Going to the deep well of Sigforum knowledge....


My mother-in-law lives in Hudson, Ny. Her house was build in the 50s, and has a dirt cellar basement. She says she needs "a dehumidifier with drain hose".

Anybody have a recommendation? I don't know anything about them. Is this something you can pick up at Home Depot?

Yes you can get one at any big box store. Just look for one that has a built in pump that will pump the water out through a thin tube.

There's "drain hose" and "built in pump" models.

A "drain hose" has a knockout that you can screw a garden hose to and gravity drain to a sump or out a low area.

"Built in pump" will fill the tank and then activate a pump that can empty the tank up to 25 feet away (at least the one I use has that limit).

We're on our third dehumidifier in twenty-nine years for the basement (concrete walls and floor) in our 1300 sqft. ranch. (First one died. Second one, a De'Longhi purchased from Costco, was recently recalled due to fire hazard.)

We just installed the LG last Friday. It's this one: LG Model# UD501KOG5 PuriCare 50-Pint Clear Bucket with Handle Dehumidifier (Home Depot)

It's performing better than either of the previous two dehumidifiers we've owned. It got the basement humidity down from over 70% to 55% in less than an hour. (Verified by separate hygrometer.)

We have it hooked up to a hose that leads to the sump well.

But... you mom's trying to dehumidify bare dirt. And there'll always be more moisture in the ground to replace it. That seems futile?

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:
There's "drain hose" and "built in pump" models.

Yup. Unless she has a place to which it can drain using gravity, she'll need a model with a pump. Then she'll have to pay attention to the pump's limitations as to length and lift.

I have a friend that sells appliances for a living, including dehumidifiers. They are on the 5th generation of the family business.

His opinion when I asked about dehumidifiers myself recently this was that the Chinese own the market, they are all basically disposable now so get the cheapest one you can find in the size you need as they all live about the same amount of time.

I did just that.

What is the temperature in the basement? Some dehumidifiers work in cool areas and some don't. If you buy it at Walmart you can get a four year guarantee for about $40. I had one go bad about one week before the four years was up and got a new one for almost nothing. Saved about $225.

All brands appear to be the same and all made in China. I have had several and the current one I got at Sears.

I buy the largest size that has the best ratings on Amazon and replace it when it goes bad.
A good one with good luck lasts 2-3 years, others not that much.

Is there a drain or way to get the water outside with the hose?
The hose just stops one from having to drain it yourself
But it no place for the hose to dispose the water outside the basement you really aren’t solving the problem.

The Kenmore in my shop is likely ridiculously inefficient but it is likely 20+ years old.

I keep mine in the basement where there's a sink nearby and the hose goes into the sink drain.

Timely thread. I just bought a new one today with a store rebate and state energy saving rebate. Basically cost nothing. When I bought the house there was a hole drilled right through the foundation floor for a dehumidifier drain. The hose goes in there. I'd never heard of anything at the time, but since have heard many people do this. I'm on a hill so don't see any problem.

Dirt floor?

That thing will run 24/7/365 trying to keep up and it never will.

Can this basement be encapsulated with plastic or even cemented first? I really think trying to run a dehumidifier in a bare dirt floor is a losing battle.

They do add to your electric bill too.

They end up being very expensive to run.
Mitigating the floor moisture in a barrier manner first is highly advisable.