Need advice on a dehumidifier for a basement pond setup

[Lughsan]

The pond is going to be around 300 gallons of water circulating about for our turtle.

I'd like to know how much de-humidification I'd need

 

[TheFishGuy]

It really depends on where you live. Here in Colorado we have to run a whole home humidifier in the winter, so if I were to add an indoor pond I might just turn that down, but if you are in Florida then you may need to consider some active de-humidification.

300 gallons isn't a ton, so I wouldn't do anything. People have aquariums of 300g and larger throughought the world, and I have never seen or heard anyone mention dehumidification, so I don't think it should be a huge problem.

Not a contractor or anyone who has experience in this field though, just using some logic, so I would wait for others to weigh in.

 

[Jhn]

Really depends on location, size of basement, how well does the air circulate down there…….where I am in the winter no dehumidification is necessary in my basement and I have around 300 gallons down there in a reef tank, various sumps. Now in the spring summer and fall it’s a different story. I have a decent size auto dehumidifier in the basement set to about 50% humidity and it just drains into the ejector pit, so no emptying of buckets and it keeps the basement from getting that musty smell.
You can get @combatwombat I’m here to figure out the exact amount of dehumidification needed, I just kind of wing it.

 

[j.w]

@Lughsan

 

[GBBUDD]

Any good humidifier should have a sf recommendation now they are usually inflated to where they will say it's good for 1200 sf and in actuality id only run it for like 800. it all depends like @TheFishGuy said depends where you are and also as noted the air circulation to the area a basement with moisture no air flow no light and perfect breeding for mold. LIKE @Jhn SAID IT'S BEST TO SET IT UP AND HAVE THE DRAIN emptying the collection tray mine goes to a sink that is rarely used which is perfect as the trap could dry out it's used that rarely

 

[Lughsan]

This is going to be in a basement setup ~1100 square feet upstairs is another 1100. Wife is super mold paranoid as she's deathly allergic to all of them. I was thinking

This guy would be perfectly overkilly:

Amazon.com

 

[TheFishGuy]

This is going to be in a basement setup ~1100 square feet upstairs is another 1100. Wife is super mold paranoid as she's deathly allergic to all of them. I was thinking

This guy would be perfectly overkilly:

Amazon.com

You might want to invest in something with the allergies in mind.

I would say that looks great, but just look at the reviews, I don’t see one positive review on there.

 

[sissy]

KIND OF HEATING AND AIRCONDITIONING ALSO . I use a humidity monitor . My heat pump also monitors humidity through a wifi set up . It is built as a system by lennox . Done when I had the new heat pump put in . I get a puter read out everyday and once a month a energy use report on my puter . wifi thermostat really is the best ever , made it so much easier for me . I even bamboo that has been burned to charcoal .in bags . I can get plenty of bamboo here to do my own now . I bought a couple of bags of it off ebay at first and decided to make my own . I kills odors and helps with humidity

 

[Leonard Carpenter]

The pond is going to be around 300 gallons of water circulating about for our turtle.

I'd like to know how much de-humidification I'd need

i had a 300 gallon pond in my basement and found it to be too humid in my home... I believe the dehumidifier I bought was from Canadian tire for about $300. It is about 30" tall and about 12 x 12" square in size. There are lots of different brands of these.. if you get one make sure it has an adjustable humidity setting(most do) and the option to drain out of a hose to a floor drain is really nice too. most have a built in bucket with a hose drain option. turn it on and forget it.. very nice , very reliable. Will keep your humidity at what ever you like.
my old indoor setup.....

 

[dumpfood]

300 gallons isn't a ton, so I wouldn't do anything. People have aquariums of 300g and larger throughought the world, and I have never seen or heard anyone mention dehumidification, so I don't think it should be a huge problem.

Not a contractor or anyone who has experience in this field though, just using some logic, so I would wait for others to weigh in.

The aquariums may have lids and the ponds may not. Bubblers and waterfalls increase humidification exponentially.

The answer is that it entirely depends on the house, the water features, how well the room is insulated from the outside, is the water features heated, is the pond higher temp than the air, how closed off the room is fr the rest of the house, what style of HVAC system is installed, how well the return vent functions... Etc...

You could spread humidity through your whole house and create a mold problem in another room potentially... Unlikely, but possible especially with an older house or house with faulty HVAC. Mold kills and costs 10s of thousands of dollars to remediate.

If you really want to DIY, monitor the whole house. Pay attention to condensation and check for signs of moisture in your insulation. Use green board instead of usual drywall. Vapor seal your insulation and the room as best as possible and have. Dehumidifier set to 50% RH. That way you know how long the humidifier is running and have an idea of how much humidity is coming from the pond. Also monitor water levels in the pond and consider that however many gallons you refill due to evaporation is how much water is entering the air. Air exchanger may be necessary, but good insulation of the room and a dehumidifier should be good for a fairly well insulated room with a non heated pond and minimal bubbling/waterfall flow.

Good luck!!

 

[poconojoe]

Be aware that some dehumidifiers will ice up and cease to function if it's too cold in your basement. I'm not sure at what temperature this will happen.
Unfortunately mine does this. The coils and fins ice up.
So make sure you get the type that is not affected by cold temperatures.

 

[j.w]

@dumpfood

 

[GBBUDD]

Be aware that some dehumidifiers will ice up and cease to function if it's too cold in your basement. I'm not sure at what temperature this will happen.
Unfortunately mine does this. The coils and fins ice up.
So make sure you get the type that is not affected by cold temperatures.

too much air flow , or continuous use can cause a condensor/ lines to freeze. you may need a larger unit or add a second , to lighten the load

 

[poconojoe]

Common dehumidifiers will ice up if the room temperature is below 65 (F).

They do make low temperature dehumidifiers. Some can operate in the low 40's (F). These are ideal for cool spaces such as basements.

 

[Stephen Noble]

This OP is a year old but what the heck. I use a dehumidifier in my sunroom during the winter. One benefit is the heat it emits. The dehumidifier is vented directly outside so no emptying the collection tub. If anyone is interested, I will share the specifics.