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I have a device in my house that tells me how humid it is inside. It is getting close to 80% humidity in here. I'm noticing the beginning of mild spores in my basement around the floor and around anything lining the walls...... I've tired a number of things to fix this issue, but to no avail... it feels like it is just all getting worse. Does anyone know how to help me get this humidity down? I've never seen anything like this. Newer house too (3-4 years old).... Any advice is definitely welcome. This needs to stop NOW

A dehumidifier might help. Any hardware store would have them.

if a dehumidifier would be of any help ?  
 
Edited by Rue, 2018-08-02 21:29:49

See if the drain pipe plastic hose from your furnace is plugged It should be easy to take off Mine had plugged and was dripping water from the furnace all over the floor instead of down the drain. I took the drain hose off and there was a small piece of a zip tie blocking the hose Problem fixed  
 
Also call a furnace repair business they might be able to trouble shoot your problem over the phone

We bought one yesterday!

A couple options start at the cheapest which would be a couple fans and open your windows at night now that its cooler might help a little second would be as previously mentioned a dehumidifier and third would be a air conditioner now a window one or ductless split yes would help but a central air ac this would be you most especially  
Expensive but with that it would also be the one that does the best job. Now in the winter would be an hrv. So all depends on how much you want and can afford to spend and how great of a job you want done.

Buy a couple moisture absorbent bags from Rona, they’re around $13 each. Hang them up in closets and other places where you find it especially damp with a collecting dish underneath to catch drips. They’re reusable too

your HRV. Se your furnace fan to run continuously. Open windows. Run AC (if you have it).

ronfay said "your HRV. Se your furnace fan to run continuously. Open windows. Run AC (if you have it). "

Is only to run in the winter. Turn it off in the summer so it can't draw humid air in from outside. There should be a summer setting on the switch

is ventilation. HRV will move air around, and, according to the OP, the humidity is already 80+%, so outside air won't make much of a difference. AC would also take some of the moisture out of the incoming air through the HRV (if present).

You could put in an air exchange, however in my experience (we have one), there is nobody around (we are rural)who knows how to service them, and the closest place to get parts is... very far. So it will do you fine for 10+ years, but then once it goes kaput, there are limited options.

Is a good option and relatively cheap. We have one in our basement. I empty it in the morning and it could be emptied again at bedtime. It keeps the basement from becoming musty. Very much worth it, IMO.

My basement was sitting at 65-70 percent. Humidifier going now down to 35-50. We have geothermal so air is running often. Ours has to be dumped 2x a day

You may want to look into insurance to get that fixed. Any time humidity is above 60% for an extended time is when mold grows, which you said you have. That can lead to mold poisoning. New houses are built too air tight, not letting them breath. And this is what happens. Maybe look at renting a commercial grade dehumidifier. The ones I have can pull up to 15 gallons per day. That mold is just going to continue to grow.

Don't run your HRV (If you have one)  
I assume you don't have AC if you have 80% humidity in your house .if you do your AC isn't working properly. Cheapest option Isa dehumidifier although if the issue is all over the house it isn't going to be very effective. Another option would be a portable air conditioner. That will remove some humidity and keep the place a bit cooler but again not a solution for the entire house. Best option is to get some AC installed. I'd recommend a mechanical company with trained HVAC mechanics not a plumbing company that have little to know training on how to correctly hook up and charge an AC system.  
Grand Valley do residreside AC you could give them a call for a quote.

IMO, all basements should have a dehumidifer running. In your case, you need a dehumidifier asap, and possibly a fan to move the air around.  
 
Also when the air is less humid outside, open the windows in your basement for a short amount of time to get the humid air out fast. Then close the windows and keep using the dehumidifier.

There’s nothing wrong with running your hrv in the summer. As long as the air outside is less humid than the air inside it will reduce humidity but it’s still not as good as running a dehumidifier in your basement. Get a good sized dehumidifier and hook up a hose to your floor drain and let it run.

So I have another decent idea I don't know if you figured it out yet but yes hrv isnt overly bad in the summer as stated if it's less humid outside. But I am going to assume you don't have ac or a hrv or maybe even a furnace.i am also going to assume money may be a factor which buying a dehumidifier may be to much so check the ebrandon ads but not really guaranteed the thing even works. However my other good idea is you can buy a cheaper blower fan for a fraction of a dehumidifier at princess auto stick that in your window for a few hours in the evening then set it in the middle or worse part of your room and leave your window open, then when its daytime turn it off and close the window and repeat every night. These blower fans work great and are ment to move mass amounts of air at a time. Just a thought.

the idea about a blower fan is maybe a good idea. A few years ago, I had clean water flooding in my basement(a leak in the cold water intake valve that puts clean water in my toilet) anyhow, I was away for a couple of days, and when I got back, there was a couple of inches of water in my basement...The insurance company cleaned up the water, and put 2 large blower fans in the basement for a couple of days (with the basement window open) It did the job and there was no mold even years later....so it might work, and it won't hurt to try it....

It will do the trick. I live in a house that did not have central air and baseboard heat so humidity was a HUGE problem. The exact same thing happened in our basement. I spent the money on a dehumidifier, wiped all of the walls and ceiling to get rid of the green fuzz and have never had a problem since. We run two window A/C units upstairs but still have to run the dehumidifier in the basement all summer.

is best thing to have I turn mine on from beginning mid spring until end of fall with a short garden hose hooked up from dehumidifier to floor drain that way stys running constant never have to empty

Is only 3-4 years old it should have an HRV. The way houses are built and sealed these days it’s basically like living inside a plastic envelope. That’s why HRVs are mandatory. I think it’s been code for a number of years. Make sure the filters are cleaned several times a year. The HRV fresh air intake has a wire mesh screen on the outside and it can easily get plugged with dandelion seeds etc. and needs to be checked regularly, especially in summer. If you have central air then it’s best to pretty much leave your windows closed all summer. If you open them at night to allow the house to cool, it just brings in more humid air.

Wow! Thank you to ALL who responded!! I've got my house below 45% humidity. I do have AC, but my old bones don't like it too much, but I have noticed a great difference even with some small changes though! I've got a dehumidifier as well. I really appreciate all the advice everyone!!!

I'm glad that you are able to get the humidity under control. We keep our A/C at 24C so the house isn't cold, but cooler than outside. It at least helps to remove the humidity upstairs. We don't have forced air so we need the dehumidifier(s) in the basement too.

So wondering how things are going for you with humidity?  
 
Also today is a perfect example of having drier air outside. Everyone should open up their windows to let some fresh air in and get rid of the humidity as well.