Does this scenario sound familiar--you carry a bucket of water from your dehumidifier across the basement and pour the water into a corner drain or the laundry sink? Or even worse, you lug the water upstairs and over to the kitchen sink. The heavy bucket must be emptied by hand and it is often a messy and time consuming process. When you put the bucket back in place, you have to repeat this operation two or more times that same day!

The best solution that we recommend is to “port” the water from your dehumidifier. Porting is the process of using an exterior drain line to continuously drain your dehumidifier. Hook a hose up to your dehumidifier and then run the hose down to a drain. The drain hose can not be above the drain connection or you will cause flooding.

Many dehumidifiers provide a threaded spigot to connect a water hose for drainage. If you have a floor drain or basement sink, you can port the water to the drain. Water is continuously draining from the air into the unit and down into the drain. If this is not possible due to a grade or the lack of a nearby drain, you can still port your dehumidifier, but you will require a condensate pump to push the water over a longer distance. With this water removal system, you have very little day-to-day upkeep or maintenance.