Why All Basements And Crawl Spaces Need Dehumidification

At the time, the basement waterproofing industry, a small, loose collection of “professionals” was focused on fixing leaks, and they didn’t do a great job of it. But fixing leaks wasn’t getting people to where they wanted to be with their homes.

After meeting with homeowners every day for some years, I found that what they really wanted was “dry usable space”. That meant fixing leaks, yes - but there was more to it. People want basement space that doesn’t leak when it rains hard, when the power goes out or when a pump fails. They also want basement space where mold doesn’t grow and that doesn’t smell “musty”. Musty odors are from mold.

So, in order to do that we need to keep the relative humidity down below 60% so mold doesn’t grow. In order to do that, we need high-performance dehumidification.

A simplified explanation is this. In the summer when the outdoor temperature is higher than the basement temperature you need dehumidification. This is because when that warm humid summer air comes into the basement it is cooled to the basement temperature. When you cool the air, the relative humidity goes up. So even if you do not have a leak, mold can grow at Relative Humidity levels of over 70%.

Relative Humidity means how full of water the air is compared to the maximum amount it can hold at that temperature. Warm air holds a lot more water vapor than cold air does. 

Regular household dehumidifiers do not perform well enough in a basement to ensure the RH is low enough on the hottest days of the year.

This is because they are built for warmer environments. Cool spaces like basements and crawl spaces need a machine that is built for the cool temperature they need to perform in.

We have developed the most efficient dehumidifier in the world for below-grade space. It’s called the SaniDry Sedona. We designed and manufactured it! My son Tanner was actually the lead engineer on the development, and it took two years.

The Sedona ensures that mold doesn’t stand a chance in your below-grade space, and that damp smell and that damp feeling goes away! You get to use your space for anything you want with mold or any musty smell.