Humidity problems for large tank - Page 2

fkshiu · #11 07-14-2007, 05:55 AM

I had an ultra-quiet Panasonic bathroom fan installed above my 150g system in my basement. Simple and works great on a programmable timer.

I don't know about the "drawing air out and not replacing it" theory - if that were true houses would be imploding on a regular basis from the vacuum created everytime someone took a huge dump after some Mexican food. The fact is that the air drawn out by a bathroom fan is being replaced by air from elsewhere in the house. No house is 100% airtight. If you want to be sure just pop open a window for a bit to make sure fresh air is coming in.

Delphinus · #12 07-14-2007, 06:08 AM

No, but you don't want to leak -20 or colder air into your house. You don't have to worry about that so much in Vancouver, but the rest of the country might.

Snappy · #13 07-14-2007, 06:30 AM

Darryl,
I only have a med size tank, 130 gal, but have over 200 gal of water going and I don't have the same humidity problems people are talking about. Maybe it's because my house isn't new?

Reefer Rob · #14 07-14-2007, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

No, but you don't want to leak -20 or colder air into your house. You don't have to worry about that so much in Vancouver, but the rest of the country might.

It only takes a small amount of negative pressure in your tank room or canopy to keep the moisture out of the rest of the house, a very small fan will do.

We installed an HRV system in a house we built in Campbell River, and it was great to have the air always fresh in the house, but I wouldn't do in just for an aquarium. I'm not sure you will ever recover the cost of an HRV in energy savings. This hobby already sucks back way too much cash!

Doug · #15 07-14-2007, 01:11 PM

Its a different story for the coast versus the colder province,s guys. I dont think its about cost recovery, so much as keeping humidity from the rest of your house. Most all new homes here, now have HRV units installed when built. I thought it was in the code now but could be wrong.

Tony, Not sure what you mean when mentioned they do not run 24/7. Do you not run yours on low, 24/7, in the winter?

Delphinus · #16 07-14-2007, 10:28 PM

In Calgary I'm told it's code for new homes that are R2000 to have an HRV. The problem with new homes is that they are so energy efficient that there isn't the same air turnover that older homes have.

Having said that, I had big problems in my old house too, I thought moving to a new home would solve the problem but it didn't.

Like Doug said, it's not about cost recovery - it's about mitigating energy costs of heating replaced air while solving an excessive humidity situation. Sure, like I said it was a heavy handed solution just to install it "just for an aquarium" but if you're facing getting rid of the tanks because of mildew formation, it wasn't unreasonable. And like I said (or thought I did), the benefits of having an HRV outweigh other things so it's a nice thing to have.

Doug - well it is sort of on 24/7 but it doesn't run continuously. It's on for 20 minutes, then off for 40.

Greg do you run your furnace on 24/7? Because people who do that tend to not notice humidity problems. I tried running my furnace 24/7 and it solved the problem but I had a rather unpleasant surprise when I read my next month's bill. The HRV is a way better solution for me.

Snappy · #17 07-15-2007, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Greg do you run your furnace on 24/7? Because people who do that tend to not notice humidity problems. I tried running my furnace 24/7 and it solved the problem but I had a rather unpleasant surprise when I read my next month's bill. The HRV is a way better solution for me.

Nope, only in the winter

Delphinus · #18 07-15-2007, 03:47 AM

I meant, does your fan run continuous during the heating season? Anyhow, I'm glad you don't have condensation issues - consider yourself lucky.

ClubReef · #19 07-15-2007, 09:58 PM

I wonder if my house has some sort of venting system built in. It's approx 3yrs old. I have a switch on my main floor that says "ventilation control" and whenever it's on, the bathroom fans turn on 24/7. Is this something similar to a HRV? I don't see an HRV unit in the basement though...

michika · #20 07-15-2007, 10:49 PM

Tagging along as I'm getting ready to start my house hunt, and I am looking at an HRV.

I used a dehumidifyer in the past when my 230g was running, and it couldn't keep up. I emptied it twice a day. In the winter I wiped down the windows twice a day. Granted it didn't help that my basement tenents felt the need to keep the house at 32.