Dehumidifier settings for the garage???

[Invasivore]

Since I live in muggy south Florida, I added a dehumidifier to my garage and currently have it set at 35%. Will this "dry" out the car too much? I worried about the weather stripping and window seals more than anything.

 

[DrumrBoy]

I'm not sure what "comfortable for people" humidity levels are but my sense is that 35% is pretty dry. May be unnecessary to go that low; costs you electricity and might dry some things out over the long haul.

I think humidity in the 50-60% range is a nice spring day....which should be fine. Maybe someone from New Mexico will chime in and explain low-humidity issues (or comfort you that even 10% humidity isn't an issue). From experience in Chicago winters (where the car can sit in a garage at near 0% humidity for a couple of months with no issues), my guess is that it doesn't matter.

 

[Stretch]

Side note.... don't turn the dehumidifier on continuous run and connect it to a drain hose. Use the bucket and only use the dehumidifier when you need to.

 

[glazr69]

I'm a controls engineer in the HVAC business. I don't think I'd worry about your car sitting in a humid garage. Only thing I'd be nervous about is not humidifying a garage in the desert. Many over-the-top ornately decorated spaces with mahogany floor to ceiling that we climate control require 40-45% RH to keep the seams perfect through all 4 seasons. I live in the north east, so keep that in mind. I don't think there's any need to go nuts with dehumidifying your garage unless you've got some crazy decorative stuff going on.

 

[Free2go]

I've been performing water damage restoration services for quite some time now and know a thing or two about dehumidification. That dehumidifier...in the garage...will do little to affect the humidity level unless you can make it a contained environment. Hard to do in a garage unless you put plastic sheeting over the garage door and taped it off. You would have to have a dehumidifier that removed at least 100 pints of water a day at AHAM with about 300cfm to make a dent.

 

[Invasivore]

I've been performing water damage restoration services for quite some time now and know a thing or two about dehumidification. That dehumidifier...in the garage...will do little to affect the humidity level unless you can make it a contained environment. Hard to do in a garage unless you put plastic sheeting over the garage door and taped it off. You would have to have a dehumidifier that removed at least 100 pints of water a day at AHAM with about 300cfm to make a dent.

well it can hold humidity levels at about 30% if I let it without a problem when the humidity is 80% outside. Not sure where you got your numbers. My garage also has no vents which is why it can do so.

 

[Invasivore]

I'm a controls engineer in the HVAC business. I don't think I'd worry about your car sitting in a humid garage. .

High humidity is why cars rot away.

 

[Free2go]

Are you using a thermohygrometer to measure the difference between inside and out or is your current dehumidifier giving you a reading of the exhaust temp and humidity? Does your dehu have a water cartridge that you have to dump and if so how often? Does it have an auto pump out? Regardless, if that thing is keeping your garage anywhere near 30% RH when it's 80% outside then you are doing REAL good.

 

[Invasivore]

Are you using a thermohygrometer to measure the difference between inside and out or is your current dehumidifier giving you a reading of the exhaust temp and humidity? Does your dehu have a water cartridge that you have to dump and if so how often? Does it have an auto pump out? Regardless, if that thing is keeping your garage anywhere near 30% RH when it's 80% outside then you are doing REAL good.

It's dry as a bone at the farthest spot from the dehumidifier and closest to the door where moisture enters. I empty it once a day on humid days. It works surprisingly well. I haven't used a thermohygrofluxcapacitor yet.

 

[Free2go]

Hehe, well...a thermohygrometer is the only way to quantify the dehu. I'm sure it's better to have one in there than not.

 

[Invasivore]

Hehe, well...a thermohygrometer is the only way to quantify the dehu. I'm sure it's better to have one in there than not.

Yeah, I'm just messing around. I've wanted to get one to measure humidity in different parts of the garage while the dehumidifier is on.