De-humidifier suggestions

[Bmachine]

After reading Stephen Bruns' insane result of 18% humidity I wanted to look into getting a de-humidifier for my garage. A forum search turned up this thread by @CSteve but it does not include specific recommendations:

Dehumidifier Report

Cranked up the new dehumidifier exactly a month ago at the start of a hot, humid July. Garage 2 1/2 car, brick floor, no insullation, high ceiling. Dried out the leather, vinyl, headliner, everything in 36 hours. Drains to a hose, set at 50/55%,. When the humidity is low, I read it on my...

e9coupe.com

Does anyone have brand/model recommendations for a 3 car garage?

Matt Risinger on the Build Show recommend this little unit: Honeywell TP50WK

My requirements are: To reduce humidity by at least 25%, to have remote wifi monitoring and to have provision for hose drainage (as opposed to incorporated water tank).

Thank you.

 

[CSteve]

After reading Stephen Bruns' insane result of 18% humidity I wanted to look into getting a de-humidifier for my garage. A forum search turned up this thread by @CSteve but it does not include specific recommendations:

Dehumidifier Report

Cranked up the new dehumidifier exactly a month ago at the start of a hot, humid July. Garage 2 1/2 car, brick floor, no insullation, high ceiling. Dried out the leather, vinyl, headliner, everything in 36 hours. Drains to a hose, set at 50/55%,. When the humidity is low, I read it on my...

e9coupe.com

Does anyone have brand/model recommendations for a 3 car garage?

Matt Risinger on the Build Show recommend this little unit: Honeywell TP50WK

My requirements are: To reduce humidity by at least 25%, to have remote wifi monitoring and to have provision for hose drainage (as opposed to incorporated water tank).

Thank you.

I avoid non-essential wifi. Stories about refrigerator and thermostat and door bell camera hacks are scary. And then there was the wifi hack where someone? took control of a Chrysler Product while rolling down the highway(urban myth or true?).

Hose drainage is the only way to go.

I ended up with a unit similar but not quite as highly rated as Stephen's. See my post referred to at the top of this thread. When I say I read the humidity on my phone I mean I read a weather appp for my neighborhood.

 

[OCCoupe]

My dear brother,
One of the most important investments for a damp environment is a simple box fan. Keep the air circulating in your garage and damp air won’t settle in the places you don’t want it to settle. It will also make the dehumidifier more effective. I have one in my storage unit and it costs $18.00/month to run it 24/7.

 

[CSteve]

How about a rotating fan, moves the air in a circular motion, any better?

 

[OCCoupe]

How about a rotating fan, moves the air in a circular motion, any better?

You’ll have to discuss this with the fan gods.

 

[dave v. in nc]

I broke down and bought a 18K btu heat pump/mini split unit (for the "car barn", about 1000 sq ft, ceiling is probably 20ft)...can also be run in de-humidifier mode. Time for me to get some things done. Medicare kicks in in 30 days...and its time to get busy living, or get busy dying...gotta love Morgan Freeman. I also need to be able to make noise at 12:30 in the morning without waking the missus. And no more propane heat to blow the place up when I want to use volatiles, etc...Patiently waiting for my heating/air guy...one more week. 93 degrees the last ten days or so, and humidity like LA (lower Alabama).

 

[bavbob]

I made this comment in the original post but my garage has a slab floor and they sweat like hell. If you have a non-breathable car cover and a slab floor, a dehumidifyer will do nothing to protect your undercarriage.

Dave if you can believe it, my New England home had a heat pump in it when I bought it, P.O. was from Texas. Heat pumps here should be against the law. Extracting heat from 0 degree air is a bit of a challenge.

 

[dave v. in nc]

Not a big fan of heat pumps in general...the little mini-split should be "adequate" for the car barn though. I used to work in Thailand back and forth for several years, and the little units performed well under the circumstances, gained my respect.
I had a good 2002 rear vinyl seat and back this spring that took forever to clean off the white mildew from the perfs...that made my decision on regulating the temp and especially the humidity in the barn.
Agree with you, Rob...didn't know they had heat pumps above the Mason-Dixon line...

 

[Bmachine]

ended up with a unit similar but not quite as highly rated as Stephen's. See my post referred to at the top of this thread.

Steve. I re read that post but I am not seeing any info on the the brand or model. Am I missing something?

 

[Bmachine]

I broke down and bought a 18K btu heat pump/mini split unit

Dave, I know next to nothing about these. Can you post brand and model so I can look into it? Thanks.

 

[m5bb]

My coupe lives a privileged life in an climate controlled 2 car garage with the 87 Porsche Targa. Heat and AC. No rust if that place. I hear the ladies talking in German during the night. LOL
My DD (E46 M3) and my other BMW a 88 M5 live in the other garage that's part of my house. I have a 30 year old dehumidifier in the corner of the garage with the hose running out the door. I leave the windows open on the M5 or it will grow mold. Really ugly on a black interior. I live in very humid Atlanta. Dehumidifier runs 8 months a year.

 

[Gary Knox]

Dave and Bo,

Our house in southeast PA gets 85-90% of it's warmth in the winter from a heat pump. The balance is a propane backup that's integrated into the system. The backup really only activates when the temp is in the mid 20's or below. In the past 15 years, we've rarely had nights that get to 10 degrees F. Our house is is actually about 10 miles north of the M/D line, and 5 miles from the site where Mr. M and Mr. D. spent every night for about 2 weeks at a specific large rock in order to get their bearings absolutely 'dead on' before they started the treck west to lay out the line).

The heat pump is the only source of heat in the hobby garage, and it will put out about 115 degree heat as low as ~5 degrees F. Of course it keeps it dry and comfortably cool in the summer via the AC function.

Gary

 

[HonaloochieBoogie]

Not a big fan of heat pumps in general...the little mini-split should be "adequate" for the car barn though. I used to work in Thailand back and forth for several years, and the little units performed well under the circumstances, gained my respect.
I had a good 2002 rear vinyl seat and back this spring that took forever to clean off the white mildew from the perfs...that made my decision on regulating the temp and especially the humidity in the barn.
Agree with you, Rob...didn't know they had heat pumps above the Mason-Dixon line...

Given that you are not trying to hold “home “ level temps, I think you’re split will do the job, particularly if you keep air moving ( which the new split systems do automatically by moving air continuously rather than the old way of turning off once temperatures are reached). I’d recommend a box fan as previously mentioned. Agree that these systems are not great in extreme temperatures (try checking into a hotel in Montana in winter) but California is a little milder

 

[dave v. in nc]

I actually got what info I have from Gary's tip with an ebay link, from Autokunst's thread "Raven gets a new nest", page one, post 18 and 19...
My heating and air guy, of whom I have alot of respect said no to ebay at first, even as respected as the Mitsu. and Toshibas are, they are through internet retailers, where warranties are suspect. He at first recommended a Mitsu. unit, that he could warranty, then talk to a respected colleague that said that Pioneer was a lot less money, and had had zero problems with them. So I ordered the unit below from their company site. Japanese designed, mfgr'd in PRC. The remote control is a nice convenience. Ordered and received in less than a week, (free) shipping from Doral, FL. Outside unit will go behind the car barn where the sun doesn't cook it. Patiently waiting (sort of) for heating/air guy mid week, maybe. Thanks Autokunst and Gary Knox...I would not have done this without your info share.
Dave V. in western, hot, muggy, NC

 

[Bmachine]

I actually got what info I have from Gary's tip with an ebay link, from Autokunst's thread "Raven gets a new nest", page one, post 18 and 19...
Dave V. in western, hot, muggy, NC

I had forgotten that Stephen listed the specifics of his system. Thank you for reminding me. To keep it all in one thread, @autokunst said in his thread that he bought this unit:
24,000 BTU 21 SEER Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump AirCon 2 Ton
Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/113789244168

 

[craterface]

Don’t forget to paint your garage floor if it is not painted. I have a dehumidifier from Home Depot and I get it down to about 50 percent. At the Revs Institute museum in Naples they aim for 55 percent and not lower. They have huge commercial AC plant with chillers etc. They can go much lower but they have found it can be counterproductive for presentation of original leather and wood.

 

[craterface]

I do not recommend the one I have because it breaks every three years BTW.

 

[autokunst]

As @craterface notes, you definitely want to create an effective vapor barrier including the floor if you expect to control the climate within a space. I have obsessed over that in my garage. I also read that as far as relative humidity is concerned, anything over 40% allows rust/corrosion to develop/spread. I've been trying to maintain something between 30% and 40%, although I have gone off the deep end at times just as a result of the combination of the dehumidifier and the heat pump cooling the space while I am out there. Normally I have not been "cooling" the space - just the dehumidifier which is set to 45%. However, it seems the sensor on the dehumidifier unit is a bit off, as my digital gauge typically reads in the upper 20s to lower 30s.

 

[Bmachine]

Just to button up the thread, I ended up getting a portable Toshiba unit for about $220 at Home Depot, just to dip my toe in that water so to speak. I hooked a garden hose into the back of the unit and teed into the water evaporator pipe from our hybrid electric water heater. And, I have to say, I am totally baffled at how well this thing works. For that kind of money it is absolutely amazing how efficient these little machines are. My whole garage is now down about 30% compared to before. Those little guys really do some great work.

TOSHIBA MAD50C1ZWS

 

[Bmachine]

I should add that my next step now is to install some type of fan to get the air circulating as mentioned by brother Mike. The challenge there is that the garage is a really odd shape so I have to figure out a good location for some kind of circular motion.

Thank you for all the great feedback!