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Wed 9 Jun, 2004 04:34 pm
I just purchased my first home 3/1/04 and just discovered I have a dehumidifier in the basement. Does anyone know how to tell if it's working or not? I mean, I did get a chance to speak to the previous owner and they told me in May, to turn the switch on the dehumidifier from winter to summer(they had it labeled)I did this in early may, but lately since where I live, we have been having a lot of rain, I've noticed my basement(which is finished)is smelling mildewy. Does the a/c have to be on in order for the dehumidifier to work? I only ask this because in late March, I was told the blower on my furnace wasn't working and needed replacing. Since the cold weather was lightening up, I didn't rush to replace it. Now that it's starting to get hot, I know I need to get this fixed so I can use the a/c, but I haven't done this yet and wanted to know if there was a connection between the a/c and the dehumidifier.
Well, if it is not extracting moisture from the air, and draining it somewhere, it is not working. The only one I ever had was kind of a miniature air conditioner, the moisture condensing over the cold coil. As such, there was sound and vibration, as well as produced water.
Oh, sorry. You said expert. I was just sharing experiences.
there are two types of dehumidifiers, those which are integral with the air temperature control (heating/air conditioning) system, and the 'stand alone' type.
I assume yours is integrated; therefore if the system is not on, it will not be functioning.
Secondly many dehumidifiers in integrated systems, if not regularly serviced, have long since ceased to function due to scale build up, or various other terminal part malfunctions.
If you are not handy, get a service person to look at the entire system. use getting a quote for a replacement fan as an excuse, and get at least three separate quotes.
Then use the usual method for choosing the best candidate; personal recommendations, checking references from their other recent customers, and personal gut feeling - do not just pick the lowest or highest bidder; do your home work (pun intended).
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