What You Need To Know About Basement Dehumidifiers

The basement is often one of the most neglected areas of the house, but properly managed it can add valuable feet of living space and significantly add the value of your home. Today basements across America are being used as playrooms and entertainment areas. Teenagers use them for getting away from Mom and Dad and home theatre systems are making the dream media room a reality. However one of the most challenging aspects of making use of a basement is dealing with the common problem of humidity. Basements, especially those with inadequate or no water proofing are prone to high humidity levels and this can cause damage to furniture or delicate electronic equipment. One of the solutions to the problem is the installation of a basement dehumidifier.These can be installed as a permanently installed fixture or the decision can be made to purchase a portable unit. The decision on which type of basement dehumidifier to purchase can be influenced by two factors, the first being cost and the second being how quickly the homeowner wants the unit to be up and running. Dehumidifiers for home basement use work by drawing humid air over coiled coils, causing the water in the air to condense and be collected either in a drip pan or piped away from the unit into a drain. In effect a dehumidifier works in exactly the same way as a refrigerator. It is also worth noting that dehumidifiers can greatly benefit people who suffer from respiratory complaints such as asthma or hay fever. Many dehumidifiers not only reduce the amount of moisture in the air, but also have a built in filter that can remove particle from the air that may cause discomfort.When the decision is taken to purchase a whole basement dehumidifier one of the most important pieces of information that every homeowner must be aware of prior to the purchase is the square footage of the basement. Without this knowledge it will be impossible to purchase the right dehumidifier for the job. If its output is not sufficient it will simply not do the job and if it is too large it will use too much electricity and be an unnecessary expense.Dehumidifiers for home basement use come with either a pan or a pipe outlet that connects to a drain. In the case of the pan units the dehumidifier will automatically switch off once the pan is full and the homeowner will have to empty the pan before the unit will switch back on. This level of maintenance is not to everybody’s liking so the homeowner is faced with a choice. Either purchase the unit that connects to the drainage system or in the case of a basement that does not have a drain increase the carrying capacity of the pan. This can be accomplished by connecting the pan to a larger bucket, thus reducing the regularity of trips to empty the pan. However, homeowners should note that a setup like this will mean that the automatic shutoff feature of the dehumidifier will not function and that there is a danger of the bucket overflowing and causing water damage or worse. This is not a solution for the forgetful or easily distracted.The purchase of a basement dehumidifier can be guided by the online reviews of the various products that are widely available. Always trust the reviews of third parties, rather than the manufacturer. Basement dehumidifier reviews of this type are widely available.