Dealing with Humidity

[Craigdillman]

Hello, Got a question on humidity and how you all deal with it.Specially people with there big tanks upstairs

We have a fairly new house and I have my tank upstairs in the living room (125g plus sump so like 160ish of water) and over the winter i had a lot of problems with the humidity the windows would all be fogged and sometimes if i didn't wipe them all down regliously would result in some mold around the and nothing the portable dehumidifier could handle.

Now i know in the summer it won't be a problem cause the AC will be running and helps to dry the air but I'm trying to figure out options for next winter.


Thanks
Craig Dillman

I remember posting this a while ago and some people said a HRV unit i contacted a few places that did heating and cooling and they weren't sure if that would help I'm assuming they arnt informed as we usually don't have to deal with high humidity around here

[mark]

got a HRV and have it set to keep the RH in the low 30's. Windows keep fairly clear but if I've I say boil a big pot of paste and forget the range hood fan, I'll get condensation though will eventually clear.

Other option is a whole house dehumidifier but advantage of a HRV is you're exhausting the stale air.

[Vancouver Reefer]

I had the exact same problem this winter. Many people over on Reef Central have fitted HRV/ERV and it fixed the issue.

The way i see it is, if it doesnt fix it, at least i know my family are getting clean fresh air all winter rather than the stuffy junk we currently breathe in!

VR

[globaldesigns]

I rummy HRV 24/7 along with air conditioner and a good controller. House has great climate control and I don't have humidity issues. I do recommend the HRV


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[hillegom]

HRV is definitely the way to go. Our house came with one and we love it.
Not only can we control humidity, as said, stale air is exhausted from the house. As well, some of the heat in the exiting air exchanges with the incoming air to save you money.
Never have condensation on our windows. But then here in the lower mainland it never gets as cold as in your climate

[SmallFry]

I'd go with HRV, I have no problems even with Manitoba winters, though my tank isn't exactly large - I top off a bit over 5 gallons a week if that gives you some idea. Our HRV also serves as an extractor for the bathrooms too, and we have fresh air in the house all year round.

One point to note is that HRVs and ERVs are different, and what you need depends on your climate, if I remember correctly ERVs are like an HRV, but they actually put some of the moisture from the moist stale air back into the dryer fresh incoming air. In areas where one would be running A/C most of the time this offsets its drying effect on the inside air. Most homes here have an HRV rather than an ERV.

[Seriak]

Also make sure you have turned off your humidifier on your furnace. I have the same setup and have minimal humidity issues on the main floor. No HRV req'd.

[whatcaneyedo]

I converted my tank into an in-wall display with its own room independently exhausted of humidity for about $600 in material and my own free labour. The room is also vented to draw cool air in from outside which helps to keep the heat down (I run halides) and the pH up. By no longer running a dehumidifier we are now saving $50 a month during the winter in electricity and the house no longer rises above 40%. Also, since the new tank room is relatively sealed off we aren't loosing very much of our warm house air and the noise that the tank makes is significantly buffered. There are plenty of pictures in the more recent pages of my tank journal.

HRVs are certainly the way of the future but can be extremely costly to integrate properly into existing construction.

[BlueTang<3]

I am also on the same page as whatcaneyedo, I built a exhaust fan directly outside from my canopy.

Can you get glass tops for your tank and cover your sump that would help a lot for evaporation.

[pinkreef]

Move to Victoria, i use the bathroom fan running all day and night - no problems