The typical basement feels stuffy and humid, making it uncomfortable for people to stay long hours in it. A majority of today’s basements are created without regard to air circulation. If you put together stagnant air with high levels of humidity, you get a basement that’s damp and clammy.
Dehumidifiers are especially created to provide a solution for this, but basic home dehumidifiers wont be as effective in basements as opposed to rooms were humidity is generally low. Therefore, looking for the best basement dehumidifier is essential.
With the best basement dehumidifier, condensation builds up on windows, floors, and basement walls, making paint peel or making the floor hazardous to walk through. For humidity in the basement, what you need is the best basement dehumidifier.
Choosing the Best Basement Dehumidifier
In order to end up with the best basement dehumidifier that’s right for you, you need to consider several factors.
The first thing to look for is the pints per day rate. The pints per day rate will inform you about how much pints of moisture from the air can be removed in an area for 24 hours. The AHAM testing method uses an environment that has a temperature of 80F and 60% humidity.
For a basement that’s stuffy and humid, look for a basement dehumidifier that can remove about 100. The typical room dehumidifier removes about 30 to 40 pints of water from the air, a capability that is not enough when used for the basement.
Another thing look for when searching for the best basement dehumidifier is the fan quality. In order for a dehumidifier to remove water from the air, air needs to pass through the dehumidifiers evaporator coils.
Therefore, in order for a dehumidifier to get the most water out of the air, it needs a powerful fan. Dehumidifier fans are rated using the cubic feet per minute unit or CFM. This dictates how much cubic feet of air pass through the dehumidifier coils in a span of one minute.
The trick is to look for a basement dehumidifier with 300 or more CFM for optimum performance. You need to look for a dehumidifier that’s strong enough to capture as much air as possible.
If you don’t want to be emptying buckets of water frequently, look for the best basement dehumidifier that comes with a gravity drain or a built-in condensate pump. This will allow water to empty to a sink, sump pump, or drain.