House Moisture?

blue_eyes53813

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
I am just curious if anybody with big systems like mine ( about 365 total gallon) has moisture problems in the home? If so how are you handling this problem?


During the winter months when the house is all shut up. Mind you I have a new house ( 4 years old) that I believe is to air tight. I get alot of moisture in windows, walls, doors that is starting to cause some mold issues or always has to be watched so it doesnt get out of control.

I am looking for some kind of venting system behind the tank or in the basement. Im not sure if this can be easily vented or what needs to be done to keep the moisture moving or to help dry out... My fiance says the tank may have to go if i cant get this figured out.

Any links or info on venting systems or how I can keep my home dried out would be great.
 
rmlevasseur

rmlevasseur

Active Member
I live in MN, 180 gallon reef, 65 gallon cube, 45 gallon fuge and 150 gallon sump. My tank is in my basement, which is furnished. In the fall we added an air-exchanger to the house, and I have noticed no humidity. Its so dry here, it probably even helps.

However, I have noticed more humidity in the summer. I've relied on the central air to keep it unnoticeable, but even that has only been needed on the hottest-muggiest days.

I was skeptical of the air-exchanger at first, but even with the tanks I never notice any condensation on the windows like I did before. I even placed an airpump in it to feed fresh air to the skimmer.
 
Jeremy0322

Jeremy0322

Active Member
I have noticed some issues with mine, which is a 55 with 20 sump, but thats cause its in my bedroom and I keep the door shut cause I like to regulate temp with a space heater, if its under 80 im sad. However, this has created a perfect environment for this blackish mold to try to grow on the window seals and in the cabinet. For the window seals I use a spray bottle with bleach and it kills it pretty quickly, and in the stand I either use a cloth with some bleach on it for the sides or when it grows on the sound panels I just remove and replace. Im tagging along though, if there is a better way to do this I would love to know!
:chair:
 
blue_eyes53813

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
What is an air exchanger? I have a dehumidifier but is very expensive to run. Running one 24/7 ups my electric bill between $300-$400 a month. So i use it maybe 18 hours a week to try to dry out the basement some. It works but is only temporary..

Thank You Anthony... I wil have my fiance look at that link... Something like that may have to be done...
 
reefer4200

reefer4200

Member
yup i recommend the dehumidifier as well. I used this when i had my 125 in my small apartment and it would get to about 105+ inside. Unbearable and dreaded. The dehumidifier really sucked the water out of the air. I had a smaller one so running it 24-7 would run me approx. $100/month BUT i also had to empty it manually atleast 5-10 times daily which is a PIA. As for your venting system..is your basement completely underground? Do you have a window?
 
reefer4200

reefer4200

Member
sorry didnt realize you had tried that already. Your best bet is going to be the exchanger. How else do you prevent or minimize that problem? Im tagging along as well!!
 
reefer4200

reefer4200

Member
sounds like the basement i wish i was sitting in right now. lol i feel like im trapped in a dungeon in my basement!!

Anyways, you should very easily be able to put some kind of ventilation or air exchanger down there. However that depends on the way your basement is built. I would talk to a contractor of some sort to get layout or plan. Or find out if it is even possible. Obviously having mold issues in you house is a MAJOR problem.
 
reefer4200

reefer4200

Member
Also, keep in mind that if this moisture/mold is building up on the outside of your walls where it is visible....it is also more than likely building up behind the drywall as well. How long has this problem been going on?
 
Fish Crazy

Fish Crazy

Member
I have a 180 in my living room and live in the central part of California and we have been having lots of issues with condensation on the windows and mold forming. To combat this we turn on the ceiling fans which seems to help, and mix us bleach and water and clean the windown seals once a month to get rid of the mold

I don't want tu buy a dehumidifier unless I have to as the tank has already raised my utility bill $300/month since it was set up in June
 
rmlevasseur

rmlevasseur

Active Member
An air-exchanger is basically a huge fan which blows air from the outside of the house into your heating ducts, and pushes air out the same way. Most states' building codes actually require them now on larger houses. I think it will fix you up and much cheaper than running a dehumidifier.

Air Exchangers
 
blue_eyes53813

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the information guys... Its good to know im not alone with this problem.... I am gonna have to save some $ for an air exchanger or a through the wall dehumidifier... I dont want to fight this mold every winter...
 
rmlevasseur

rmlevasseur

Active Member
It is surprisingly to me that you are having these problems in the winter in Wisconsin. Even though I credit my air exchanger a lot, the air is so dry here in the winter it sucks a lot of humidity out anyway. The humidity in my sump room is still only 29%. Are you using halides? They add a ton of humidity.
 
blue_eyes53813

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
Yes I have 6 halides.. So im sure that is part of the cause. I talked to a company in my town today that installed my furnace to see if they have any equipment that can be hooked to the furnace to help with dehumidifying the house.

To my surprise the lady said they are having the same issues with their new home because it is so air tight. ( and they dont have a fish tank) but they do have a hot tub.

I have a setting on my thermistat that says "fan" I thought this was for the air conditioning and was afraid to use it this time of year. It is actually in the furnace that pulls air from the outside. They have to run this all winter long to help with humidity and moisture in their house. Im gonna give it a try.
 
rmlevasseur

rmlevasseur

Active Member
Of course I don't know your set up but usually the fan only comes on when the heat comes on. If you set it to always on it will only circulate the air in your house, unless you have an air exchanger and didn't know it :) (in which case you better clean the filter!!)
 
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