Excess moisture in fish room

[jason604]

Just wondering what people with fish rooms do for all the excess moisture. As of right now all I did is installing a 30" vent above my door for the room but it seems to do absolutely nth. I have to leave my room door open buts it's quite noisy and light coming out of the room which I don't want. My fish room use to be a laundry room along time ago so the dryers air vent passage way is still there. I could install one of those washroom fans to it but that would be so noisy and it would be running 24/7 and I don't wanna waste more electricity than I already have. Was thinking about buying this small n neatly lookin dehumidifier

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00RZVHB7M/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?qid=1426464339&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=dehumidifier

What u guys think is it too small? Or u guys have a better solution for eliminating excess moisture?

[WarDog]

Just get a lower decibel bathroom fan. They don't draw a lot of power and you could even put it on a timer.

[jason604]

Just get a lower decibel bathroom fan. They don't draw a lot of power and you could even put it on a timer.

With all the extra light in the room can is it possible for some kind of way to rig it up to a small solar panel that can be placed under my LEDs?

[reefwars]

Can't you just cut a hole in the roof? That's what most people do :mrgreen:

[jason604]

Can't you just cut a hole in the roof? That's what most people do :mrgreen:

Lol!

[mark]

When I build mine put in a small bathroom fan over the sump. Was also going to put in a dehumidistat so would only run when required but never got to it (moisture not a problem).

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

my fish room is totally insulated from the rest of the house.Drilled 2 holes opposite sides of the wall going directly outside.One draws fresh air and the other draws out the humid air, both fans are running of a dehumidistat for that room.

[hillegom]

As far as bathroom fans go, the squirrel cage fans are very quiet

[daplatapus]

HRV (heat recovery ventilator). Sucks air out and preheats the fresh air coming in through a heat exchanger. No negative pressure situations which can be potentially dangerous in homes with gas fired appliances such as furnaces, hot water tank and fireplaces.
exhaust fans sucking air out of the room and pulling fresh air in is a similar setup, you just don't get the advantage of preheating that air, so in certain area's/circumstances, supplemental heating may be required.

[jason604]

HRV (heat recovery ventilator). Sucks air out and preheats the fresh air coming in through a heat exchanger. No negative pressure situations which can be potentially dangerous in homes with gas fired appliances such as furnaces, hot water tank and fireplaces.
exhaust fans sucking air out of the room and pulling fresh air in is a similar setup, you just don't get the advantage of preheating that air, so in certain area's/circumstances, supplemental heating may be required.

Sounds expensive lol. I think ima go with a dehumidistat and a quiet bathroom fan

[christyf5]

I had a small dehumidifier in my previously small fish room. Its currently in my basement with the tank and I empty it daily. Worked great for a small room. It still fills up quickly but I honestly don't think we have a huge humidity problem (although the fact that it fills up probably says differently :wink:)

[jason604]

Oh man dumping the water tray everyday seems like adding more choir to the already huge list from my tank.

[christyf5]

Oh man dumping the water tray everyday seems like adding more choir to the already huge list from my tank.

Lol. Guess you're tied to something more permanent then. Have fun with drilling and wiring :wink:

[monocus]

i just open a window-problem solved

[jason604]

Lol. Guess you're tied to something more permanent then. Have fun with drilling and wiring :wink:

I do enjoy small one time projects lol

i just open a window-problem solved

No windows in my fish room. It's in the middle of my house.

[whatcaneyedo]

My 220gal system is in a 7'x8' room. I'm using a 110cfm bathroom exhaust fan (draws about 1 amp) on a dehumidistat. I also have a 4" hole in the exterior wall to draw fresh (typically cool) outdoor air inside. The humidity in there usually sits around 45% with little to no impact on the rest of the house.

Dehumidifiers produce a lot of heat, require a lot of electricity (our old one drew 3 amps and couldn't keep up) and are typically much noisier than exhaust fans.

[Scythanith]

Put a palm tree and a lawn chair in there.... paradise :)

[reefwars]

I still say just bash a random huge hole in the ceiling , think about it......

it fixes your issue and allows a steady swap of stale for fresh air, no need to worry about static pressure and all that fancy jazz

It costs nothing at all iin fact you'll gain a piece or tow of 2x4', small piece of drywall some insulation , screws and even a shingle or two from the demo.......that's a plus in my books.

It hasn't got to be pretty if you don't have a saw just bash a hole down with your foot it's in your fish room so doesn't need to be pretty .

Come winter temps will stay low and chiller runs less and come summer heaters will run less

Your carbon footprint will be small and more money for corals wi all the power savings

No need for mechanical failures works 24/7 flawlessly :)



If you create a sheet and weigh the pros vs cons you'll find this is the way to go by far , you should take my work for it I have a lot of posts so it has to be true ;)



Really the only other better alternative is to cut two holes in your roof :mrgreen:

[daplatapus]

Sounds expensive lol. I think ima go with a dehumidistat and a quiet bathroom fan

Potentially yes, if you bought new and had a professional install it.
I bought mine second hand for less than a new low sone bath fan at home depot and installed it myself. But being a journeyman sheet metal worker and having installed hundreds of them, it wasn't a big deal.
It is "generally" considered the best way to fix the problem you've described. Any other method described using bath fans are just trying to imitate what an HRV does, albeit for less initial money but without re-couperating any heat you've already paid to heat by some other means. And if no make up air is provided, creating negative pressure in a home which could be dangerous.
An average of 50 Canadians die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning, not to mention the hundreds who get sick from it and are permanently disabled.
Only reason I harp on this one thing, is I'm also retired firefighter/EMT and have seen and dealt with the effects of CO poisoning more than once. It is a definite risk when installing exhaust fans and not providing make up air in homes with gas fired appliances.
This post isn't specifically directed at you, Jason604, I know often times funds and manpower are often deciding factors of what we would like to do over what we CAN do. I've seen this question asked over and over here and on RC and the $60 bath fan wins out many times over. And that's totally fine as long as you can also provide some fresh air vent that allows the rooms air pressure to balance. But it appears generally people greatly underestimate the danger of CO poisoning. I can't tell you how many homes I've been to where people have plugged up their combustion air pails by the furnace and hot water tanks with towels because they always feel cold air coming in. It just makes me shake my head. Anyway... I've said my peace, I won't say anymore.

De-humidifiers do work, but at the cost of adding heat and a much greater use of electricity.

[BC564]

I have an HRV 6 inch vent from my sump area in the fish room. Newer houses have the HRV installed at build. Have you checked for this?

[whatcaneyedo]

It should be noted that I am using MH lighting and intend to continue using it for a few more years. So drawing cold air in from outside to replace what the exhaust fan removes significantly helps to keep my tank from over heating. The fresh air also helps to boost the systems pH so its win win win for me and this method.

[Scythanith]

I'm really starting to get behind this idea! Denny for president!


I still say just bash a random huge hole in the ceiling , think about it......

it fixes your issue and allows a steady swap of stale for fresh air, no need to worry about static pressure and all that fancy jazz

It costs nothing at all iin fact you'll gain a piece or tow of 2x4', small piece of drywall some insulation , screws and even a shingle or two from the demo.......that's a plus in my books.

It hasn't got to be pretty if you don't have a saw just bash a hole down with your foot it's in your fish room so doesn't need to be pretty .

Come winter temps will stay low and chiller runs less and come summer heaters will run less

Your carbon footprint will be small and more money for corals wi all the power savings

No need for mechanical failures works 24/7 flawlessly :)



If you create a sheet and weigh the pros vs cons you'll find this is the way to go by far , you should take my work for it I have a lot of posts so it has to be true ;)



Really the only other better alternative is to cut two holes in your roof :mrgreen:

[sphelps]

I still say just bash a random huge hole in the ceiling , think about it......

it fixes your issue and allows a steady swap of stale for fresh air, no need to worry about static pressure and all that fancy jazz

It costs nothing at all iin fact you'll gain a piece or tow of 2x4', small piece of drywall some insulation , screws and even a shingle or two from the demo.......that's a plus in my books.

It hasn't got to be pretty if you don't have a saw just bash a hole down with your foot it's in your fish room so doesn't need to be pretty .

Come winter temps will stay low and chiller runs less and come summer heaters will run less

Your carbon footprint will be small and more money for corals wi all the power savings

No need for mechanical failures works 24/7 flawlessly :)


This is what I did, works great

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/resources/images/3527444.jpg?display=1&htype=15&type=mc2

[reefwars]

See that's ideal :mrgreen:

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Wow great job...reefing folks have great minds...love the work done on that cave hole.I should borrow your tools Steve☺(spending much time with Denny lately..lol)

[Myka]

I don't wanna waste more electricity than I already have. Was thinking about buying this small n neatly lookin dehumidifier

I giggled when I read this. That dehumidifier will use up way more electricity than a bathroom fan. Dehumidifiers are like air conditioners - they just aren't very energy efficient. An HRV unit is your best, long-term, permanent solution. A quiet bathroom fan is a reasonable option, and a dehumidifier is ok if you just want the easy solution.

[sphelps]

In all seriousness if you already have an existing vent line the solution is a bit of a no brainier. Install a fan, there are many other options over a bathroom fan, best would an inline unit and checking hydroponic supply stores would be a good start. After that wiring up a humidistat is incredibly simple and not expensive at all, analog units are like $10.

[jason604]

I giggled when I read this. That dehumidifier will use up way more electricity than a bathroom fan. Dehumidifiers are like air conditioners - they just aren't very energy efficient. An HRV unit is your best, long-term, permanent solution. A quiet bathroom fan is a reasonable option, and a dehumidifier is ok if you just want the easy solution.

Haha. Dunno what I was thinking. Prob that reefer

[jason604]

In all seriousness if you already have an existing vent line the solution is a bit of a no brainier. Install a fan, there are many other options over a bathroom fan, best would an inline unit and checking hydroponic supply stores would be a good start. After that wiring up a humidistat is incredibly simple and not expensive at all, analog units are like $10.

Yes this is my plan.

[04V10]

Use a dehumidifier, then plumb the water from this unit back to your top off water. Less water makeup!!!! But lotso electricity for sure...lol

[jason604]

im trying to find a dehumidistat thats the plug into outlet type instead of hard wired. Tried Home deport n canadian tire so far and they dont have it. Any1 know where i can get one locally before i order from amazon?

[WarDog]

Make your own plug?

[Ryanerickson]

Make your own plug?

+1 3-5 bucks

[daplatapus]

Someone on RC was using this, it's pretty cool.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x353/daplatapus/1UHG3_AS01_zpskbxjw3cq.jpg (http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/daplatapus/media/1UHG3_AS01_zpskbxjw3cq.jpg.html)

I guess its called a Dayton dehumidifier plug

[jason604]

Make your own plug?

Yea I was thinking of cutting a cord on an old appliance n doing it but that will not have a clean look.
Someone on RC was using this, it's pretty cool.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x353/daplatapus/1UHG3_AS01_zpskbxjw3cq.jpg (http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/daplatapus/media/1UHG3_AS01_zpskbxjw3cq.jpg.html)

I guess its called a Dayton dehumidifier plug

This is exactly what I was looking at as well. I'm trying to find it locally. I see it on amazon for around $60. Normal hard wired dehumidistats r like $20. Also need to find a good fan that will fit in my 4" duct lol.

[sphelps]

http://www.hydroshop.ca/en/climate-control/ventilation/fans.html

http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/4-in-duct-booster-fan/A-p0770134e

[jason604]

http://www.hydroshop.ca/en/climate-control/ventilation/fans.html

http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/4-in-duct-booster-fan/A-p0770134e

Ooo nice. Good find. Thx!