Basements are by nature cold and damp.  If the humidity level is not properly maintain then all kinds of problems can occur.  Installing a basement dehumidifier is the best most efficient way to be able to control the humidity in these underground spaces.  Most people don’t realize how much water vapor can evaporate through a concrete floor or walls causing a damp basement even though you had no standing water down there.

When purchasing a basement dehumidifier there are a couple of things to consider.  First, the portability of the unit should be considered.  Some units come with casters and a handle that make moving it around pretty easy.  Some units are more meant to be more stationary and do not have a handle or casters.  If you will be moving the unit from time to time having casters and a handle is a big plus.

Next is how the unit functions.  Don’t buy a standard or commercial dehumidifier and expect it to work well.  There are units referred to as low grain refrigerant dehumidifiers (LGR) that will pull more water, be more energy efficient, and outperform standard or commercial grade units.  This is because an LGR unit will pass the air over the cold coils two different times which causes these units to way outperform a standard or commercial grade unit that only passes the air over the coils once.  LGR units also use coils that are designed to collect more water on each pass than these other units.

So when you are deciding how to control humidity in a basement make sure to look for an LGR basement dehumidifier.