Have to get humidity down: glass tops or canopy?

[hqgc]

I am getting mold in my finished basement and need to quickly get my humidity down.
My 180 evaporates around 5 gallons every three days.
I know a glass top would help , but would a canopy(without glass top) make a difference?

[reefwars]

a canopy will help also ,if its sealed or tight if it gaps it wont do much good, if your not renting you can consider installing a airexchanger or simply buy a dehumidifier:)

[Myka]

I bought a dehumidifier off Kijiji for $150. It keeps humidity around 35%. Before the dehumidifier the house would usually be around 50%, but sometimes up to 65%. My 90 gallon tank evaporates about 15 gallons per week. Before the dehumidifer it evaporated about 10 gallons per week. Understandably, lower humidity in the house does make the tank evaporate more.

Pertaining to the original question though, glass tops work better than a canopy (unless canopy is well sealed), and have the benefits of keeping temperature lower since you can cover the tank with glass, and still have fans to blow the heat from the halides away. However, I wouldn't suggest you seal the top of your tank in any way if you don't have a sump, and especially if you don't use a skimmer.

If you do seal up your tank, keep an eye on your pH with a calibrated digital pH meter as it may fall due to CO2 buildup if the tank doesn't get enough fresh air. Check before sealing it up several times during several days, then do the same thing after. Record the time and the reading, and compare readings at the same time as pH will fluctuate during the day, but should follow a daily routine.

[monocus]

having a bathroom fan on will help or a fan venting to the outside-as for the mold-wash your walls with deluted bleach to kill the mold and it might be an idea to paint with a kitchen bathroom paint-or tint some kiltz

[hillegom]

I think if water is condensing on/in the walls, then you do not have adequate insulation in those walls. As well, just for information, I have found a lot of places where the homeowner has done work him/herself and has not put the vapour barrier on the proper side. The vapour barrier always goes on the inside, the warm side. (in the winter.)

[hqgc]

I guess the one downfall of glass tops is that you don't get the full benefit of your lights?

[paddyob]

Another downfall of a glass top is trapped heat. I would not recommend it.

Get a dehumidifier. That's also an issue I am having and seems that others have been successful going that route.

[kien]

If you own your home and plan on having that tank for a while then I would suggest looking into and HRV.

The glass top will cut down evaporation but will also need to be cleaned very often. It'll become a chore that you will dread. The glass top will also trap other harmful gasses that the tank exhausts. I would never recommend a glass top.

[paddyob]

If you own your home and plan on having that tank for a while then I would suggest looking into and HRV.

The glass top will cut down evaporation but will also need to be cleaned very often. It'll become a chore that you will dread. The glass top will also trap other harmful gasses that the tank exhausts. I would never recommend a glass top.


Whats an HRV???? I am a new home owner.... maybe I should have one?

[kien]

Whats an HRV???? I am a new home owner.... maybe I should have one?

http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/new-homes/r-2000/standard/how-hrv-works.cfm

In short, it takes stale air from inside your house and vents it outside. It takes fresh air from the outside and brings it inside. The warm air that is vented outside is used to heat up the fresh air coming in so that you don't lose too much heat. The one side effect that we are interested in here is that it will take humid air out thus dehumidifying your home. Highly recommend for new homes or homes that have upgraded their windows to higher efficiency windows because those houses are like cocoons.

We just installed in our house a couple of weeks ago. Before we were were battling 55 to 60% humidity and had to open windows and turn on all the bathroom fans all day long.. brutal! Now our house runs at a comfortable 40%

[Coleus]

My humidity level is at 40% right now but i still see the water condensing on my windows. Should i concern?

Back to original questions, I don't think glass top is good because it will effect your ph. Canopy is a better choice



http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/new-homes/r-2000/standard/how-hrv-works.cfm

In short, it takes stale air from inside your house and vents it outside. It takes fresh air from the outside and brings it inside. The warm air that is vented outside is used to heat up the fresh air coming in so that you don't lose too much heat. The one side effect that we are interested in here is that it will take humid air out thus dehumidifying your home. Highly recommend for new homes or homes that have upgraded their windows to higher efficiency windows because those houses are like cocoons.

We just installed in our house a couple of weeks ago. Before we were were battling 55 to 60% humidity and had to open windows and turn on all the bathroom fans all day long.. brutal! Now our house runs at a comfortable 40%

[wickedfrags]

Be mindful that your humidity meter is likely off 15% +/- unless it is a commercial/scientific active model.


To the question, a dehumidifier will not likely assist significantly with a tank your size, assuming you also have a sump. I bought a large dehumidifier in the winter years back........it never came close to doing the job.

The best option is a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) - budget $1200+ anyway, assuming you install it. You need the second unit up in size. As where you live is COLD, you will nead one with a pre-heat coil (uses the heat from the air being removed from your house to temper the outside air coming in.

Another option, you can buy an exhaust fan and connect it to an electronic dehumidistat, exhausting directly to the outside. The fan will come on whenever the humidity rises to the level you set it at (to prevent condensation in the winter) and then turn off. The bad part about this is it puts your house under negative pressure, drawing in the cold air in the winter and drawing in the warm air in the summer...good luck.

My humidity level is at 40% right now but i still see the water condensing on my windows. Should i concern?

Back to original questions, I don't think glass top is good because it will effect your ph. Canopy is a better choice

[Delphinus]

40% is going to give you HUGE condensation on the windows when it's -20 or colder outside. At -30 like it was last night there's pretty much no way to avoid wet windows unless you have maybe 10% or less but that's going to be pretty uncomfortable. I have about 20%-25% right now which is enough to keep the windows dry at -23 but not at -30 like it was last night. :lol: Phooo that was a cold one last night.

My humidity level is at 40% right now but i still see the water condensing on my windows. Should i concern?

[KevinK]

ok so we also had a steady 60 to 65% (tank +sump would be apr 450 to 500 gal)

I then both a 50Pint dehumidefyer and run it for 2 days, nothing realy happening,

as I had a pipe in the sealing of my fishroom, but never did anything with it, I both a 9 cubic metre fan for $ 20 and have it running all day.

as my tank has a canopy (sort of) it is a inwall tank that from the livingroom has lids I can open, but behind the tank I have a filter room, where everything is open.

now running the fan in the filter room, I create a negative presure in the filter room (checked it with some smoke and was holding it in frondt of the lids in the living room, where it was drawing the air into the filter room.

with the effect the vent is making, the air in the filter room is going out (9 M3 minus friction and presurisin the pipe, I think about 3 to 4 M3 is leaving a minute.

the filter room is nice and comfortable, in stead of overwhelming with moist air, the humidety is down to 35 to 43% withing 2 days.

cant beleave we had the tanks running for about 16 monjths without any fan

luckely we cant find any mold !!!!!!!!

overall, I think when you put a lit on top of your tank with a vent hole, suck the air out of it by creating negative presure, and you will drop your avarage humidety drasticly

this option cant be expensive, as in worst case it is gust a plywood box, and you can make it as fancy as you want.

[gobytron]

[QUOTE=Myka;560666]

Pertaining to the original question though, glass tops work better than a canopy (unless canopy is well sealed), and have the benefits of keeping temperature lower since you can cover the tank with glass, and still have fans to blow the heat from the halides away. QUOTE]


Doesnt a glass top hinder evaporation, which in turn leads to increased heat retention?

My experience with glass tops is significantly increased heat...?

[Delphinus]

Another option, you can buy an exhaust fan and connect it to an electronic dehumidistat, exhausting directly to the outside. The fan will come on whenever the humidity rises to the level you set it at (to prevent condensation in the winter) and then turn off. The bad part about this is it puts your house under negative pressure, drawing in the cold air in the winter and drawing in the warm air in the summer...good luck.

Need to be a little careful with this .. If you have negative pressure in your house then if there's any incomplete combustion in the furnace or hot water tank, carbon monoxide can be drawn into the house and not exhausted out the exhaust vent as normal. If you have a strong kitchen fan for example, code will require you to interlock it with your furnace so that you can't create a negative pressure in your house. A standard bathroom fan might not be enough to cause a problem but it's something to consider.

[lastlight]

If you have 2 ducts of equal size (makes it easier to assume stuff lol) and both are equal length (again why not?) and one runs outside and passively lets fresh air in directly into a canopy and the other pulls or blows air out of the canopy and house then I don't see where the dangers apply. That's what I intend to do when I get the boot to the basement someday. Canopy will be tightly sealed to the top of the tank.

[Wayne]

If you have 2 ducts of equal size (makes it easier to assume stuff lol) and both are equal length (again why not?) and one runs outside and passively lets fresh air in directly into a canopy and the other pulls or blows air out of the canopy and house then I don't see where the dangers apply. That's what I intend to do when I get the boot to the basement someday. Canopy will be tightly sealed to the top of the tank.

Good idea! What's your idea to help stabalize the tempurature of the outside air?

[lastlight]

The way I see it this cold air can also cool your tank for free. It's not being released into the basement only the canopy. Free chiller in the winter at least. If it's too cold I'm a big fan of halides. Problem solved lol.

[Wayne]

The way I see it this cold air can also cool your tank for free. It's not being released into the basement only the canopy. Free chiller in the winter at least. If it's too cold I'm a big fan of halides. Problem solved lol.

LOL that would do the trick!

[wickedfrags]

Is a possibility, most likely with olders homes not equipped with powered direct vent equipment. Realistically unless the fan is located in very close proximity to the exhaust ducting, most fans do not draw enough air to reverse the flow of exhaust. That being said, if your pilot light keeps going out, you hay have a problem!

Fascinating about that code issue and the furnace interlock - any idea how many CFM this relates to?

Need to be a little careful with this .. If you have negative pressure in your house then if there's any incomplete combustion in the furnace or hot water tank, carbon monoxide can be drawn into the house and not exhausted out the exhaust vent as normal. If you have a strong kitchen fan for example, code will require you to interlock it with your furnace so that you can't create a negative pressure in your house. A standard bathroom fan might not be enough to cause a problem but it's something to consider.

[lastlight]

I know when we built a new house last time this one big honkin fancy microwave we wanted would have made HRV a must have...no choice. It had to do with the CFM rating on it apparently. I of course pushed for that one but we chose a smaller microwave.

[Delphinus]

Fascinating about that code issue and the furnace interlock - any idea how many CFM this relates to?

I find sometimes that "code" must mean "secret code" because it can be a challenge trying to pinpoint what's in code. On the Calgary municipal website though I found a PDF document for "site supervisors handbook for new home inspections" that has this to say:

HVAC Inspection


Heating appliances operational
Fresh air intake requirement, grills, registers, and thermostat installation completed
Principal exhaust fan interlock completed
All exhaust fans over 180 CFM – require interlock with furnace blower or separate make-up air
All exhaust fans over 300 CFM – require that the extra make-up air and may require pre-heating before entering furnace duct work depending on site conditions
Auxiliary systems (i.e. heat recovery systems) in place must be complete and operational
Hydronic heating systems (if installed) must be complete and operational


Edit: forgot to post the link - here: http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/dba/building/site_supervisors_handbook.pdf

I've never quite figured out if code is national or regional or if there's two and regional usually exceeds national standards, or what. But I imagine in this case it will be pretty close to the same in most if not all places. So there we go - looks like 180cfm requires interlock with furnace, 300cfm requires HRV. I did find another site where it was mentioned it's more about not having exhaust gas backflow down the exhaust chimneys and not so much if your furnace has a incomplete combustion or whatever it was I first thought.

[lastlight]

Yeah that totally rings a bell Tony it was 300+ CFM.

Dez runs a fan through his canopy maybe he can pipe in on how he did it.