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bostoned

Dehumidifier and sq footage

bostoned
16 years ago

My home is a raised ranch. The basement is a finished walk-out. I am considering the Danby DDR586R. This covers 3,400 sq ft. My home is about 2,200, this is the upper and lower level combined. I will be keeping the unit downstairs but I'd like to know if this will also dehumidify the upper level of the house as well. Also, is it pointless for me to buy the unit covering 3,400 sq ft if my home is only 2,200? If anyone owns or has any experience with this Danby, please chime in.

Thanks,

Ed

Comments (6)

  • jasper60103
    16 years ago

    Ed,
    I bought a DDR583R 58 pint dehumidifier last summer. It was discontinued and replaced by the DD586R. Anyway, mine is rated up to 3400 sq. ft as well. My basement is only about 1000sq ft. and it works great. Not sure if it helps the upstairs, but thats not a problem for me. My only complaint is having to empty the bucket every day if its very humid. If I place the unit near a drain then the noise will be a problem. They say its super quiet, but I guess thats a relative term.

    I don't know if oversizing the unit will benefit you or not. The price is not out of line with most humidifiers, so I would recommend it anyway.
    Hope this helps.

    -jasper

    Here is a link that might be useful: Basement Dehumidifier

  • bus_driver
    16 years ago

    I think a moderately oversized dehumidifier would not be a problem at all. I doubt that it will do much for upstairs humidity directly unless there is air circulation between the areas. But dryer basement air will eventually result in dryer air upstairs- for sure. I consider 50% to be the best relative humidity for a basement.

  • ron6519
    16 years ago

    One unit will not do both floors. You will need one unit on each floor. Size the units to the size of the space being conditioned. It's the same plan you would use for air conditioning. Would you expect an air conditioner in the basement to cool the first floor?
    Ron

  • bostoned
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Jasper,

    I have read that the unit produces alot of heat. Can you tell me what your opinion is? I am close to buying this on line. Have you had any difficulties so far? I will have to empty this manually since I don't have a drain near enough to run it to.

    Appreciate your input.

    Ed

  • jasper60103
    16 years ago

    Ed,
    yep, it does raise my basement temp 2-3 degrees so its something to consider. I don't have a problem with it since my basement is a little on the chilly side anyway.
    I'd expect all dehumidifiers would raise temp a bit, since they blow warm air back into the room.

    I ran my unit all last summer with no problems. I just check/empty the bucket daily. If you forget, and the bucket is full the alarm will sound and the dehumidification will stop until you empty the bucket. Also, its like running a AC unit so you may notice a increase in your electric bill.
    Oh, the remote may be nice to have, but I haven't gotten much use of it. Once you set your desired humidity level, you generally don't need to mess with it.

    Hope this helps.

    -jasper

  • brickeyee
    16 years ago

    "I'd expect all dehumidifiers would raise temp a bit, since they blow warm air back into the room."

    The motor heat for the unit has to go somewhere.
    One fan motor, one sealed compressor.
    The heat of condensation of the water also gets radiated into the room.
    In energy, there is no free lunch.

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