Window Dehumidifier?

I have a dehumidifier in our basement family room that keeps the basement dry (less humid) but dumps allot of heated air back into the room. I really don't need cooling down there (as the first floor ac units keep things cool) but I would like to avoid having the heated exhaust air reintroduced into the family room. Haeir & LG make ac units that appear to have a dehumidifier mode but they aren't really dehumidifiers in that they wont cycle on/off based on humidity sensors, like a real dehumidifier. All I want is a window unit that will cycle on/off based on humidity levels, not temp, but can't seem to find such a thing. Am I misunderstanding something? (this way I wouldn't have heated air being dumped into the room or have to empty a bucket, it would just drip like a normal ac window unit....& I don't want to have to buy one of those expensive pumps that will pump the bucket out automatically)

You are correct the window A/C senses temperature, the de-humidifier senses humidity. One solution would be to buy a small window A/C unit but turn it on and off from a humidifier sensor. You would need to brew your own, I don't know of a control that would do it directly. Some central A/C unit, those with variable speed air handlers, frequently have humidity controls on them. The temperature sensor determines the "sensible" (dry bulb) temperature, the humidity sensor determines the "latent" (wet bulb) temperature. Once the indoor dry bulb set point is reached the fan speed is reduced and the unit continues to operate until the wet bulb temperature is reached.

Look closely a the design of the Haeir & LG they may do this. If it's expensive it may do it, if it's cheap no way.

Yanche wrote:One solution would be to buy a small window A/C unit but turn it on and off from a humidifier sensor.

Thanks for your input Yanche. Both Haier & LG sell window ac units that claim to have a dehumidifier mode but, when you read the instruction manuals they are turned on/off based on a weird temperature formula...not humidity sensing. I think I solved my problem:

I bought this humidistat http://www.drillspot.com/products/49344 ... er_Control which I can plug any window ac unit into & do the following:
1. set the unit to the lowest temp setting it can go (so it will operate from the humidistat, even at low room temps)
2. This will work with any ac unit that will turn back on after a power failure
(I have a spare window ac already)

Voila! .....No more hot air being dumped into the room & no more emptying the bucket!

I can also run my humidifier from it in the winter.

(I'll just wall mount the sensor any where I want & then run a heavy guage extension cord to the humidifier or AC unit.)




Unless I am misunderstanding something, I can't understand why they don't sell some window AC units that have a "real" dehumidifying mode for when it's cool but damp & you want drier air but don't need cooling?? (& don't want heated air being dumped back into the room from a normal dehumidifier)

I have a very damp and moldy basement which aggravates my allergies severely. I researched whole house Dehumidifiers but found that they can be very very expensive.

http://www.dehumidifierexperts.com/arti ... ers/?id=14

Air conditioning lowers the temperature of the air - usually below dewpoint resulting in cooler, dryer air. Simple de-humidification involves cooling the air below dewpoint and re-heating it to back around space temperature. A simple residential de-humidifier uses the power it consumes as the reheat.

Either you have air conditioning or you have de-humidification. If you don't want cooling, then use a de-humidifier. If you don't want to have a bucket to dump, use a condensate pump and pump it to the nearest sanitary line. (via a trap of course).

To run an A/C unit off of a humidistat may not really gain anything other than locking out the unit during lower humidity days.

I run my dehumidifier in the basement all the time, have it set about 55%, winter time doesn't run much since the coal stove keeps it pretty dry. No musty smell or anything anymore.
Since I don't have a floor drain or sump. I finally broke down and got a Little Giant? Condensate Pump, to auto drain it! What an improvement, NO emptying the bucket. I pumps it up to the drain.

I tried running a dehumidifier in the basement when I first bought this place. After it ran 24/7 for a month straight & DOUBLED my electric bill, it went on eBay. The coal stove has been the best & most effective dehumidifier I could possibly have in this swamp of a home.

Hell ... I'll bet anyone here I'm the only forum member with a BULLFROG living in their sump! Doesn't get much more humid than that!!

Along with a few strange salamanders .... and mice, moles, ............

Smitty,

You must be right handed.......There is only 1 busted knuckle on your left !!!!!!!


Either that or this pic was taken before you worked on the old Jimmy.........





Rick