Many people need a dehumidifier, but they hate having to deal
with constantly emptying the water removal bucket.
During the rainy, spring months, our customer service
representatives are asked on a daily basis, “What can I do to
make removing the water less trouble?”
Does this sound familiar to
you…you carry a bucket of water from the dehumidifier across the
room 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.
Then, you put the bucket back
in place, but you have to repeat this operation two or more
times that same day!
At AchooAllergy.com, the best solution that we recommend is
to “port” the water from your dehumidifier.
Most people associate the word “porting” with computers
and video games, but porting is an important feature of most of
the dehumidifiers that we offer. Porting is the process of using
an exterior drain line to continuously drain your dehumidifier.
Porting and Water
Removal Options
The porting process is fairly simple and works best when
gravity is on your side. The dehumidifier needs to be placed in
a position that is higher than where you want the water to end
up. If this is not
possible due to a grade or a 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.
As mentioned above, most room size
dehumidifiers have a condensate bucket that must be emptied by
hand. A float switch turns off the dehumidifier when the bucket
is full to prevent overflows.
Many dehumidifiers also 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 by using gravity.
Water is continuously draining from the air, then into the unit,
and then down into the drain.
You have very little day to day up keep or maintenance.
Typical Installation Steps and Advice
- The first
step is to decide where the dehumidifier will go and how you
want the water to go out of it. If you want to use the lower
cost of gravity you need to get the dehumidifier off the
floor and up at least a 6 inches off the ground.
Take 30 minutes to an hour to figure out the
placement of your dehumidifier and the final destination of
your drained water.
Make a quick diagram of how you are going to transport the
water from point A (the dehumidifier) to point B (the
drain).
- Place your dehumidifier on a level
surface. You probably
need to place it on a wooden skid or concrete block to
elevate the unit for proper drainage.
You might also build a small shelf to elevate the
unit. Use the
adjustable feet and a level to make sure your dehumidifier
is level.
- Most
dehumidifiers have a small hole about an inch or smaller
that can attach to a hose.
Some units may have a fitting or adaptor included to
attach a hose. Use
this to drain the tank by taking the end of a
standard garden hose and screw it onto the drainage pipe of
your dehumidifier.
Run the hose down to your drain, sump pump, condensate pump,
or HVAC drainage line.
- Instead
of a garden hose you also can use PVC pipe.
Cut and dry fit your PVC pipe to garden hose adaptor.
You can make a 90 degree elbow towards the ground and
another 90 degree elbow at ground level to funnel to water
to your drain. When
you are satisfied with the look of your drainage system,
glue the piping together.
Working with the PVC pipe and the glue
requires some trial and error, but the stuff is easy to work
with and reasonable in cost.
If you use PVC, the biggest thing you have to worry
about is how fast the glue sets.
When you apply the glue to the joint and push the
pieces together, you have only a few seconds before the glue
sets.
- Plug in your dehumidifier and you
should be ready to go!
Make sure that when you plug in your dehumidifier
that you do not use small or cheap extension cords. The
dehumidifier will use a lot of power, so you need to use a
heavy duty extension cord.
- Fill the
tank with water to test the setup and ensure it is draining
properly--do not pour water through the dehumidifier.
Testing the porting system might sound funny, but you
want to make sure it works properly before you leave it
alone for any length of time.
It would be frustrating to leave it and find out
later that there is a small leak.
If you see water leaking from a clamp or connection,
water proof the joint.
If it is a fitting that was glued, apply some more
PVC glue to maintain a better seal.
Dehumidifier Placement, Operation, and Safety
Dehumidifier must be raised to use gravity for proper drainage.
Put it up on a cement block or build a shelf for the
unit. Make sure that
the unit is level.
The next step is to determine how far off of the ground
you must place the unit to allow for effective drainage.
The unit must be placed higher than the drain to allow the water
to flow downward and away from the unit. This is referred
to as a gravity drain.
Most dehumidifiers have top-mounted air discharge and can be placed
against walls, but if you do not have top-mounted discharge,
make sure the dehumidifier is located away from walls and
furniture. By
placing the dehumidifier away from the wall, air can circulate
freely around the unit.
Always locate the unit away from sources of dust and dirt
which can clog the coils and grills.
This will result in better and more efficient operation
of the unit.
While
the dehumidifier is running, the doors and windows to the space
being dehumidified should be closed.
Keeping the room closed ensures that the space is
dehumidified as efficiently as possible.
Observe
all manufacturer warnings regarding electrical safety.
Never set up water drainage or disposal near electrical
circuits or devices. Make
sure the dehumidifier is connected to a properly grounded
outlet. Keep drain hoses
away from electrical cords and connections.
If you
are planning to use a hose to drain the dehumidifier’s water
bucket, make sure the unit is located near enough to the floor
drain or sump to avoid the need for a long and unwieldy hose. Do
not create a tripping hazard!
Summary
There are many other reasons to use a
dehumidifier. You
might want to eliminate the chance of rust on tools in your
garage or basement workshop. You
might want to dry out an area in your home that has been
saturated by a water leak.
For many allergy sufferers, you want to control your
environment and limit exposure to mold, mildew, and dust mites.
A dehumidifier extracts moisture from the air and is a
great way to lower the humidity in any space.
Some people quit using their dehumidifiers, because of
the work involved in emptying the water collection bucket.
However, the benefits for allergy sufferers, property,
and air quality are to important not to run your unit.
Porting is a way to make running a dehumidifier a more
efficient and more enjoyable process.
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