Questions for Exhaust Fan in basement (fish tank area)...

[malulu]

Since the October last year, i installed the refugium (30g + 100g) and sump (100g) in the basement area, the tank condition are now getting very good (see picture below), but for the pass few weeks, the weather are getting hot, and i started to noticed the damp/moisture building up in the basement, so i am looking to install an exhause fan ASAP. (on the top right cornor in the picture)

the questions are:

- should i use something like this (installed to outside with a duct pipe right on top of the refugium) details product info:
http://www.westsidewholesale.com/index.cgi?CATEGORY=635&HN_SessionID=@@@@1179342099.25195@@@@&pid=972070

- or, something like this? detail product info
http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/30_406_103

- since the IWAKI pump are sort of noisy anyway, i am not too concern of the nose level of the exhaust fan (ofcouse the quieter the better)

- would something about 150 CFM be enough?

thx all for your advise.

 

[mikem]

Re: Exhaust Fan for basement (fish tank area)...

The Panasonic is a better model but you would still need all the duct work and an outside exhaust vent. Do you have hot air heat? If so, you can run a return line next to the tank to suck the hot air thru your heating AC system. How about using a dehumidifier?
The cfm size depends on the size of the room.

 

[malulu]

Mike,

- yes, i understand still need duct work and an outside exhaust vent...

- will go for the panasonic one then

- have central air, but it may not be on like right now, also for the past few weeks, i can tell it is very damp, cause on the otherside of the basement, there was some metal, plastic, am can see there are tiny moisture bubble building up... (sh... got to fix this before the WIFE noticed the different...)

- was thinking about the dehumidifier, but figure the vent would suck out the fish tank smell too, therefore thinking to get vent instead of dehumidifier.

- my basement is about 25 x 25, but don;t think i need a big unit, cause the tank equipment is in one corner, which also make it difficult to calculate how big the unit (CFM) be.

thx

 

[Carlo]

You'll probably find that venting the air out of the basement will help with the smell more so then the moisture problem. While a good quality dehumidifier will help with both the smell and of course the moisture.

I myself would go with a good quality dehumidifier first before trying the vent. Get one that you can hook up to a hose so you don't have to be bothered with emptying it.

Carlo

 

[debfife]

A dehumidifier will do a great job but it also generates a lot of heat. I'm not sure if that's a concern or not.

 

[malulu]

thank you all for the advises.

- my basement are quite cool, so, heat should not be an issue.
- i am going to get a dehumidifier tonight, and see how it goes.
- if this not work out, i am going to build a closet kind of room to isolate the tank area, and install a fan on top to suck all the moisture out.

thanks, and pls help to keep replying with more advise or comments.

best regards,
-David

 

[Phyl]

We use this Dehumidifier in our basement. It does a pretty good job of keeping the moisture in check. Billy uses the same one.

We have a hose hooked up to it and that goes into our sump hole (no pump in the hole). This setup is working fine for us.

 

[malulu]

Phyls,

- i just got this http://www.sylvane.com/delonghi-de500p.html from costco for $190 plus tax. if costco has something i am looking for, i always get it from them, because of the great return services!! price may be a little bit high some time, but that is ok.

- it has internal pump can be drained upward, i have it drain to my sewer pipe.

thx

 

[billyr98]

good luck with the dehumidifier method.. i run it like, phyllis said... but i also run a fan in my basement window to get my hot air out...

 

[malulu]

good luck with the dehumidifier method.. i run it like, phyllis said... but i also run a fan in my basement window to get my hot air out...

?? but, if the fan get the hot air out, it also get the DRY air out... which may cause the dehumidifier be running non-stop??

 

[malulu]

after running for 2 days, my basement are very dry, i now have it set at 50% humidity, it did genrate a bit of heat, but not too bad.

special thanks to Carlo for this dehumidify recommendation.
of course also thanks for all the other advises as always.