Wave System

[4Fun]

The wave system seems to be just a fan that extracts air out of the basement. If your other rooms have AC it might draw dryer air in to reduce humidity. You could probably rig up a duct fan with a humidistat to get the same result for a fraction of the cost.

A dehumidifier is really the only way to remove moisture in the air. At home we installed a ductless AC last year in our basement but it's just too cold and it short cycles so it's still humid. We have to add a de-humidifier as well.

Our condo a the lake is 1/2 below grade so we run a dehumidifier all the time and it just pumps out automatically. Keeps the RH at 45% and no smell.

There are some built in dehumidifiers from SantaFe and Aprilair but they are around $1500....

[DickR]

Addressing moisture in a basement, to improve building robustness and avoid that musty "basement smell," involves eliminating intrustion of water from outside. Water may be coming in via leaks in the wall or floor due to cracks in the concrete, diffusion through the relatively porous concrete, or it may be simply a matter of exterior humid summer air contacting uninsulated walls that are in contact with cool ground. The ground is apt to remain in the 50s through the summer, while the dew point of summer air typically is above that.

Coating the interior concrete surfaces with a product that seals cracks against leakage and also seals the porous concrete against diffusion can go a long way toward reducing those two sources of moisture.

When contemplating the use of an exhaust fan to remove moist air from the basement, remember that the air removed will be replaced with air leaking into the basement, from either the living space above or the outside. If that replacement air is not dry, then ventilating the basement is a waste of time. Once any leaks via cracks have been eliminated and the surface sealed against diffusion, the next step is to insulate the walls with rigid or spray-applied foam, and finally covering that foam with something like sheetrock for ignition and thermal protection of the foam. The insulation will keep the inside surface above the dew point of the air. The insulation also will make the basement notably warmer in winter and reduce greatly what often is a huge parasitic heat loss to the ground.

For more reading on this, here are a few links:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...-basement-wall

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/desi...-basement.aspx

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...g-wet-basement

[dpg]

Originally Posted by 4Fun

The wave system seems to be just a fan that extracts air out of the basement. If your other rooms have AC it might draw dryer air in to reduce humidity. You could probably rig up a duct fan with a humidistat to get the same result for a fraction of the cost.

A dehumidifier is really the only way to remove moisture in the air. At home we installed a ductless AC last year in our basement but it's just too cold and it short cycles so it's still humid. We have to add a de-humidifier as well.

Our condo a the lake is 1/2 below grade so we run a dehumidifier all the time and it just pumps out automatically. Keeps the RH at 45% and no smell.

There are some built in dehumidifiers from SantaFe and Aprilair but they are around $1500....

When we do (what ever we do) I'd be ok with up around 1,500 if it cured the issue, I'd put that at about my threshold for what I'd want to pay. I've bought $200 units before at home and most of them crap out for one reason or the other in a year or two. One last thing is there any "higher" end dealers for dehumidifiers like the SantaFe in the immediate area? Looking into them it seems you have to buy one approved for colder temperature operation, during the winter we maintain a temp of 45-50 when not there.

[Irrigation Guy]

I've heard those new heat pump water heaters do a pretty good job of keeping humidity down in basements while being a low energy water heater at the same time.