Heat, humidity, venting, mold - What are you doing?

[raynist]

How are you controlling the humidity from your tank?

I had some vents installed in my glass block windows in my basement. I am currently running a small fan in the window to blow colder air in to the room. My humidity seems to be under 50% most of the time. In the summer my AC keeps it cool and dry, in the winter the heater seems to do the job.

I only seem to have humidity issues during the in between times when it is too warm for the furnace but too cool for AC.

I figure I have about 350g of water in my gameroom/basement.

What are you all doing? I ran a dehumidifier at one point, but they blow out so much hot air I think it was counter productive.

Does anyone cover thier tanks?

Has anyone ever had any mold issues in your house from your tanks? I know of one person who was heavily into reefing that quit because of the damage the humidity was doing to his house. He had lots of black mold growing in his children's rooms.

What humidity level should we strive for? How do you know if you are putting too much humid air into your house?

Thanks
Ray

 

[fodupos]

i use a heat exchange ventilator in my house. it is a fantech sh704. i got it for around $450 on sale. i got this before i got into reefing because the air in my basement seemed stale. it helps with fresh air not too sure about humidity. i guess if it is less humid outside it would work.

 

[raynist]

What do they look like? Can they be concealed or do you put them in a window?

 

[cloakerpoked]

I use dehumidifiers. My mom keeps glass tops on her tank, but its a softy reef, with VHO light, so the glass tops aren't as much of a big deal in hers.

 

[Hrlyrydr]

Tagging along on this as i to would also like to have some input on this.
I am Building a sump room in my basement currently.

Bump...Bump...Bump

 

[Peccavi18]

I was just thinking about this as well. Heater and ac work during the extremes but what about now. I have the glass tops on but I let one tipped up just abit trying to hold some moisture down, but leaving the heat escape. Also trying out running only 4 t-5's right now so it's not producing quite the heat to have to worry about it but once I get a few light intense corals I will have at least 6 if not all 8 bulbs going daily. No sump yet but I have enough acrylic to cover it and my fuge as well should the need arise.

 

[fodupos]

the one i have is about 1'x2'x2'. the unit can go in a closet or in the garage or where ever you want to put it. the thing is you need to run ducting for it. it has two pipes that lead to the outside: one for exhaust and one for intake. and two for the inside. i am lucky and have a drop ceiling in my basement so i was ok with running ductwork. my basement is also very long. you also don't have to plumb these units to the outside. you can use them to better circulate air from the top and bottom floor of your house. here is a link to the unit i am using. hopefully it shows up. http://www.fantech.net/sh704.pdf

 

[Aqua-World PITT]

Glass tops are bad because they block out a lot of light and reflects most of the rays from the light source. If you do end up going with glass tops use starphire glass. I'm sure it would let more light pass trough than regular glass. Since no manufactures make any I would have it custom made. I know Cory (starfiretank) works for a glass company and may be able to help you.

In the store we run air exchangers and 2 large HP fans blowing outside. When it is not enough we open the doors. But we have to keep the temperature inside at the minimum of 78 and a maximum of 82 to keep all the animals happy. Which in turn keeps a controlled environment thus no need for heaters for our large systems. We only one one chiller on one of our large reef systems with a lot of lighting.

 

[cloakerpoked]

Has anyone ever used a vent with just a bathroom vent fan? I'd think that would work just fine. When I set up my 240 (sometime in the next 10 years ) I've thought a lot about running ducts to the top/outside of a house with a bathroom fan in the line to pull the heat right out of the top of my display's canopy, since that's where a vast majority of my evaporation comes from I'm sure. I'm sure this would add greatly to the evaporation rate of the tank, but would hopefully keep it cooler.

 

[raynist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14715164#post14715164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloakerpoked
Has anyone ever used a vent with just a bathroom vent fan? I'd think that would work just fine. When I set up my 240 (sometime in the next 10 years ) I've thought a lot about running ducts to the top/outside of a house with a bathroom fan in the line to pull the heat right out of the top of my display's canopy, since that's where a vast majority of my evaporation comes from I'm sure. I'm sure this would add greatly to the evaporation rate of the tank, but would hopefully keep it cooler.

I am sure this can be done as long as the run wasn't too far. I don't think these fans are generally very strong.

 

[DEERE G]

I have mold forming on the 2 corners of my basement that are above grade. I have 120 gallons in the living room and about the same amount in the basement. My dehumidifier will freeze up on the condensor. It must be junk. I also notice the dehumidifier on the electric bill when I would try to run it constantly. I worry about fans just venting "out". The make up air has to come from somewhere and bring in cold air or warm air from outside via window gaps, door gaps, etc. An exchanger seems to be the key, although I am not sure. I am very interested in a solution. Our house is only a couple years old and I don't want mold growing in our living spaces. I actually want to set up a bigger tank in my basement but, this humidity issue has put the brakes on it.

 

[raynist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14716181#post14716181 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DEERE G
I have mold forming on the 2 corners of my basement that are above grade. I have 120 gallons in the living room and about the same amount in the basement. My dehumidifier will freeze up on the condensor. It must be junk. I also notice the dehumidifier on the electric bill when I would try to run it constantly. I worry about fans just venting "out". The make up air has to come from somewhere and bring in cold air or warm air from outside via window gaps, door gaps, etc. An exchanger seems to be the key, although I am not sure. I am very interested in a solution. Our house is only a couple years old and I don't want mold growing in our living spaces. I actually want to set up a bigger tank in my basement but, this humidity issue has put the brakes on it.

I would think you would have more humidity issues in a new house as they tend to be sealed better. My house is about 50 years old and I know there are some drafts. Right now my fan is just blowing air into the basement. The fan is a standard 4 inch fan, it is in a vent in the glass block. The vent is twice as big as then fan so even if I have it blowing out make up air can come in the other side. I think you would need to have a pretty powerful fan running in a sealed house to create negative pressue and have a carbon monoxide issue.

 

[Misled]

Exchanging air with outside air is the best way. The reason you see mold growth on basement walls is the walls are cold now and the air temps are warming up. There's also more moisture in the air from rains. This allows condensation to form on the colder places of the basement. If the basement has block walls the molds never really die. They may go dormant over the winter and summer months when we are using HVAC systems, but will spring back to life once moisture is present.

We keep windows open as much as possible and increase air circulation by use of fans.

 

[DEERE G]

I do have three windows down there. I like to open them when the weather permits. I've had them open a couple times this spring. I need to find one of those sliding ,adjustable window fans to run in the basement from time to time. I also run a 60" ceiling fan that is high up in a cathedral ceiling in my living room. I run it to simply circulate air. Like mentioned above it is mostly these in between season times that I notice humidity more. Visitors say that they don't notice any humidity or smell from the water. Maybe so, or maybe they are being nice. lol

 

[the2ofus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14715164#post14715164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloakerpoked
Has anyone ever used a vent with just a bathroom vent fan? I'd think that would work just fine. When I set up my 240 (sometime in the next 10 years ) I've thought a lot about running ducts to the top/outside of a house with a bathroom fan in the line to pull the heat right out of the top of my display's canopy, since that's where a vast majority of my evaporation comes from I'm sure. I'm sure this would add greatly to the evaporation rate of the tank, but would hopefully keep it cooler.

Funny, I just finished installing one over last weekend.

I placed it above the tank and wired it through a thermostat.

Last spring the "fish room"(as we call it) would get really warm but, running an air conditioner sure wasn't cost effective but, it did work. Now I just have to find the right temp to set it at to kick on...I'll let you guys know how it works out.