Greetings Fine Woodworking Community:
I have a question re: the amount of moisture a basement drain adds to a workshop environment. I have a workshop set up in our basement (the walls of which definitely need to be re-sealed), and I run a dehumidifier throughout the day to keep moisture as low as possible (we live in NC, which gets very humid/damp in the warmer months). My question is whether running a hose from the dehumidifier to the basement drain would add a substantial amount of moisture to the space. The alternative is to repeatedly empty the reservoir, which I don’t mind but can easily forget.
I’ve tried to find an answer to this question on the forum with little luck, but feel free to redirect me if someone has explored this elsewhere.
Thanks,
Josh
Fledgling Woodworker
Replies
A lot of variables here, but I think as long as it's a real drain (to sewer/septic) with a trap, and not just a drywell or similar, and you don't ever notice air flowing out of it, it's probably ok to drain to with the dehum hose. Certainly a lot easier than emptying the bucket. In my basement I have an open sump pit that's always got water in it, and the dehum drains into it. The other sources of humidity probably far outweigh whatever may evaporate back into the space from the drain.
Worth mentioning: make sure your gutters etc drain away from the house, and the landscape slopes away from the house, if you can.
Just throw a pc of rubber mat over the drain / sump to retard air movement and evaporation. If you use a cushy rubber that will float there's no danger of the pit not working if it is really needed. I set this up for my Dad in florida and added a quart-size plastic milk bottle to the pit. When the pit is 2/3 full the bottle lifts the foam rubber pad off the floor, but we had to turn off the pump to test it.
Add a few tablespoons of mineral oil (available in drug and grocery stores). It floats to the top and prevents evaporation. I've used it on seldom used floor drains so they don't dry out and emit sewer gas.
Thats the way mine is set up - hose from dehumidifier to the floor drain. No reason to overthink it. There're traps in your sinks as well. Not significant.
If you think about it...
Provided the drain has a trap then it will always have water in it, so adding more will not change that. As water is added, more will leave.
Drying out is worse as it will smell awful.
As for emitting humidity, it should not be an issue -
1. The water surface is usually well down a pipe - often 30+cm from the floor;
2. The temperature is low and fairly constant so the vapour pressure will be low;
3. The area of water is very small compared with the volume of the space;
4. There should be no airflow to disturb what vapour there is.
As you are running a dehumidifier, you are far better having it connected to the drain, as it will not stop running when full and therefore will tend to keep humidity low and constant.
I run the dehumidifier nonstop. Keeps humidity at a stable level. Kinda like letting a/c run instead of turning it on& off.
Then again, I can set the humidity where I want. I keep it at 35%.
Mikaol
Rob_SS,
I have reported your to a certain martinet for "overthinking". I don't know what the penalty will be, mind.
As we await the publication of The Judgement of this serious crime, may I ask kindly if this thinking and emitting cogent advice has injured your brain at all? I suspect not but it seems to be a danger oft referred to around here!
:-)
Anyroadup, if you are to die of the overthinking, I feel sure that the OP will remember you as he fixes up his new and effective dehumidifying arrangement.
Lataxe
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