How do you control humidity?

[Keri]

Well, it's come to this.... after having almost 200 gallons of aquariums I'm really starting to see the effects on the house and last night we found mold (yes, MOLD, GROSS) in our closet along the bottom outside wall.

After ripping out the drywall to make sure it's not from the roof, burst pipe or leak now we have to figure out what to do.

i have been reading up on here what other people do but i can't decide between an HRV (which I don't really "get" what it does) a humidex or a powerful exhaust fan. We have a dehumidifier allready but it's old, loud and draws a scary amount of electricity so I often don't run it.

My 120g alone loses about a gallon a day

Aside from the general humidity I'm getting buttloads of condensation in my windows which are a pain to deal with and also encourage mold growth.

I'm looking for something more environmentally-friendly as I'm allready drawing so much power for my tanks, but if that's not possible....you do what you gotta do I guess.

I have allergies and lung issues allready, and it's just getting worse. But I don't want to get rid of my tanks!! I want a solution, I know things like HRVs are expensive but that cost is nothing compared to the house and I'll pay it if it will really work. I've heard somewhere about $1000, maybe more? Is that right? Does it matter that it is so humid outside? Our house doesn't get much sunshine because of the trees and where we live is very humid outside as well as in.

ok, done ranting... so what I'm asking of you is....
1) what (if anything) do you use to control the humidity?
2) is it working for you and would you recommend it?
3) How many gallons do you have total?
4) any tips/comments would be GREATLY appreciated

I have allowed for ppl to choose more than 1 answer as I'd imagine some ppl use more than 1 thing.



....aand because they are new....here are some emoticons :laluot _26: