing machine so I don't waste the water.

Not all of us have that fat Acrylic Fabricator cash :p

Hehe good point...I don't have any plants at the shop though...or a washing machine...so not wasting the "cash"....just no where to reuse it.... :p

[gwrulzmylife]

Running a Dehumidifier too, it just drains to the house sump then pumped outside. Got a "smart" one from sears, able to set the humidity level in the house, that way it doesn't just keep sucking the tanks dry. As for mold, when we moved in we had a bit (new house), so I used a primer that kills/covers mold. Hit all areas with this, keeps it from spreading.

[hwynboy]

what kind of primer and where do I get it from? thanks in advance.

[AcroSteve]

I would not put the water from the dehumidifier back in the tank.

If you need to get a lot of moist air out of the house, you must replace it. It is best to use an air-air heat exchange to save energy.

[teog]

When I had my 315g up I evaporated about 4-5g's a day. I went to Sears and bought there biggest dehumidifier for around 250.00 bucks. I had to empty it every other day. So then I drilled a hole in the side of my house for it to drain into my back-yard.

But than my A/C in the house blew so when I bought a new air handler I bought one that had a humidistat built in, and this was the best option! I moved a few months ago and now Im setting up a 180g so its back to my Kenmore dehumidifier.;)

[andycook]

Most dehumidifiers use copper piping don't they? I believe the water collected has way too much copper to be healthy for a reef system. I think I remember reading (www.thekrib.com ???) about a study where water collected a dehumidifier was used in a guppy fry tank. The fry ended up being stunted and the conclusion was that it was from the copper in the water from the dehumidifier. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Creade]

Tagging along to see any other opinions.
Still in the planning stages of the house+ 300gallon reef+500gallon FO.

My girlfriend has severe allergy problems with mold so this has been a very important discussion for us.

Creade

[gwrulzmylife]

Originally posted by hwynboy
what kind of primer and where do I get it from? thanks in advance.

"kilz" primer, I opted for the spray can, but if your tank is set up don't use it!

Hint on using the brush on primer (or any paint btw), add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinilla extract (artifical worked for me) and NO PAINT SMELL in the house! Best thing! Wife really appreciated my "effort" at controlling the smell, I used 2 gallons of paint to paint 1/2 the downstairs fish room, and no smell in the house!

Hope this helps?

[asmodeus]

i had a 280 in the wall and had to take it down due to the dampness in my house, i had the dehumidifier and it work a bit . I hadup to 80% in the house at all times. SO maybe it was just my house I dont know




its called a humdiex and you can getthem at a store in canada called HOME HARDWARE.

My buddy had humidity in his house at 85-90 % and installed this system and within 24 hrs the % of humidity in the house went to 23%
amazing , Its like a HRV you can get to install in your house but alot cheaper..

[gwrulzmylife]

you don't want to use the spray if the tank is set up cause it WILL get into the tank and kill just about anything, corals will shrink up and plstht! gone. Brush on you won't have that problem, just don't get it in the water!