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Basement Moisture Creates Mold!
The Environmental Protection Agency says to “keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) for relative humidity.” The way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture and “fix the source of the water problem or leak to prevent mold growth.”
The quickest reliable way to determine whether you need a dehumidifier is to use your nose. If you can smell mold and mildew, your basement is wet. Hopefully the moisture is simply a result of humid air because your basement is below grade. In that case a dehumidifier will make a dramatic difference in your basement environment.
A thorough inspection can ensure that the moisture isn’t from some source such as leaky pipes, air conditioning condensation, or groundwater. Once it has been decided that a dehumidifier is appropriate, we have some recommendations:
- Install a good quality dehumidifier that will last
- Eliminate the reservoir which will require emptying
- Use a condensate pump or gravity fed drain
- Check the humidity level to determine the proper setting for the dehumidifier – leaving the setting too high will do the job but waste energy by running constantly
We install commercial grade dehumidifiers which can stand alone or be integrated into a basement waterproofing system. Our units can handle a large open space or be ducted to handle finished spaces without seeing the equipment. All of the dehumidifiers we install are self-draining eliminating the need to constantly empty reservoirs. Once installed a humidistat is used to ensure proper dehumidification of the space.
