Its getting hot in here!

[leoskee]

My basement is starting to get hot and humid. I have a dehumidifier that I have to empty every 2-3 days. I have three windows that I can open, one all the way and the other two half way. Keep in mind that these are the small basement windows. Im starting to become concerned that heat is going to be an issue for my 180 project that I plan to start in 2 weeks.

Right now I have my 75 running with about 10 gls in the sump. A fan is blowing on it so that doesnt help the excess moisture. I also have well over 200 lbs of live rock cooking in rubber maid containers. They too are adding to the moisture.

Im going to build a fish room behind the 180 and either install an A/C unit or get a chiller. But my concern now is how the rest of the basement is going to fair off once the fish room is built.

Anyone have any experience with this or suggestions? Thanks.

 

[leoskee]

No one has had this problem?

 

[dsandfort]

Is your house air conditioned?

 

[leoskee]

Yes, 1st and 2nd floors. But not the basement. Why?

 

[dsandfort]

If you can get an AC duct to the fish room/area you might be able to use the dehumidified AC air to cool the area and then put a fan in the area blowing outside to exhaust heat/humidity.

 

[leoskee]

I was planning on installing an A/C unit in the window of the fish room. This would take care of the heat/moisture issue. But I am worried that the rest of the basement will remain hot and humid too.

I can look into getting a duct down to the basement but I think that it would be too costly.

 

[purebullet417]

get an auto draining dehimidifier. you can have them draink to like the main drian like a sink or get a hvac guy to install a ventilation fan for you

 

[Steve_Aquarius]

I live in northern WI and just had 5+ days of above 90F. I only run a 135g Oscar tank and a 300g cube Reef with 320w VHO's and 3 175w MH in the basement. Without my window A/C and 2 dehumidifier's running, I'd hit above 84F in the basement in no time.

Both dehumidifier's have drain lines running to the floor drain, and that alone is a great time saver Of course the nice thing about WI is that it is 46F out tonight, so I can air out the basement.

 

[kh6sat]

An air conditioner or chiller must be a definite part of your plans.

 

[46bfinGA]

Once you put the AC in the window I believe your problems will go away. Just seal off the fish room from the rest of the basement.Keep us informed of how it works out for you.I plan on doing the same thing in my fish room when I finish sealing it off.What size AC unit are you looking at?

 

[leoskee]

Im going to have to rethink my whole design for the project. I was basing a lot of what I wanted to do on the idea that my basement would remain cool during the summer. That is what I have heard from numerous people in my area. So far this has not proven to be t he case. My 75 hit 84degrees yesterday. I had to put a fan on the sump to bring the temp down. And the bad part is that summer hasnt even started.

When you say "seal off", are you talking about just creating the fish room or actually putting something on the walls that wont allow the humidity and heat from the tank out of the fish room?

As far as an A/C goes...I have no idea what kind to get. The windows are small so I dont think I can find an A/C that will fit them. I started looking into the new units that go near the ceiling of a room and have the fan outside but they run about $1,500-$2,000. For that price I would get a chiller instead.

 

[dsandfort]

I have a "fish room" meaning an actual room for the equipment and tank. The tank is in-wall. I have a fanteck fan blowing fishroom air directly outside and a 6" duct providing AC in to the room. It is in the basement. Now admittedly Colorado has fairly low humidity but it was 95 degrees here yesterday. Room temperature never exceeded 75 and tank temp never exceeded 79.
I think AC will definitely help you out, especially if the room is not too large. If you have small windows, you might want to look in to split AC units.

 

[leoskee]

Im going to build a fishroom and install a 180 inwall. Behind the tank I am going to have a room that will be 8'x10' for the equipment and such. I will have access to 2 small windows that are about 1'x3'. I know I can install a fan there but I dont know about an a/c unit. Im not too sure what a split unit is so I will have to look into it. Unless you are referring to the ones that have the housing inside the room and the fan outside. If that is the case that is the one I was talking about in the previous post and they are expensive.

I looked into getting a duct down to the basement and I cant find a way. I would have to instal a unit downstairs.

 

[Steve_Aquarius]

I just bought the 10,000btu model of a portable air conditioner by Haier for $350 at a Pamida, they need to be vented outside via a 4"duct, that is one option for you.

I would go a window unit though if possible. My Ge 8,000btu is only a foot high, so if you look around, I'm sure you can find one that would fit your window.

If I could replace it though, I'd get one without the digital display controller, as when ever the power flickers, the AC needs to be manual turned back on. Of course, if you have no power issues where you live, that isn't a problem.

 

[GMFett]

Realize as you move forward that a chiller is going to produce an ungodly amount of heat into your basement. If you chose to get a chiller- an ac will also be necesary unless you install it upstairs/outside which is what i would suggest.

 

[Sully_z]

If you take a look in my gallery you will see how I set my 240 in the wall with a room behind but just a little larger than what you are talking about but not much. I think the first thing I would do is leave the door open to your basement. Most heating and air people will tell you to never open windows during the summer because that will let humidity in your house and your A/C unit can not keep up. We opened up are basement entrance when we remodeled and now I have a problem with all are cool air going downstairs. My sump is sitting right on the cement floor which is transferring the cool ground temp to the bottom of the sump. With 4-250 watt M/H my 800 watt heater is turning on to keep water temp at 77-78. I have shelving off to the right side and a large box fan turned on medium blowing air across the top of the aquarium that is on a timer running when the lights are on. The fan is also helping circulate the air in the room and it doesn't seem to matter if I leave the louvered door to the room open or closed. I really think the sump sitting on the cold basement floor is the hot or should I say cold ticket. I will try to update my pics so you can get a better idea of what the room looks like.

Good Luck, Doug

 

[leoskee]

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep the sump location in mind when I start working on the project.

As far as the door being opened, I keep the door closed. I did not see a purpose for keeping it open. Especially since the cold air is goind down there and making the A/C work harder. I'll have to give it a try and see what happens if I leave the door open. I'll also check to see what happens if I leave the windows shut in the basement too.