Dehumidifier Setting For Basement (Must Do This)

By - Ron Singh

Updated -

The air quality in basements is usually poor due to the high humidity levels, and using a dehumidifier would help a lot.

Although the dehumidifier can be challenging to set up, using it makes a lot of difference.

But the problem comes if you are unsure how to set the dehumidifier’s humidity. So, what is the basement setting for a dehumidifier?

The ideal basement setting for your dehumidifier is between 30-50%. However, if you let the dehumidifier go higher, you might start seeing molds appear on the walls and floors of your basements, so it would be better for you if you kept the percentage low. 

Dehumidifier Setting for Basement in Summer 

Dehumidifier Setting for Basement

In the hot summer weather, the relative humidity can cause many problems in the home, so a dehumidifier is always a great addition.

Since you need a dehumidifier, you should also know the level you should set it at. Many people recommend 45% as the ideal level, but due to your preference, you can move it to not lower than 30% and higher than 50%. 

You might think you do not need a dehumidifier, but this would help you in many ways. Some importance of using a dehumidifier includes; 

  • Comfort. Dry and moist air weigh the same, but there is a feeling of discomfort you can get in the presence of moist air; dehumidifiers help you feel more comfortable in dry air. 
  • Moisture destroys specific furniture like tables and cabinets, so using a dehumidifier helps reduce the risk. 
  • An HVAC system helps it work less by draining out the moisture, which may likely increase the work, leaving you with dry air. 

If you want to achieve the best of your dehumidifier in the summer, you should ensure you try these first

#1. Clean Your Home 

You might not know it, but a clean home can lessen the work your dehumidifier has to do.

You can clean your home intensely during the weekend by using a good bleach or vinegar solution to clean molds out of these clamped-up areas.

So, the significant pollutants you would’ve had to eliminate with your dehumidifier and cleaning up would have helped to get rid of it. 

#2. Choose The Right Location

Since most dehumidifiers release air from their top and sides, you should place it in a space area close to the windows or around a hole.

If you use a hose to let out the water, you should let the pipe pass through your window or a hole in your wall.

Since we are talking about basements, it would interest you to know that the basement is damp most times, and that is where most owners would set their basement humidity level very low. The dehumidifier would still be able to work nonstop. 

The bathroom, kitchen, and mudrooms are other common house areas with high humidity levels. Generally, areas with a lower light level tend to have high humidity levels. 

Dehumidifier Setting for Basement in Winter 

Although many homeowners would not need dehumidifiers in the winter period because the relative humidity level would be lower and the air in this period would be drier, maintaining your basement’s humidity level is essential.

If you find it necessary to use your dehumidifier in this period, it should run at 30%-50%. 

Do not use our dehumidifier if the temperature outside is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit during cold weather because freezing and condensation would freeze your units’ cooling coils.

It’s also best if you do not overuse your humidifier during the winter so they do not decrease the humidity levels excessively. 

How Do You Set Up Your Dehumidifier?

Most modern units of dehumidifiers come with automatic functions, which aids easier usage.

If yours doesn’t have automatic settings, you can edit its proper settings. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to set up your humidifier; 

#1. Choose The Location in The Basement 

Looking for the right location to place our humidifier also affects the effectiveness. A lot of people stress looking for the proper design optimization.

If you finally get the right optimization to use, it will function effectively despite the location you place it. 

#2. Pick A Suitable Moisture Draining Method 

There are three ways you can drain out the moisture from the air; manual, condensate pumping, and gravity draining.

Just like how easy the manual setup sounds, it doesn’t require any strict setup; you would need to empty the bucket when the water fills up and then place it back where it was. 

In the case of gravity draining, you would need to connect a hose to the back of your humidifier, and the moisture it would collect would be released directly into a floor drain.

You would not need to do too much work in this case. The easiest way to remove your moisture is through a condensed pump.

The condensed pump works similarly to gravity drainage by pushing the moisture from the basement to another location, but you would need a pump this time. 

#3. Choose The Humidity Level You Want to Set It To

All humidors usually come with a humidistat which helps you regulate and maintain your chosen humidity levels.

However, no matter how you adjust the dehumidifier to match your preference, always remember that the level shouldn’t exceed 30% to 50%. 

#4. Monitor And Maintain Your Unit

For the first time, you start operating your dehumidifier, ensure you keep an eye on it. You can ensure this by monitoring the humidity level in the room to ensure that it stays within the recommended level.

In addition, you can maintain your dehumidifying unit by cleaning the dust and dirt from it every once in a while and cleaning the air files. 

Dehumidifier Setting for A Flooded Basement

If your entire basement is flooded with water, you can set your humidifier from 35% to 50%, depending on the size of your basement.

You can also get fans and air conditioners and switch them on to hasten the drying process. 

Since the water is more significant than regular moisture, it would be best to use the condensing pump to facilitate your work and save energy.

It would help if you didn’t leave your basement damp, ensure that it completely dries off so you do not eventually give rise to molds or other water-related bacteria. 

Dehumidifier Setting for Damp Basement 

The best dehumidifier setting for your damp basement can be between 30% to 60%, although many people would find it more comfortable at 45%.

There are several challenges you face when there is not enough humidity in the air and the same thing when there is too much humidity.

Having a high humidity level basement can lead to some other secondary issues like molds and dust mites, and if you stay in that area for too long, you might develop health issues.

Maintaining the proper humidity level in the air decreases the chances of molds and dust mites in your basement. 

#1. How Dehumidifiers Work 

Dehumidifiers work by drawing excess water from your air and then into its coils from a fan action.

Once the fan collects the water, it sends it out of your room as water droplets and lets it into a storage tank or a bucket that sits close to the dehumidifier.

After you have done that, the dehumidifier then releases cool air back into your home. 

Some dehumidifiers operate automatically so that when the storage bucket fills up, it stops and waits for you to empty the water before it starts running again.

The number of times you would need to empty the bucket depends on the humidity level in your home.

It would be best if you didn’t think that too much humidity is the only condition that is bad; lack of humidity also causes several conditions like; 

  • Pneumonia 
  • Dry cough
  • And for people with eczema, it causes flare-ups. 
  • Dehydration. 

So, to prevent all these, the best thing to do is have humidifiers and dehumidifiers in your home to balance the humidity levels. 

Should You Run a Dehumidifier in The Basement at All Times?

It depends on the humidity levels in your basement. On days where the humidity levels are high, you would want to run a dehumidifier to prevent the appearance of mosses, and on days where it is lower, you would want to use the humidifier.

So the best thing for you is to have a humidifier and dehumidifier simultaneously to regulate the humidity levels. 

Why You Should Have  A Dehumidifier In Your Basement Why You Should Have A Humidifier In Basements 
To prevent mosses and molds To keep your basement hydrated 
To prevent mites and insects To prevent diseases 

Conclusion 

In as much as it is good to have a dehumidifier in your basement, knowing the correct settings would make it even better.

It is always essential for you to know the correct settings to use for your dehumidifier to save you from unnecessary stress in setting it up by yourself.

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