Sump size.

[magdelan]

I think that I need to decrease the size of my sump and refugium.

We just had Comprehensive Mold Management clean our basement. The owner of the company, Paul Wagner told us that my sump and refugium setup is greatly contributing to the humidity problem down there. He said that by adding a dehumidifier to the area, it would end up removing more water from the tank than the air itself. His suggestion is to down size the amount of water per gallon down there.

What is a suitable size sump that I can incorporate my refugium into that will handle my 180g display tank?

 

[Conesus_Kid]

I'm no expert on mold, or humidity, but here are my thoughts:

First, I think that the evaporation from the sump is a function of 1) the relative humidity of the surrounding air, 2) the temperature of the air, and 3) the surface area of the water.

If you put a dehumidifier down there, it removes moisture from the air, not directly from the sump. So yes, more will evaporate from the sump, but a good dehumidifier will reduce the humidity of air in the room.

 

[reefman5511]

Basement humidity control is all about removing the moisture laden air & replacing it with drier air. Getting some ventilation will help immensely along with a dehumidifier. Exhaust fan works but you can't be drawing so much air that it starts to draw the exhaust fumes from your furnace & hot water tank back into the house.

 

[captain7359]

Just cover the sump to decrease the amount of evaporation that takes place down there.

The dehumidifier will take out as much water as it needs to to reach the set RH% (50-60%). Yes, you may end up evaporating more water with the dehum, but you will still have a lower RH in the basement.

He should be happy that he gets to sell you a bigger dehumidifier :hmm3:

If you want to be a bit more efficient look at direct exhaust or a Heat Recovery Ventilator.

How much extra did your wife have to pay him to try and convince you to downsize?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

cover the sump and run a dehumidifier

 

[IronMan72]

cover the sump and run a dehumidifier

+1

 

[redrider911]

cover sump, run dehumidifier, install exhaust fan, and install barometric damper called a skuttle.

 

[tmz]

I run a lot of open water via attached tanks and bins in the basement and run a dehumdifier. I don't get much more evaporation and the slat misting has stopped. Generally if I'm under 55% , it's all good.

 

[magdelan]

I like the idea of covering the sump and fuge but wouldn't this cause it to heat up... A LOT? I need to do something here. Gary, what size sump are you running? And do you have a fuge tied into it?

 

[IronMan72]

I usually have about 400 gallons of water in my basement. A 220G freshwater system. A 75G reef with an additional 20G in the sump. A 20G FW frog tank. A 10G SW QT. Usually 2 to 3 20G rubbermaid tubs filled for water changes etc. I have glass covers over all of the tanks and use the plastic covers for the tubs. I cover just the refugium section of my sump. I have a dehumidifier set to 50% and don't have any significant problems related to evaporation from the tanks. I can go a couple weeks without even 1 gallon evaporating from my 220G. I need about 1/2G of makeup water per day for my reef system, mostly because part of the sump is open.

Occasionally the temperature in the tanks will creep up on HOT days but that is easily controlled by pointing a small fan at the surface of the water. On these days my evaporation rate is a little higher but it doesn't happen often. During the summer my water temps run from 77F to a maximum of about 81F. The 75G reef is on a controller with a fan over the sump that automatically kicks on if the temp exceeds 79F. Generally, it tops out at 79.1F on HOT days.

The drain from the washing machine runs into an open sanitary tub, and we hang some delicate clothes from a line in the basement so they don't shrink in the dryer.

We used to feel the humidity in the basement and the pipes would sweat but the humidifier does a great job and has plenty of idle time when set to 50%.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I like the idea of covering the sump and fuge but wouldn't this cause it to heat up... A LOT? I need to do something here. Gary, what size sump are you running? And do you have a fuge tied into it?

dehumidifier creates drier air. Drier air causes more efficient evaporative cooling. I run a 75 gallon glass aquarium sump. There's a 10 gallon aquarium inside it that acts as a 'fuge. I have a piece of acrylic cut for the top of my sump that I can easily remove depending on conditions.