Guest guest Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 " there are often tale tale signs of water leaks--ie a black " water line " above the flooring, sometimes the walls are discolored, but the biggest give away would be an odor. " They took care of that- they painted the walls! I really don't think the basement smells musty. It could possibly be that we are used to the smell, and we will ask a friend to go down there the next time one is over. Thanks, Olif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 why not scrape a lttle paint off up to a few inches off the floor? Olif <OVanPelt@...> wrote: " there are often tale tale signs of water leaks--ie a black " water line " above the flooring, sometimes the walls are discolored, but the biggest give away would be an odor. " They took care of that- they painted the walls! I really don't think the basement smells musty. It could possibly be that we are used to the smell, and we will ask a friend to go down there the next time one is over. Thanks, Olif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 I've been fine with Eva Dry. I have the 1100 model & the 2200. 9 volt & 12 volt respectively. They are real small but do collect water. I did offgas them before I used them - I do that with everything. The other I have is in storage many miles away but is metal. Metal is the way to go as it doesn't offgas. FYI it gave off enough heat to keep the room farely warm in very cold climate. You could have a problem with the new motor fumes though. I used it in a room with 2 exhaust fans going continuously so I had no problems. One exhaust fan was placed in my unused dryer duct & the other was in the ceiling. The company NEEDS sells MCS-safe air purifiers in which the motor is run for 750 hrs before it's sold. That may be the magic number of how long it takes for a motor to offgas. > > can anyone recommend a good dehumidifier that isnt going to cause problems with my mcs? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 I have a Sante Fe by Thermastor. I believe I got the manufacturer correct name. It keeps my house very dry and comes with good filter, very powerful, expensive though...like everything, to avoid mold. It allowd me to keep thermostat high in summer though which I like. I have thermastat usually set to 77 or 78 since if it's dry that is comfortable. I have always disliked air conditioned air though. Before my dehumidifier I had to keep thermastat lower than I wanted to dry out the air and wear a sweater in summer, now I don't need a sweater because it's dry. I can move it wherever I go so I thought the expense was worth it. It shouldn't be expensive though to just get a dehumidifier with good filter on it, if you don't need a real powerful one. > > can anyone recommend a good dehumidifier that isnt going to cause problems with my mcs? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 We have a SaniDry from Basement Systems that we LOVE!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Our SaniDry dehumidifier is drained directly into the enclosed sump pump. Cycles on and off and the RH is never above 40%. It is a large unit but I am so happy we have it! We never really had a problem in our basement but we didn't want any. We painted our walls with drylock paint and so far things are great. I drive my poor husband crazy with all my worries and concerns. My exposure wasn't at home but at my school but if I see a leak or water I get overly concerned. During this past winter with ALL the snow we had I was scared the roof was going to leak or fall in. Terrible to have to always be a worry wart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Thank you for this reply. Im looking into this. I would also love to hear thoughts on the info I received below... I have a return email from our HVAC guy. This is what he proposed adn Im wondering if this sounds OK. The word " Ducts " concerns me hopefully wrongly about circulating bad air: The best permanent solution would be a central dehumidifier installed to dehumidify the whole basement. This unit would be installed permanently in the equipment room and would have supply ducts and a return duct. It would be automatically operated to the desired relative humidity, and piped to the floor drain. Thank you, Robin > > We have a SaniDry from Basement Systems that we LOVE!! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Ducts scare me. There are no ducts in my house for anything. Years ago I saw something on the net that was this big unit you put in the basement that was basically a glorified exhaust system - based on that moisture is higher in the basement & household moisture, being heavier than air, will always seek the lowest point. To that I thought why not put an inline exhaust fan at the bottom of a wall ? Just speculating. I also thought of a HRV situated near the ceiling in the dryest spot & outputting on the other side of the crawl - not to the living space at all. The system, however simple, could still grow mold. > > Thank you for this reply. Im looking into this. I would also love to hear thoughts on the info I received below... > > I have a return email from our HVAC guy. This is what he proposed adn Im wondering if this sounds OK. The word " Ducts " concerns me hopefully wrongly about circulating bad air: > > The best permanent solution would be a central dehumidifier installed to dehumidify the whole basement. This unit would be installed permanently in the equipment room and would have supply ducts and a return duct. It would be automatically operated to the desired relative humidity, and piped to the floor drain. > > Thank you, > > Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Thanks, so much. Robin > > Our SaniDry dehumidifier is drained directly into the enclosed sump pump. > Cycles on and off and the RH is never above 40%. It is a large unit but I am > so happy we have it! We never really had a problem in our basement but we > didn't want any. We painted our walls with drylock paint and so far things > are great. I drive my poor husband crazy with all my worries and concerns. > My exposure wasn't at home but at my school but if I see a leak or water I > get overly concerned. During this past winter with ALL the snow we had I > was scared the roof was going to leak or fall in. Terrible to have to always > be a worry wart. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Do you install the SaniDry yourself? This is the one the HVAC company wants to put in: http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=ProductDetails & category=17 & item=170\ 0 he is also charging about 3000$. We need to be able to leave the house and not worry about it. My husband will be communting back and forth until he gets house cleaned out then it may sit awhile while on the market if we put it up for sale for now. INFO: Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifiers work throughout your entire home. They remove up to 50% more water per kilowatt hour than leading portable dehumidifiers. The Models 1750A and 1770A also features truly automatic control, so there's never a need to manually control the dehumidifier - just set it once and forget it! The Best Choice for healthy, comfortable air is an Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifier installed in your new or existing heating and cooling system. The benefits and results speak for themselves: •Provides three times the moisture removing capacity of leading portable dehumidifiers—up to 135 pints or 16.88 gallons per day •No messy tanks to empty and clean—ever •Automatically senses moisture levels and maintains optimum humidity levels in your home, never too much, or too little and running only when needed •Switches automatically between whole-house dehumidification when central air-conditioning system is running, and localized dehumidification when your air-conditioning isn't running •Convertible from whole-home to localized application lets you solve excess moisture issues where you need it most from crawl spaces to attics and basements •Can be operated manually, allowing you to monitor and control moisture levels in a specific location—such as your basement or master bedroom (optional Living Space Control is required) " Exposure to mold and dampness in homes as much as doubles the risk of asthma development in children. Anyone with young children in the home should be aware of the potentially harmful effects of long-term exposure to mold and this potential link to asthma in children. " Thanks so much.. Robin (promise not to ask so many qustions eventually...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating through the forced air ducting. Which one you select will depend on the application. Also, be careful with the sales people. Some use the dehumidifier as a starting point to sell other equipment such as air purifiers, sump pumps, moisture barriers, and energy recovery ventilation systems. Sometimes all of them together even though only one or two is necessary. Which raises the question: Do you need more dehumidication than the air conditioning provides? If the RH inside is below 50-55% (approximately) even on the most humid days you don't need a dehumidifier. If it does go above 50-55% (approximately, experts differ on the exact number) then you need to know how much above and for how long. Why? Buying a bigger dehumidifier than you really need won't hurt the house or your health but will unnecessarily deplete your bank account. Get some technical information from someone other than the salesperson so you can buy wisely. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- Do you install the SaniDry yourself? This is the one the HVAC company wants to put in: http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=ProductDetails & catego ry=17 & item=1700 he is also charging about 3000$. We need to be able to leave the house and not worry about it. My husband will be communting back and forth until he gets house cleaned out then it may sit awhile while on the market if we put it up for sale for now. INFO: Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifiers work throughout your entire home. They remove up to 50% more water per kilowatt hour than leading portable dehumidifiers. The Models 1750A and 1770A also features truly automatic control, so there's never a need to manually control the dehumidifier - just set it once and forget it! The Best Choice for healthy, comfortable air is an Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifier installed in your new or existing heating and cooling system. The benefits and results speak for themselves: oProvides three times the moisture removing capacity of leading portable dehumidifiers-up to 135 pints or 16.88 gallons per day oNo messy tanks to empty and clean-ever oAutomatically senses moisture levels and maintains optimum humidity levels in your home, never too much, or too little and running only when needed oSwitches automatically between whole-house dehumidification when central air-conditioning system is running, and localized dehumidification when your air-conditioning isn't running oConvertible from whole-home to localized application lets you solve excess moisture issues where you need it most from crawl spaces to attics and basements oCan be operated manually, allowing you to monitor and control moisture levels in a specific location-such as your basement or master bedroom (optional Living Space Control is required) " Exposure to mold and dampness in homes as much as doubles the risk of asthma development in children. Anyone with young children in the home should be aware of the potentially harmful effects of long-term exposure to mold and this potential link to asthma in children. " Thanks so much.. Robin (promise not to ask so many qustions eventually...) ---------- The following section of this message contains a file attachment prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format. If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system, you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer. If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance. ---- File information ----------- File: DEFAULT.BMP Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10 Size: 358 bytes. Type: Unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 I know I mention this often but how about drinking the best water ever that you are takeing out of the air. That is killing two birds with one stone and cost alot less than that does? Check out this awsome filter at www.ecoloblue.com. Of course I only own one I have nothing to do with the company. Also here are two videos one of the techs sent me.  ________________________________ From: Carl E. Grimes <grimes@...> Sent: Wed, August 25, 2010 12:57:36 AM Subject: Re: [] Re: Dehumidifier  The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating through the forced air ducting. Which one you select will depend on the application. Also, be careful with the sales people. Some use the dehumidifier as a starting point to sell other equipment such as air purifiers, sump pumps, moisture barriers, and energy recovery ventilation systems. Sometimes all of them together even though only one or two is necessary. Which raises the question: Do you need more dehumidication than the air conditioning provides? If the RH inside is below 50-55% (approximately) even on the most humid days you don't need a dehumidifier. If it does go above 50-55% (approximately, experts differ on the exact number) then you need to know how much above and for how long. Why? Buying a bigger dehumidifier than you really need won't hurt the house or your health but will unnecessarily deplete your bank account. Get some technical information from someone other than the salesperson so you can buy wisely. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Thank you, Carl. The basement is a problem. It is running about 70% humidity and we have to dump three diff humidifiers (a med size one and two small - 3 different sections of the basement) at least once a day and should twice to keep the humidity low. It goes up to 70 within a few hours of not dumping the water. We forgot to run humidifiers too late this past summer which resulted in a musty smell but there has been no mold found with 3 inspections. Im not sure how that works with musty smells. So we need something that will cover the basement. The wood floors on the main level above the basement have registred at about 20% moisture (or whatever those gadgets measure..) at least they did once when I had the remediator check the floor around dishwashre then around entire lower level.. it was sttrange to be so high, but I think the next time he came and I had him check it as lower. I am guessing this could be rising up from the basement.. ?? The humidity in the main level of the house was right in range 45-55%. This guy is a friend, so I dont think he is going to try to sell anything more to us other than a built in unit. He believes in UV lights which I have doubts about but is not trying to push that on us. Just says it is an option. Our biggest concern is the basement. I dont think this house was hit with a lot of mold spores.. not like my parents house was. I think the spores leak out esp when we stopped using the shower and it dried up (if thats how that works) though the crack in the grout seam.. could be wrong. Unless this effects only people with the bad shoemaker genes and the pets dont have them.. they have not shown a sign of a problem and I am thinking they would if they spores had been bad. Im rambling again... sorry. So stressed out still. Oh... point being I think we can save this house and sell it.. thats my hope. And I want to ensure the basement does not get damp while we are away. Robin > > The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while > the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating > through the forced air ducting. > > Which one you select will depend on the application. > > Also, be careful with the sales people. Some use the dehumidifier > as a starting point to sell other equipment such as air purifiers, > sump pumps, moisture barriers, and energy recovery ventilation > systems. Sometimes all of them together even though only one > or two is necessary. > > Which raises the question: Do you need more dehumidication > than the air conditioning provides? > > If the RH inside is below 50-55% (approximately) even on the > most humid days you don't need a dehumidifier. If it does go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 They brought it down into the basement hooked up the hose and put it into the sump pump which is a sealed all enclosed unit. Do you install the SaniDry yourself? This is the one the HVAC company wants to put in: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 The Therma-Stor dehumidifier (DH) is the best; I believe that the SaniDry is manufactured by them as well. They also make a version (Ultra?) that can be installed into a duct system for whole house dehumidification. Do not install the Aprilaire whole house DH unless you use supplemental filtration, as the metal-mesh filter on the Aprilaire unit is not good enough. You need at least a MERV-8 (disposable)pleated-media filter for any DH; MERV-11 is better, and the one inch is not deep enough. The MERV-11 should be at least four inches deep. There is even some air bypass around the 2-inch, pleated-media Therma-Stor air filter and I recommend that tape be placed around the filter to stop bypass. Any dust that lands on the DH coil will end up as mold, so it is essential (as with A/C coils) to keep the coil clean. May May Indoor Air Investigations LLC www.mayindoorair.com www.myhouseiskillingme.com > > Do you install the SaniDry yourself? > > This is the one the HVAC company wants to put in: > > http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=ProductDetails & category=17 & item=170\ 0 > > he is also charging about 3000$. > > We need to be able to leave the house and not worry about it. My husband will be communting back and forth until he gets house cleaned out then it may sit awhile while on the market if we put it up for sale for now. > > INFO: > > Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifiers work throughout your entire home. They remove up to 50% more water per kilowatt hour than leading portable dehumidifiers. The Models 1750A and 1770A also features truly automatic control, so there's never a need to manually control the dehumidifier - just set it once and forget it! > The Best Choice for healthy, comfortable air is an Aprilaire Whole-House Dehumidifier installed in your new or existing heating and cooling system. The benefits and results speak for themselves: > > •Provides three times the moisture removing capacity of leading portable dehumidifiers—up to 135 pints or 16.88 gallons per day > > > •No messy tanks to empty and clean—ever > > •Automatically senses moisture levels and maintains optimum humidity levels in your home, never too much, or too little and running only when needed > > •Switches automatically between whole-house dehumidification when central air-conditioning system is running, and localized dehumidification when your air-conditioning isn't running > > •Convertible from whole-home to localized application lets you solve excess moisture issues where you need it most from crawl spaces to attics and basements > > •Can be operated manually, allowing you to monitor and control moisture levels in a specific location—such as your basement or master bedroom (optional Living Space Control is required) > > " Exposure to mold and dampness in homes as much as doubles the risk of asthma development in children. Anyone with young children in the home should be aware of the potentially harmful effects of long-term exposure to mold and this potential link to asthma in children. " > > > Thanks so much.. > > Robin (promise not to ask so many qustions eventually...) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 i wanted to to try to sell my condo to avoid foreclosure but after talking to several individuals they said with the housing market as bad as it is and id have to disclose that the condo had mold it would be better to let the bank foreclose on it than to keep paying on it. knowing i couldn't pay rent and my mortgage payment till the condo sold i didn't have much of a choice. When it comes to mold and mold exposure it doesnt seem like theres a light at the end of the tunnel. Everyday that i wake up it seems like im facing a new challenge, another set back it just never seems to end. > I think we can save this house and sell it.. thats my hope. And I want to ensure the basement does not get damp while we are away. > > Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Jeffery, Man either I am just not very observant or I have not seen you in a long time. This post was a breath of fresh air. pun intended. I was just talking about you two days ago. It is great to see you again. Chris... ___________________ From: jmhiaq <jeff@...> Sent: Wed, August 25, 2010 7:34:10 AM Subject: [] Re: Dehumidifier  The Therma-Stor dehumidifier (DH) is the best; I believe that the SaniDry is manufactured by them as well. They also make a version (Ultra?) that can be installed into a duct system for whole house dehumidification. Do not install the Aprilaire whole house DH unless you use supplemental filtration, as the metal-mesh filter on the Aprilaire unit is not good enough. You need at least a MERV-8 (disposable)pleated-media filter for any DH; MERV-11 is better, and the one inch is not deep enough. The MERV-11 should be at least four inches deep. There is even some air bypass around the 2-inch, pleated-media Therma-Stor air filter and I recommend that tape be placed around the filter to stop bypass. Any dust that lands on the DH coil will end up as mold, so it is essential (as with A/C coils) to keep the coil clean. May May Indoor Air Investigations LLC www.mayindoorair.com www.myhouseiskillingme.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Oh.. Ok. Thank you, Jeff. Would it just be better to do the sanidry or therma stor since its just the basement that has humidity isses? Im not sure how a while house system would regulate when the main and upper level are fine and the basement is so damp. Thank you.. Robin (Robin, I have Therma stor in basement and it keeps the whole house dry. I think the humidity in the house sinks into the basement so as you dry out basement, then more moisture moves down from above and you dry that out, etc. This is how I think it works. Anxious to see what Jeff says. Barb) > > The Therma-Stor dehumidifier (DH) is the best; I believe that the SaniDry is manufactured by them as well. They also make a version (Ultra?) that can be installed into a duct system for whole house dehumidification. > > Do not install the Aprilaire whole house DH unless you use supplemental filtration, as the metal-mesh filter on the Aprilaire unit is not good enough. You need at least a MERV-8 (disposable)pleated-media filter for any DH; MERV-11 is better, and the one inch is not deep enough. The MERV-11 should be at least four inches deep. > > There is even some air bypass around the 2-inch, pleated-media Therma-Stor air filter and I recommend that tape be placed around the filter to stop bypass. > > Any dust that lands on the DH coil will end up as mold, so it is essential (as with A/C coils) to keep the coil clean. > > May > May Indoor Air Investigations LLC > www.mayindoorair.com > www.myhouseiskillingme.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Thank you. seems the question now is basement or whole house for us.. Robin > > > They brought it down into the basement hooked up the hose and put it into > the sump pump which is a sealed all enclosed unit. > > Do you install the SaniDry yourself? > > This is the one the HVAC company wants to put in: > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Carl, Welcome back! Is there ever any issues with needing to clean say an installed dehumidifier in your crawl spaces that is draining outside? I recall a CIH once said that she felt that sometimes dehumidifiers (she may have been refering to a standard unit with the bucket used to contain water that we'd dump out each day) can get a bulld up of bacteria? Have you heard of this? Is there a protocol to follow to minimize that? Thanks,Sam ]The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating through the forced air ducting. Which one you select will depend on the application. Also, be careful with the sales people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Houses and condos with previous water damage and mold are successfully sold all the time. If handled properly there is no reason to take a loss. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- i wanted to to try to sell my condo to avoid foreclosure but after talking to several individuals they said with the housing market as bad as it is and id have to disclose that the condo had mold it would be better to let the bank foreclose on it than to keep paying on it. knowing i couldn't pay rent and my mortgage payment till the condo sold i didn't have much of a choice. When it comes to mold and mold exposure it doesnt seem like theres a light at the end of the tunnel. Everyday that i wake up it seems like im facing a new challenge, another set back it just never seems to end. > I think we can save this house and sell it.. thats my hope. And I want to ensure the basement does not get damp while we are away. > > Robin ---------- The following section of this message contains a file attachment prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format. If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system, you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer. If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance. ---- File information ----------- File: DEFAULT.BMP Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10 Size: 358 bytes. Type: Unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Sam, Most dehumidifiers are refrigerant based, meaning they have a coil which is chilled so the humidity will condense on the coil as the fan blows air over it. (This should sound similar to HVAC air conditioning coils). So, yes, there can be a build-up of bacteria. Jeff has more expertise on this than I do so I'll defer to him for more details, especially about the filter. He recently posted at least a MERV 8, with MERV 11 better. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- Carl, Welcome back! Is there ever any issues with needing to clean say an installed dehumidifier in your crawl spaces that is draining outside? I recall a CIH once said that she felt that sometimes dehumidifiers (she may have been refering to a standard unit with the bucket used to contain water that we'd dump out each day) can get a bulld up of bacteria? Have you heard of this? Is there a protocol to follow to minimize that? Thanks,Sam ]The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating through the forced air ducting. Which one you select will depend on the application. Also, be careful with the sales people. ---------- The following section of this message contains a file attachment prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format. If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system, you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer. If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance. ---- File information ----------- File: DEFAULT.BMP Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10 Size: 358 bytes. Type: Unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Robin, I'm surprised the floor was 20% moisture content when it was only 70% RH in the basement. BTW, moisture content of wood cannot be directly compared to RH of the air. Either the reading was incorrect or there is another moisture source directly on the wood. Not all mold is visible. Mold growth is a micro-organism meaning it is too small to see. The spore has to germinate like a seed in the ground. Then it sprouts and starts growing roots, trunk, branches analogous to how a plant grows. The it starts making seeds, what we call spores. All of this is still too small to see. So you can have actively growing mold generating VOCs (the musty smell) with no visible mold. Also, not all musty smells are the same and not all " musty-like " smells are from mold. I don't mean to confuse but this whole issue of dampness, mold, bacteria, etc etc is not so simple that it can be reduced to a simple one sentence description. There are many, many " it depends " in all the explanations. EPA has a free and very good video " mold course " at: http://www.epa.gov/mold/ Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- Thank you, Carl. The basement is a problem. It is running about 70% humidity and we have to dump three diff humidifiers (a med size one and two small - 3 different sections of the basement) at least once a day and should twice to keep the humidity low. It goes up to 70 within a few hours of not dumping the water. We forgot to run humidifiers too late this past summer which resulted in a musty smell but there has been no mold found with 3 inspections. Im not sure how that works with musty smells. So we need something that will cover the basement. The wood floors on the main level above the basement have registred at about 20% moisture (or whatever those gadgets measure..) at least they did once when I had the remediator check the floor around dishwashre then around entire lower level.. it was sttrange to be so high, but I think the next time he came and I had him check it as lower. I am guessing this could be rising up from the basement.. ?? The humidity in the main level of the house was right in range 45-55%. This guy is a friend, so I dont think he is going to try to sell anything more to us other than a built in unit. He believes in UV lights which I have doubts about but is not trying to push that on us. Just says it is an option. Our biggest concern is the basement. I dont think this house was hit with a lot of mold spores.. not like my parents house was. I think the spores leak out esp when we stopped using the shower and it dried up (if thats how that works) though the crack in the grout seam.. could be wrong. Unless this effects only people with the bad shoemaker genes and the pets dont have them.. they have not shown a sign of a problem and I am thinking they would if they spores had been bad. Im rambling again... sorry. So stressed out still. Oh... point being I think we can save this house and sell it.. thats my hope. And I want to ensure the basement does not get damp while we are away. Robin > > The SaniDry is designed for crawlspaces and basements while > the AprilAire is designed for the whole house by operating > through the forced air ducting. > > Which one you select will depend on the application. > > Also, be careful with the sales people. Some use the dehumidifier > as a starting point to sell other equipment such as air purifiers, > sump pumps, moisture barriers, and energy recovery ventilation > systems. Sometimes all of them together even though only one > or two is necessary. > > Which raises the question: Do you need more dehumidication > than the air conditioning provides? > > If the RH inside is below 50-55% (approximately) even on the > most humid days you don't need a dehumidifier. If it does go ---------- The following section of this message contains a file attachment prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format. If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system, you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer. If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance. ---- File information ----------- File: DEFAULT.BMP Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10 Size: 358 bytes. Type: Unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Does air sampling show actively growing mold? I would guess the answer is that it doesn't matter since starved mold can still be allergenic, but I'm still wondering. At this point I'm not sure what the point is of mold testing, if I know no more than I did before the testing. What makes the color that we see from mold? The chemicals it produces when growing/feeding? So does that mean one can have a mold problem and it never be visible (obviously, it can be in wall cavities and roofs; beyond that, I mean, can, for instance, carpet have a " mold problem " that is invisible?). On Aug 25, 2010, at 10:41 PM, " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: Not all mold is visible. Mold growth is a micro-organism meaning it is too small to see. The spore has to germinate like a seed in the ground. Then it sprouts and starts growing roots, trunk, branches analogous to how a plant grows. The it starts making seeds, what we call spores. All of this is still too small to see. So you can have actively growing mold generating VOCs (the musty smell) with no visible mold. Also, not all musty smells are the same and not all " musty-like " smells are from mold. ----- Thank you, Carl. The basement is a problem. It is running about 70% humidity and we have to dump three diff humidifiers (a med size one and two small - 3 different sections of the basement) at least once a day and should twice to keep the humidity low. It goes up to 70 within a few hours of not dumping the water. We forgot to run humidifiers too late this past summer which resulted in a musty smell but there has been no mold found with 3 inspections. Im not sure how that works with musty smells. So we need something that will cover the basement. The wood floors on the main level above the basement have registred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2010 Report Share Posted August 25, 2010 Find an attorney who specializes in residential real estate sales in your city, as Carl says, houses can still be sold. I spoke with several real estate attorneys, you can sell as is with proper disclosures (and if you haven't tested then you really don't know much, and if you have tested you still only have limited info). We were advised not to do more testing, with more to disclose, if planning to sell the house soon. But, in teh end we decided to test more in case it would shed any new lite on my son's health problems, which I think it did. Now we will remediate before seeking rental legal advice prior to renting it out. all the old sf houses have mold, we just have the reports to back it up and we will get a clean bill of health, probably tens of thousands of dollars later, on the issues identified thru testing. We just entered into a rental agreement for the space we are renting and the agreement included a mold addendum, basically absolving the landlord of any mold related liabilities, we will probably do the same when we rent our house, after all we can't really afford our own moldy medical bills let alone taking on a tenant's medical problems... sue v >Houses and condos with previous water damage and mold are >successfully sold all the time. If handled properly there is no >reason to take a loss. > >Carl Grimes >Healthy Habitats LLC > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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