A basement dehumidifier is a key component to fighting that "moist" basement feeling and smell.
I'm not saying you'll 100% need to have one, but if you're like me, you want your basement to feel like the rest of your house and not a stanky high school gym locker.
Even if you've done all the other moisture fighting steps a basement, by design, is partially or completely underground, so it's going to have more moisture in the air compared to the rest of your house.
So yes, I recommend buying a dehumidifier for your basement.
And after several days of non-stop coffee, consulting with my physcic coach and a healthy dose of research and review I strongly recommend the Ivation 70 Pint Dehumidifier.
5 Basement Dehumidifier Features to consider BEFORE you buy:
Hose hookup in the back yo. If you have a floor drain, be sure you have this feature.Does it have a hose drain outlet - This is super important, but only if you have a floor drain in your basement. It's okay if you don't, you'll just have to empty the bucket once in awhile. With the hose drain hookup you can run it as much as you want to never have to empty the water.
- How much water can it hold - If you don't have hose drain hookup then you'll want a big bucket. That's why I recommend the Ivation which holds 1.3 gallons. Otherwise you could be down in the basement everyday to empty the water.
- Is it big enough? In other words, can it dehumidify your whole basement. This Ivatoin model covers spaces up to 4,500 square feet. Make sure you get one big enough to cycle all of the air in your basement.
- Automatic Shutoff and Restart - If the water container gets full, it needs to shutoff automatically. If your power gets knocked out, the unit should be able to restart on it's own.
- Is it quiet? To me this isn't a huge factor since this dehumidifier will be in the basement. But I'd still like it to be relative quiet so I can still watch TV. This Ivation model is in the medium range for noise. There are quieter ones, but not with all the other features and price point that I wanted. I programmed mine to only run at night.
The Best Basement Dehumidifier
I have the online subscription to Consumer Reports and I can tell you that the this Ivation model ranks in the top 3.
The reviews on Amazon are also really, really strong.
Where should you put your Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier will only work in the room where it's placed. If there's a completely separate office or storage area and you have the door shut, it won't be pulling air from those rooms.
So you probably want to set it up in the main area of your basement. Vented doors will help some, but if there's a particular area you must have controlled - consider getting a second smaller unit.
Well, what do you think? Do you have a dehumidifier in your basement?
Do you have the Ivation 70 Pint Energy Star version?
How well does it work. Any other tips or suggestions? Leave a comment below.
Cheers - Jason
I actually purchased and use this exact model and am very happy with it. Right now our basement is unfinished and about 2500 sq ft, so we're going to obviously need another, and will probably get a second of this same model.
Alex - Thanks for your comment on the dehumidifier. 2500 square feet is a "BIG" basement. Should be fun to finish some day.
We're planning to finish a basement in our retirement condo. Your site is the most informative I've
found. Can you give me info on painting a basement floor that already has been painted? It was
Painted by the previous owner. Thank you!
Hi Peg - That's for the kind words. I don't have a lot of content on painting previously painted concrete floors but here's a pretty good article from Apartment Therapy, one of my favorite sites. Hope that helps Cheers - Jason.
Above you suggest getting a "smaller unit" for some other rooms. We plan on finishing our basement with a bathroom, 1 large bedroom, an entertainment area, and possibly another bedroom. What kind of smaller unit do you suggest for this type of floor plan?
Hi Heather - I would get a smaller unit for the bedroom, maybe a 30 pint capacity like this one. You won't need one for the bathroom and if the other bedroom is fairly small see if you have any issues first before buying a third. I use this great little monitor to let me know the humidity in a room, it's only $11.
For the bigger area of the basement I'd recommend the 70 pint I link to above or maybe the 50 pint version it, depending on how much square footage you're working with.
Good luck! - Jason
Have a 1300 ft basement, we were sleeping in rooms; but kids were affected by allergies/mold. If get one large dehumidifier for hall next to both kids rooms, should that be enough to clear their rooms?
Hi Chris - I definitely think it would help and it's possible that it would solve your issue. Putting it in the hall near the room openings would help. And if you and your kids are walking around creating a good air flow - this should also help. If it was me, I'd start with this option and see how much it reduces your humidity and if it improves your air quality. Good luck! - Jason
hey Jason. love your website lots of great information but have two questions should I use Drylok on the cinder block walls and cement floor, or should I use some type of plastic vapor barrier on the walls and just do the floor with drylock. next question is can I run a hose from the back of the dehumidifier to a utility sink in the basement that. under the utility sink there is an electrical pump can the dehumidifier be run right into that??? Thanks Richard...
Finishing an old basement and wondered- instead of a portable dehumidifier, is it functional to add a ceiling/bathroom dehumidifier, one that runs on a thermostat set for humidity level? Was thinking this might be more powerful than just a portable version. Thanks-
One thing I have noticed on many new models is that the bucket sizes seem smaller than older models. Also the 40, 50, 70 pint sizes do not refer to the water reservoir size, but the amount of water that the unit can pull out of the air per day. So a larger pint rating might mean you are emptying it more often.
Hi Jason,
I just recently framed the ductwork in my basement and finished encasing it with drywall and now that its the summer, the main line that sends the air from the HVAC is "sweating" uncontrollably on the drywall right under the duct. Im a first time homeowner and need advice or coaching on what I can do to combat this moisture that is wreaking havoc on my beloved new basement drywall. The drywall on my basement ceiling has a water stain a foot long. In addition, Im concerned that I will almost certainly have to replace this portion of my basement ceiling because of fear of mold. Can you please tell me how I could repair this? And most importantly stop the moisture dripping water on the drywall once I do- should I buy a larger humidifier?
Thanks
Hi Jason, I found this review very helpful. We moved into our home (built in 2003) about a year and a half ago. Part of the basement (about 300 sq. feet) is refinished into a family room with wall-to-wall carpeting and french doors leading to the woods. We live in western NY (up in the hills) and our home is in a heavily wooded area. The room is always very cold (even though there is heat), so I purchased a portable heater for the winter months and turn it on only when we are using the room. We used a dehumidifier last summer and I had to empty it every day (no place to empty in the basement ???) Unfortunately, two pipes above the ceiling tiles started to sweat--even though they are wrapped, and have now stained 3 ceiling tiles. Is this because of the humidity? The pipes lead to the central AC unit that is stationed outside. I did not run the dehumidifier over the winter months, plus our old one ran so much last summer it broke down. Do you think this model will help? We need one with a larger tank because it fills up so quickly, I really wish we could run a hose! I don't know what to do!
Hi Kim - Yes, your sweating pipes are due to the difference in temperature from the pipes and the air around it. The heater and the dehumidifier need to be running to maintain a balance. You could get a bigger tank but you'll still have to empty once a day (probably). Since it sounds like you don't have a drain in the floor of your basement - you're only option is install a sump pump or ejector pit - to which the dehumidifier could drain. This is not cheap but it's really the only option. Sorry to break the bad news - but... it will be worth it in the long run if you want to use your basement as a living space. - Jason
i wish to know of adehumidifier for the basement which comes with a hose hook-up
Hi Akhtar - Here is the direct link to a dehumidifier with hose hookup. - Jason
Hi, I just bought a new 70pt GE dehumidifier since my Frigidaire broke after 1 year. My Questions are:
1. Is it normal for it to "short cycle"? It would run for approx. 10 minutes then shut off once it reaches the level i've set at (45%) and then turn back on again after 2 minutes. I have an approx. 800sq ft finished basement. I've asked GE to see if this is normal, but they haven't been very helpful.
2. If this isn't normal, do I need to get a smaller, 50pt unit,?
Thanks
Hi-
I have a small home in cape cod near the beach there's a 5 foot craw space with block foundation and sand floor. I'm concerned the moisture is causing my hardwood floors to warp/buckle. I've been renovating last few weeks and the floors are buckling in a few areas.(floors are 35 years old) I don't like going into basements- what would you suggest I do to prevent moisure from below(or above) - or am I worried about nothing and once I move in and have a/c's running, the floors will even out.
Thanks!
Hey Doug- If you're worried about moisture you could add a vapor barrier from below. The A/C running is only going to add more moisture to the house. You could also purchase a moisture meter and check the moisture near a floor register or somewhere you don't mind poking into the wood fibers.
Here's a pretty cheap one on amazon - moisture meter.
-Jason
I just finished an open basement with a bathroom attached to the finished side. Could I put the dehumidifier in the bathroom so that it can drain and then just always leave the door open?