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Oh well, after reading a gadzillion posts here, and deciding to try and build a kit, and building a "shop" in order to have somewhere to do it, my first topic post comes down to a non-build related question. I'm dissappointed.

My "shop", and I'm being liberal, is relatively small...about 14 x 14, and wholly contained within my basement. Recently, with the PSYCHO weather we've been having, the humidity has shot up into the low 60% range. I can tell this is going to be an issue in perpetuity. I have one of those cool Sears de-humidifiers that runs automatically based on whatever range you want the humidity to be in. The condensate collects in a 1.5 gallon tank that must be emptied periodically. Here's the issue: the shop is so small, and so "tight" that the heat from the condensor/exhaust on the de-humidifier now runs the temp in the room up into the low 80 degree range.

Any suggestions on what to do? Oh...and the room is entirely enclosed, no windows no vents, etc., - although I might be able to put some venting in the drop ceiling.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Bill

I have the same drama. I think perhaps a dessicant dehumidifier might be an alternative. Down here in Australia a dehumifier like your costs about $700 AUD whereas a dessicant type costs about $2000. Alternatively you might find an air conditioner will have less heat issues but higher running costs. I think the machinhe I use consumes about 300 - 400 watts.

regards

Tim

Okay, first corny answer! Loose some clothes You could always use Buck Naked as your brand name.

Seriously, maybe try running the de-humidifier at a lower setting and run a small oscillating fan to circulate the air. I'm also in a 9 x 12 enclosed basement room but haven't had that problem as of yet. In fact just now looking at my gauge I need to turn my humidifier on.Don A38790.3639236111

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

When I had that same problem in Illinois I painted the concrete walls with waterproofing paint made for that purpose and then epoxy painted the floor. I went from two dehumidifiers to one not a complete solution but a big help.

[QUOTE=Bill Greene]Any suggestions on what to do? Oh...and the room is entirely enclosed, no windows no vents, etc., - although I might be able to put some venting in the drop ceiling.
[/QUOTE]

Move up North.

If that isn't a possibility, run a vent and axhaust fan similar to a bathroom ceiling unit to the outside. Should be an easy install. Put it right above where you locate the dehumidifier.
I recommend getting the dehumidifier elevated off the floor, since most of the warmer moist air is higher up in the room. I have a hose running out of mine into a small tray with a condensate pump, which is piped top the basement slop-sink. I never have to empty it. If yours is a newer Sears product, it is made by LG, and has a way to use a hose instead of the bucket.
Don Williams38790.3921180556

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Bill, welcome to the OLF.
Other than working in a warm enviornment, this shouldn't be a problem. I built many guitars in temperatures hotter than 80 degrees but the RH was 45% to 50% The temperaturee is not the problem but the humidity is. Another solution is to build a small booth (like a small closet) and put your de-humidifier in it. Always store your wood and guitar in it when not building. This also works very well at controlling humidity as you build.

I picked up a Soleus dehumidifier. It is quiet, efficient, and effective. The less wattage used the less heat is put out by the unit. Of course you need to compare units of equal water removal capacity, i.e. 40 pints per day.

I think you really need an air conditioner though. Can you run a vent in from a whole house unit? You can get a small portable unit from Air N Water.
http://air-n-water.com/product/MA9000AH.html

I am a satisfied customer.

Kurt Housh

[QUOTE=Robbie O'Brien] Other than working in a warm enviornment, this shouldn't be a problem. The temperaturee is not the problem but the humidity is.   [/QUOTE]
Yeah, but it's only March--what about July? It looks like Bill has a similar problem to mine. My "shop" is in a friend's basement, and the only time I can do any gluing is in the dead of winter because of the humidity (which, BTW, often reaches 90% here in Michigan summers). It seems that Bill's basement is sealed off from the outside enough that a dehumidifier can do the job (unlike where I am), but if it's bringing his shop to 80deg. now, just wait 'til the summer when that puppy's running 24/7! 110 in the "shade!" AC is imperative, but it sounds like it's going to be a big job--good luck, Bill!

I have a sears dehumidifier and it doesn't heat up the room that much.
I set it to 45% and forget about it.
Andy

Woops, I live in San Diego....it is never that hot outside.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Hmmm, good suggestions all - especially the move up North concept. I guess I should have been a bit more detailed. My basement shop isn't cut into the centralized air unit as I don't want any of the dust returned into that system (wife has HORRIBLE allergies). I suppose I can vent some of the heat to the outside, although I'll have to knock a hole in the foundation wall (no biggie, I guess) to install the exhaust unit's vent pipe. That would probably be the best bet.

What CarltonM said is on target however, it's this coming summer that is going to be the issue with the dehumidifier heat...I would imagine it'll be unbearable in there if that thing runs regularly. Hmmm, might need to check out that air conditioning concept.

Any other ideas? And Don, if I move to Rhode Island, do I get free guitar building lessons?

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Yes.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I am going to have the same issues come summer. Right now, my dehum is heating the building room to 70 degrees with little help from the electric heater. In the summer, it's gonna be aweful hot.
I keep my dehum up near the ceiling, on top of a cabinet & it definitely works better there than down on the floor.
Wal Mart sells a cheap ($120.00) AC which will look after a 600 sq. ft. room, but of course it needs a source of outside air. Might be a small problem with a full basement.

Hey Bill if you consider moving north, we have lots of space around here

I have a small A/C Unit in my Shop which is a separate building from my home. I live in Northeast Texas where RH can get really high and summers really hot. I have a monitor in my shop and it seems to fluctuate between 35-55% most of the time. My A/C Unit can be set to come on two times during the day for a set length of time. It cost me $128.00 from WalMart. My only concerns since moving out of my house is summer.....do you find that an A/C unit will keep the RH in check? Or do I need to begin looking for a Dehumidifier unit?

Mike
White Oak, Texas

My shop is different from yours, but maybe a quick rundown of what I do may give you some ideas.

I have a basement shop, two rooms. Machine room and assembly room. I also store all wood for the next 20 or so guitars in my assembly room (more wood stored in the attic). I make no effort to control humidity in my machine room, but I do have a good, dry basement, so even though the humidity can get high in the summer, it's not like the basement is ever so damp that I have to worry about my machines rusting or anything.

My assembly room is humidity controlled with a humidifier for winter and both a dehumidifier and an small AC unit for summer. The dehumidifier is actually in a small bathroom attached to my assembly room, and it sits on a shelf over the sink (which is a utility sink) and drains directly into it through a small hose. I keep the door between the bathroom and assembly room open, and all other doors closed. The whole basement was designed and built with the shop in mind, so everything is sealed up well, vapor-barriered, etc. The AC is set into the foundation wall.

Even in the summer, I only use the AC on really hot and humid days. The dehumidifier does heat the room, but since it tends to be cool down there anyway (the room, BTW, is in the NE corner of the house), it's not usually a problem.

I generally keep the RH between 38% and 43%. In the summer, sometimes I settle for as high as 47%.

I do also have a ventilation fan, like a bathroom fan, in the ceiling over my work benches, ducted out between the floor joists and out through the wall (above the foundation - no need to cut out concrete there). I feel the ventilation is necessary for working with solvents, glues, and stuff. The room is sealed tightly, including doors, so for make-up air I'll either crack a door to bring air in from the rest of the house, or, if I really want more fresh air, I'll crack the window in the bathroom.    

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

[QUOTE=MSpencer] ...do you find that an A/C unit will keep the RH in check? Or do I need to begin looking for a Dehumidifier unit?
[/QUOTE]
You might need to. The last apartment I lived in (small one-bedroom), had a window unit AC, and when the outside temp. got above 80deg.F, the AC unit couldn't keep the inside RH below 60%.

A dehumidifier is an A-C unit with no exhaust for the waste heat. The hot and cold air are mixed and vented from the unit together. The less efficient units (LG, Goldstar, Sears, Whirlpool, etc) produce more waste heat than the Soleus.

Why not take a page from modern building techniques where one heat or A-C vent is located in the basement or crawlspace and the same size duct on the return air side gets fresh outside air. The basement gets one exhaust duct to the outside across the room from the vent. This keeps dust out of the house.
www.buildingscience.com/designsthatwork/default.htm

In this era of super tight construction we need the fresh air. Tempering the air in the basement/ crawlspace prevents moisture problems and is actually shown to reduce energy costs by preventing the "stack effect".

Kurt

Thanks Carlton, I started looking today for a Dehumidifier.

Mike
White Oak, Texas