Humidity removal

[Dearth]

I know I have a messy setup but it works for me however on to why I am posting this.

One of the big issues of the hobby especially in larger tanks is the humidity can become a major issue. Early on I found out my plants love the moisture given off by my tank and ever since I started placing plants near my tank the humidity in my house rarely reaches higher than 55% and before I had plants near my tank I was closer to 75% humidity.

Now this won't work for everyone and I myself have very limited space (got to love 1970's utilitarian thinking when these homes were built) now these plants range in age from 2 years to 10 years old the end plants are 10 and 7 yrs old while the two middle plants are 2 yrs old. Part of my tank is in direct sunlight 70% of the time (yay algae buildup) and on the fire place side it is in permanent shade with indirect light.

I often forget to water my plants for weeks on end as the large amount of condensation my tank gives off keeps the leaves moist and everything green. The worst parts of the year is January and February when the temp drops to -35 to -40c and the humidity is lower and everything is colder.

So what ideas do you have to remove humidity that works for you?



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50288226867_f7c5706658_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jBNiQg)Plants (https://flic.kr/p/2jBNiQg) by Dean Soiland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147303561@N07/), on Flickr

[Dash]

I’m one of those people who have windows open a lot throughout the year. I also have a fair number of plants. Haven’t really noticed a humidity issue🤷🏻‍♀️

[msjboy]

If you have the money to spend, put in a HRV unit if possible. If your house is older which it appears, can convert your forced air house ductwork with a outdoor a/c-heating/hrv heat pump unit. Lastly, perhaps a dehumidifier unit can be found in a cheap AC unit that you connect to the window and set it to suck out the air on it timer. Not sure if this is good for the winter though as it will suck out some of your heated air.

[rayjay]

I installed a double cored HRV almost 2 decades ago and it was the best decision I made with regards to moisture.

[Dearth]

If you have the money to spend, put in a HRV unit if possible. If your house is older which it appears, can convert your forced air house ductwork with a outdoor a/c-heating/hrv heat pump unit. Lastly, perhaps a dehumidifier unit can be found in a cheap AC unit that you connect to the window and set it to suck out the air on it timer. Not sure if this is good for the winter though as it will suck out some of your heated air.

As much as I would like to I don’t have the money to do that as I would need to upgrade windows, doors and soffits first then think about external heat/ac all of which is very expensive. Add to that the extreme cold we deal with for 2 to 3 months of the year it can get problematic especially with older homes.

[comical]

I’ve put lids on all the tanks and the sump, while also running a dehumidifer in the house. I’ve got a couple indoor plants too, the butterworts are enjoying the humidity we get in the spring/summer lol

[smokinreefer]

Whats the ideal humidity level/range for a house?

Interesting about using plants to absorb the humidity.

Wondering why my hvac guy didnt suggest anything when we did renos, knowing that i was going to have a large aquarium in the middle of my house.

[Dearth]

Whats the ideal humidity level/range for a house?


Ideally the humidity should be about 30-40% the higher the humidity the more moisture in the air and the more residual water damage potential there is.

Plants were the ideal solution for me as it’s cheap and I have very limited ways to ventilate my house and plants were actually suggested to me by a fresh water hobbyist Years ago ....but remember like anything else what may work for one may not work for someone else.

[msjboy]

Princess Auto has a Danby dehumidifier for up to 4500 sq ft space for just $199..(refurb)...in latest flyer. You have to empty the water every now and then of course.

[smokinreefer]

Hmmmm.... any HVAC people here?
maybe a whole house dehumidifier is the best solution...

[smokinreefer]

Princess Auto has a Danby dehumidifier for up to 4500 sq ft space for just $199..(refurb)...in latest flyer. You have to empty the water every now and then of course.

just looked at this, i dont get how would this work for 4500sf?
to me i would think to service 4500sf it would need to be inline with the hvac?

or would it actually work passively? like it removes moisture from the air in one room which effectively lowers the overall moisture level in the house as moisture from throughout moves around until all the air is the same level?

[hillegom]

or would it actually work passively? like it removes moisture from the air in one room which effectively lowers the overall moisture level in the house as moisture from throughout moves around until all the air is the same level?

I think you hit the nail on the head..
gases/liguids all tend to equalize particles in suspension

[target]

I've got a 180g tank in my kitchen, and it evaporates about 2-3 gallons a day. Been running since December 2019. I don't do anything about it, and haven't noticed any issues at all with moisture. not even condensation on the windows. Haven't measured the moisture level in my place, so no idea where it sits.

[smokinreefer]

Im at a few gallons a day...
I dont see condensation either...
I do feel the humidity when i enter the house...
Especially after my wife mentioned to me!
LMAOOOO

Anyhoo since then ive peeked at my Nest thermo and it indicates 50-60% which even just sounds high to me.

I guess maybe just run a dehumidifier in the furnace room so it can drain freely and see what happens? Just doesnt sound cost effective to have to run this thing constantly.