Industrial Dehumidifier

Michaelmsg · #1 09-03-2013, 08:47 PM

Hello All,

My name is Michael Grigg. I am a first time poster, so please cut me some slack if i placed this in the wrong location. I have been reading the past threads for awhile now so i guess you could call me a "forum Stalker" (according to Mary McKnight) lol. So I finally decided to stop stalking and introduce myself.

I live in Northwest Arkansas and I have been building for several years now. I have studied with an outfit in Atlanta, Charles Fox and Robbie O'Brien. With plans for a few other classes next year.

I met several of you at the most recent Healdsburg Festival. It was my first time attending and had a wonderful time. The Hospitality from all of you was astonishing! And the Instruments were Fantastic! Thank you for all of your time and advice that was given while I was there.

Because I live in Northwest Arkansas the Humidity is extremely high. This time of year it is around 70-80% outside. Last week I finally was able to get a new HVAC system installed after it had been on order for two months and my old one had been out of commission. I am currently averaging 60% humidity in my shop, which is way to high. I have a 100 sqft storage room with a small residential dehumidifier from Lowes that keeps that room at 45% but the unit runs pretty much nonstop. It would take several of these to bring my shop to an adequate level.

My shop is in my Daylight basement of my house. Both are sealed to the outside extremely well. Both areas are 1100 sqft each, with a total of 2200 sqft. MY new HVAC system controls both areas, of course i have filters that help keep the dust out of the living areas.

I am in need of an Industrial Dehumidifier. Can any of the experienced builders here recommend a good reliable Industrial Unit? Advice on brands that are good and brands to stay away from would be great as well.

I do not know a whole lot about Dehumidifiers but what i do know are the small residential units normally last a few years and then go out. I am currently looking at paying nearly ten times the average price of the residential units on an industrial unit. I would hate to spend a few grand on an industrial unit and it break down after a few seasons.

Can any of you that use an industrial dehumidifier give me any recommendations of what type to look at? As of know I have only checked Grainger mainly because it is just a few miles down the Road from me.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Michael Grigg

Chas Freeborn · #2 09-03-2013, 09:52 PM

I would suggest you begin by looking at Grainger ( www.grainger.com ) to get an idea of what's out there and what they cost. They're not the cheapest supplier around, but they do have an extensive network of products and service.
-C

keyshore · #3 09-04-2013, 04:50 AM

Hi Michael,

At the onset welcome to the AGF!!

Why dont you contact Jim Olson (Olson guitars), I think he has installed a heavy duty unit in his shop. He is a great guy and always willing to help.

Good luck,

Keyshore

mikealpine · #4 09-04-2013, 05:33 AM

Welcome! Can't help with this, but encourage you to post some pictures of your builds.

Tim McKnight · #5 09-04-2013, 06:52 AM

Michael,
Does your shop have a concrete floor and / or walls or perhaps concrete block walls? If so, that is where you need to begin before buying another HVAC or dehumidifer. Even though one would think concrete is tight it is likely the source that is leaching humidity into your shop. You will need to double seal your floors, walls and ceilings with heavy mill visqueen plastic sheeting to form an air tight sealed room. Cover that with fiberglass insulation and 5/8" drywall and you will be good to go. Then a small residential dehuimidifer will do the trick and it will only operate at a fraction of what it runs now.

Brock Poling · #6 09-04-2013, 07:50 AM

While that's probably a great suggestion, I have concrete floors and walls (my shop's in the basement too) and I didn't seal the floors walls or do any of the other stuff Tim suggests.

I run two LG650EALs and I can keep the shop at 45% without any issues. I suspect mine is about the same size as yours.

I will tell you though they run hard in the heat of the summer but they get the job done.

With Tim's suggestions though I'm sure they wouldn't have to run as hard and probably save you some money on electricity.

WaddyT · #7 09-04-2013, 08:29 AM

Check out SantaFe dehumidifiers. They are commercial grade, and get good reviews from those who have them. Cost more, run less and work better at a lower power usage. At least that's what I read in the discussions about them. I have not bitten the bullet yet, but am planning to.

arie · #8 09-04-2013, 09:22 AM

we have one of these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-65-Pin...3#.UidPdDZwp8E

ours is a pre-digital, older model with one knob and a different grill. this beast kicks out a bunch of heat and roars like a 747 but works awesome in a 15x15 room. i wouldn't necessarily call it industrial but it thinks it is. takes about an hour to go from 60 rh to 45 rh

Howard Klepper · #9 09-04-2013, 10:58 AM

Thermastor.

If you can get your concrete sealed well and go with a residential unit, then Danby.

Michaelmsg · #10 09-04-2013, 07:17 PM

Sealing the concrete is a good idea but in my case it will be a little hard. it would take a month or two to actually remove everything from the shop and to place the plastic down and then move everything back in and set it back up. the floor is covered with 1 inch thick rubber Equine mats that are 3'x6'. this helps seal the floor somewhat but of course their are cracks between the mats. The mats are actually butted up to one another so the cracks are very negligible. The mats literally cover almost every square inch of my shop. moving these mats takes two people because they are cumbersome to move and not very light.

I think some of the Humidity might be leaking back into the shop from my spray booth. I own one of the large spraybooths offered by Grizzly. It has a 12' Duct that runs outside. I have not installed a Damper yet on it, but that is on my to do list.

I have been considering one of the Dri-eaze or the Dayton units from Grainger but i have no experience with either of these two Brands.

I do not know how true this is but i was once told by a home inspector that if I was to just place plastic down over the concrete and then place everything on top of it i could open my home up to mold. he said the plastic only works if it is put down before the concrete is poured. his reasoning for mold was because of the plastic the concrete could sweat and the plastic will not allow the moisture to dry. the only method for sealing the concrete after the fact would be epoxy type concrete paint/finish. Has anybody here ever heard this before?

Ned Milburn · #11 09-04-2013, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michaelmsg

Sealing the concrete is a good idea but in my case it will be a little hard. it would take a month or two to actually remove everything from the shop and to place the plastic down and then move everything back in and set it back up. the floor is covered with 1 inch thick rubber Equine mats that are 3'x6'. this helps seal the floor somewhat but of course their are cracks between the mats. The mats are actually butted up to one another so the cracks are very negligible. The mats literally cover almost every square inch of my shop. moving these mats takes two people because they are cumbersome to move and not very light.

I think some of the Humidity might be leaking back into the shop from my spray booth. I own one of the large spraybooths offered by Grizzly. It has a 12' Duct that runs outside. I have not installed a Damper yet on it, but that is on my to do list.

I have been considering one of the Dri-eaze or the Dayton units from Grainger but i have no experience with either of these two Brands.

I do not know how true this is but i was once told by a home inspector that if I was to just place plastic down over the concrete and then place everything on top of it i could open my home up to mold. he said the plastic only works if it is put down before the concrete is poured. his reasoning for mold was because of the plastic the concrete could sweat and the plastic will not allow the moisture to dry. the only method for sealing the concrete after the fact would be epoxy type concrete paint/finish. Has anybody here ever heard this before?

Spray foam insulation on the cement walls. Had it done in my home 2.5 years ago, and some friends did the same. Incredible product - vapour barrier, moisture (yes, moisture) barrier, insulation, and sound-proofing. Well worth the money.

Michaelmsg · #12 09-04-2013, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HCG Canada

Spray foam insulation on the cement walls. Had it done in my home 2.5 years ago, and some friends did the same. Incredible product - vapour barrier, moisture (yes, moisture) barrier, insulation, and sound-proofing. Well worth the money.

Did you use Closed-Cell Foam?

joe white · #13 09-05-2013, 08:56 AM

Again, the Thermastor Sante Fe is what you need. My 2400 square foot basement would get as high as 68% RH and the consumer level big box units were worthless. I bit the bullet and bought the Thermastor Sante Fe and within 48 hours, it brought the level to 48%. I drain it right into the furnace condensate sump so I don't even need to monitor it. Thermastor has several sizes available so you might not need the large Sante Fe. Check out their site, they know dehumidifiers. Incidentally, I have bare cement walls and floor.

http://www.thermastor.com/

Michaelmsg · #14 09-05-2013, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe white

Again, the Thermastor Sante Fe is what you need. My 2400 square foot basement would get as high as 68% RH and the consumer level big box units were worthless. I bit the bullet and bought the Thermastor Sante Fe and within 48 hours, it brought the level to 48%. I drain it right into the furnace condensate sump so I don't even need to monitor it. Thermastor has several sizes available so you might not need the large Sante Fe. Check out their site, they know dehumidifiers. Incidentally, I have bare cement walls and floor.

http://www.thermastor.com/

Joe, do you use the 100 model or the 195 model?

joe white · #15 09-05-2013, 09:03 AM

Don't know what those are. Mine is the Sante Fe Classic.