Dehumidifiers in the Shop

[Cian]

Although reducing your humidity levels should be a priority, this does help:

[Arlin Eastman]

Arlin, how does it duct the heat outside?  


John

I used the hose it came with and made a square wooden frame on top and made a hole to fit the hose. 

I made a half frame for the window and on the outside I put another frame with stainless steel window screen so no bugs get in and also had the dehumidifier about 3" higher then the hose  going out to get rid of the water.
It is a wonderful set up.

[jteneyck]

I used the hose it came with and made a square wooden frame on top and made a hole to fit the hose. 

I made a half frame for the window and on the outside I put another frame with stainless steel window screen so no bugs get in and also had the dehumidifier about 3" higher then the hose  going out to get rid of the water.
It is a wonderful set up.

Sure, that gets rid of the water, but how do you duct the heat (hot air) outside and still have it dehumidify the room?  

John

[Arlin Eastman]

Sure, that gets rid of the water, but how do you duct the heat (hot air) outside and still have it dehumidify the room?  

John

Arlin Eastman Wrote: [url=https://www.forums.woodnet.net/showthread.php?pid=7729339#pid7729339][/url]I used the hose it came with and made a square wooden frame on top and made a hole to fit the hose.   The Square frame with a Round Hole on top which sits on top of the dehumidifier with thick double stick tape. 

I insert the 3" or 4" hose in top of the square frame and connect the other side of the hose to the same kind of frame on the window.

I made a half frame for the window and on the outside I put another frame with stainless steel window screen so no bugs get in and also had the dehumidifier about 3" higher then the hose  going out to get rid of the water.
It is a wonderful set up.

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[EdL]

Like Arlin, I use a portable ac unit.

It's set on dehumidify mode all the time, it'll fill a 5 gallon pickle bucket in 12 hours in the summer. Heat goes outside, shop stays cool.

Ed

[jteneyck]

Arlin Eastman Wrote: [url=https://www.forums.woodnet.net/showthread.php?pid=7729339#pid7729339][/url]I used the hose it came with and made a square wooden frame on top and made a hole to fit the hose.   The Square frame with a Round Hole on top which sits on top of the dehumidifier with thick double stick tape. 

I insert the 3" or 4" hose in top of the square frame and connect the other side of the hose to the same kind of frame on the window.

I made a half frame for the window and on the outside I put another frame with stainless steel window screen so no bugs get in and also had the dehumidifier about 3" higher then the hose  going out to get rid of the water.
It is a wonderful set up.

**********************************************************

So you are using a portable AC unit, not a dehumidifier, correct?  The OP asked about dehumidifiers.  

John

[srv52761]

Like Arlin, I use a portable ac unit.

It's set on dehumidify mode all the time, it'll fill a 5 gallon pickle bucket in 12 hours in the summer. Heat goes outside, shop stays cool.

Ed

If the goal is to inhibit rust from condensation on his tools via conditioning of the air (vs. applying a protective shield ala wax or Boeshield)  then there are only a couple of options: remove water vapor to lower the dew point, or keep the temperature of the air (and hence the tool surfaces) above the dew point.

Air conditioning removes water vapor and has the added advantage of making it a more comfortable work environment.  But, it also has the disadvantage of lowering the temperature of the air and included tool surfaces, sometimes lower than the dew point of the outside air.  This is not an issue if the A/C maintains a reduced water vapor environment.  But if the conditioning is sporadic, as only when you’re working, then as the moist air seeps into the space it can condense when it hits the cooler metal surfaces.

Dehumidifying addresses both components of relative humidity.  It removes water vapor and adds heat (albeit not a lot).  Should the dehumidifying process end, you have more leeway wrt condensation.

For the OP concerns wrt rust from condensation during storage, then dehumidification seems to stand out as cheaper and more efficient. Trying to vent the additional heat component outside, as mentioned above with a portable A/C unit, would be counterproductive. Dehumidifying mode as EdL suggests would be the way to go.

[Arlin Eastman]

So you are using a portable AC unit, not a dehumidifier, correct?  The OP asked about dehumidifiers.  

John

All I have talked about and linked to is the Portable Dehumidifier

I did not say anything about a AC

[jteneyck]

All I have talked about and linked to is the Portable Dehumidifier

I did not say anything about a AC

Like all dehumidifiers that unit is not designed to vent the air outside.  That's why I asked.  If the building is well sealed very little air will be exhausted, which would be better than if it's poorly sealed.  If it's poorly sealed then for every cubic foot of air you exhaust outside air leaks in to replace it.  You would be running the unit with no benefit.  Dehumidifiers work by removing water AND returning drier air to the room.  A consequence of that is an increase in temperature.  


John

[Philip1231]

Late to the party: would not be without dehumidifier in my shop, basement, or entire house. Keep all spaces around 40% RH year round. Lumber stored in my basement is turned into furniture in my shop, and lives in my house, without a significant change in RH. It costs $$ to run these units, but IMO, its worth it.