dehumidifier in stand

catfishguy

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 25, 2014
187
5
33
moon
Hey guys I am wondering if I should put a dehumidifier in my wooden stand so the wood won't rot. It does have 3 polyurethane coats on so is it necessary.
 

muttley000

Gambusia
MFK Member
Nov 24, 2011
304
1
18
West Unity, OH
Shouldn't need to, it will just make you have to top off a lot more frequently, if your worried about it a small fan and vent should be sufficient!
 

mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
I have 3 small 80mm computer case fans under my 90g. Its a very large (tall) cabinet. There's enough movement to keep things from getting funky. And ive got a bunch of air driven sponge filters in there which contribute to evaporation alot. I used mildewcidal bathroom paint though, but polyurethane should be just as good. As long as the pores of the wood are protected any mildew problems will be superficial.

I bough a cheap hygrometer from walmart for like $10. My relative humidity is typically around 60% but never over 70%. Its a good tool for monitoring. If things start getting close to 100% humidity then you'll have problems.

Sent from my SCH-R950 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
4,397
3,777
179
Tennessee
Hello; Should you determine a dehumidifier is needed, it may do a better job out in the room rather than in a stand. They take moisture from the air in general and my take has been one out in the fish room works for me.

I started to use a dehumidifer the second winter in my current home. The house has a heat pump which is a cool type heat and does not remove moisture from the air in the heating mode. With my tanks and the other moisture producing things in the closed house, I was getting a large amount of condensation during the winter months.

Tanks in a room closed off from the rest of a house or in a damp basement may present a more serious dampness issue. So much may depend on your situaion.

I only need to run the dehumidifier during the cold months. During the warm months the AC function of the heat pump will remove moisture from the air. I also like to open my house during warm months as much as is comfortable. A dehumidifier functions much like an air conditioner and I suspect also uses a fair amount of energy. The compressor creates very cold metal coils and a fan circulates the house air across those coils where it condenses and drips into a tank. If you do not have a general high humidity issue in the home, then a dehumidifier may be a more expensive solution than is actually needed.

A fan as suggested can help inside a cabinet stand. Something as simple as leaving the door open a bit or a few holes in non structural parts of the stand may give enough circulation to keep things dry.

Good luck
 

lardieleftover

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2014
255
11
48
san diego
Painted the inside of my stand with a good primer for outside/marine uses
 
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