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+--- Thread: Dehumidifying (/showthread.php?tid=23855)
Dehumidifying - caleeallen - 03-14-2026
Soon, I will have to leave my brand new house for a few months while I finish up things on the mainland. I'm kind of worried about mold. Does anyone run a dehumidifier while they are gone? Does it cost a fortune? I'm only about 600 sq feet. I also read about big buckets of DampRid OR running a ceiling fan with a couple of windows cracked.
RE: Dehumidifying - HiloJulie - 03-14-2026
caleeallen;
Speaking from 36 years of leaving our house (as well as a small Ohana house) vacant for weeks at a time, we found the best way to deal with humidity concerns was to close up the house tight. All windows, doors etc. I know you are saying a few months, and while ours was generally never more than 1 month at any one time, we found that method never produced a mold issue. Also, an open window can invite critters to move in. Rat's love window screens as appetizers!
As for dehumidifiers, while that can be rather expensive to run, two issues come to mind. First being water drainage. You would have to set up any dehumidifier to a hose or piping system to send the collected water out of the house. And then hope nothing happens that could cause the drain to become plugged up which might lead to your new home being flooded from the inside out. Second being, it is an electrical appliance and well, electrical appliances, although rare, being unattended, could cause some other possible catastrophic issues for you as well.
On a different note, one thing I would highly recommend if you can do it is to disconnect your catchment tank from filling. We had the piping run to our catchment tank with an easily removable screw in plug and whenever we would leave and close up the house, we simply could "pull the plug" and slip on a small piece of piping to send all the collected water into the yard. Again, with the home being unattended, the risk of the tank overflow plugging or losing its prime, but still filling the tank from your gutters could cause significant damage, plus your gutters can also fill up with nasty crap really quick which just gets washed into the tank.
Also, valve off or disconnect the supply to the house side as well. A cracked pipe coming from the tank to the pump could just siphon drain your tank empty too.
At any event, hope this helps and good luck and congrats on the new place! And get your stuff done on the mainland QUICK and come back and enjoy the new spread!
RE: Dehumidifying - randomq - 03-14-2026
You might consider washing walls with a vinegar solution or ozonating, and spraying the perimeter inside and out for insects. Nice not to return to moldy walls or bugs!
Ozonate cars too and ensure you don't leave anything organic in them.
RE: Dehumidifying - Chas - 03-15-2026
I close up the house as well. I have ceiling fans that I leave running all the time. Never had a mold problem.
I also turn off the well pump and any unplug electrical appliances. Close main water valve into the house. Turn off propane.
RE: Dehumidifying - caleeallen - 03-17-2026
Thank you all! Power is back on!
I did not think about the water, Lawd!, and I will do that. I'm having a catchment flow diverter installed, but it's not on yet. I don't have a car here yet, but that's good to know. I will turn off the pump, unplug my appliances or flip their breakers, and turn off the main water valve. I will leave a fan running--it's a really small house.
RE: Dehumidifying - leilanidude - 03-17-2026
Close the house and run a dehumidifier for a couple hours per day. Most have settings to run at set humidity levels. Place the unit where the drain hose can go to a good drain - setting the unit in the shower or bathtub works well.
RE: Dehumidifying - Olohana 1790 - 03-17-2026
put Puna home on trailer and drive over to Kawaihae and place next to Olohana Young's home...
humidity all pau
common sense 101: has mold grown in your home in last 3 months??? thats your answer...
plz dont be one incest addicted gOD/Conspiracy duped kine maga paranoid kook now. lol
you living in 1 blue infested state now w/ actual brains.. aloha
RE: Dehumidifying - caleeallen - 03-18-2026
(03-17-2026, 06:52 PM)Olohana 1790 Wrote: put Puna home on trailer and drive over to Kawaihae and place next to Olohana Young's home...
humidity all pau
common sense 101: has mold grown in your home in last 3 months??? thats your answer...
plz dont be one incest addicted gOD/Conspiracy duped kine maga paranoid kook now. lol
you living in 1 blue infested state now w/ actual brains.. aloha
Good points! lol
Aʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.Aloha!
RE: Dehumidifying - dobanion - 05-06-2026
I think its a great idea, personally. I run a dehumidifier set at 55% RH almost all winter at my house in Oregon. Works great, and makes a HUGE difference in interior comfort, and naturally, no mold issues. I'd do it at my place in Puna too, were I to have 110AC power, which I don't.
I'd say get one, plug it in, set it to 60%, put it in the shower/bathtub with the hose set to drain, and lock er up. It won't use too much power. Yes, they pull some power (750-1000W) when they are on. But in a closed out house with all the windows closed, there's very little moisture getting in, and it won't run very often. And all your stuff will be dry and clean when you return.
RE: Dehumidifying - Rob Tucker - 05-06-2026
I avoided the problem by eliminating drywall from my house.