[OP]
Member
I need a dehumidifier for my woodshop. My woodshop has two areas. One is 850sqf and the other is 400sqf. They are divided by a wall with a man door opening. The basement is finished. I get my lumber dried to 5% before getting it back. Now the lumber is 9.5% from being down in the woodshop. I'm not sure what and where to look at or if really needed.
Thanks everyone
Contributor
Terry, what is the comparative relative humidity between your shop and the living areas of your home or, otherwise, where your finished projects will reside ? There's no reason to maintain your wood to a lower moisture content that what it will assume when planted in it's final location.
Member
At 70 to 80 degrees you will need the relative humidity to stay about 23% to keep wood at 5% EMC, thats pretty dry. The 9.5% EMC indicates your RH is right above 50% in your basement.
As mentioned the important issues is the RH difference between the wood and where it will end up. The micro-climate of your home will vary a lot from season to season (assuming wher you live has significant seasonal changes) and where you live. You need to know the rough range of RH your house sees and keep your wood in that range for at least a couple of weeks prior to final milling and assembly so 9.5% EMC may be fine or it may not.
Portable dehumidifiers are pretty standard technology and much like window A/C units there is not a ton of difference between them and they are relatively cheap. Amazon has a 50 pint per day Fridgidaire for $188 but as with A/C will need to be sized for your cubic area along with the amount of water you need to remove but they won't break the bank but you need to decide how much you actually need to pull the humidity down, there are some areas of that 9.5% EMC will actually be fine, you just have to find out the rough humidity range of the place your furniture will live when finished.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Contributor
Unfortunately the dehumidifiers of today and not what they used to me. Years ago they lasted 10-20 years and some longer. Now you are lucky to get 2 years out of one, if you can get it last that long. I've been shopping for one lately and not found any yet that get decent marks from the consumer. And Consumer Reports came to the same conclusion. Some are designed to run 24/7 and will drive you crazy, along with your electricity bill. Good luck on your hunt. PS I've been running dehumidifiers for over 40 years in basements. Randy
Contributor
I came to the same conclusion from my research last year. All of the newer small portable units die quickly. Plus they put out heat, which may or may not be good.Originally Posted by Randall J Cox
Mark McFarlane
Contributor
I've got the predecessor to this model running in a 440 sq ft air conditioned/insulated garage with a constant drain setup using PEX tubing and its been running so far for 5 years without incident (knock on wood). I'm sure I just jinxed myself. Bought it at local Lowes.
I keep it running around 45 to 50 percent, and given my space it runs quite often to keep it there. If I didn't have the big garage door which leaks air I'm sure it wouldn't have to work so much and would be more than adequate for the square footage.
http://www.frigidaire.com/Home-Comfo...ers/FAD704DWD/
Member
Was going to mention that my Oasis one is certainly better quality than the average China-made home center disposable model but they don't seem to be to easy to come by now.
The portable Ebac one seems to get good reviews otherwise: http://www.sylvane.com/ebac-cd35.html
Contributor
I suppose I should be glad it’s not just me. I’ve had two die in less than two years after my “old” one lasted over fifteen.
Contributor
Phoenix or Santa Fe are two of the better ones. Most consumer units are not worth the time or money. Dave
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