What is the best way to remove musty smell? I hear that dehumidifiers do a good job. I am not sure where the smell is coming from as there doesn't appear to be mold anywhere, wet or discolorations. I am beginning to think that perhaps it is from the heating units (steam radiators). The apartment is a converted house that is almost 100 years old. I read that dehumidifiers and odoban http://www.odoban.com/products.php do a good job of removing the musty smell. Any recommendations on a dehumidifier for a ~1000 SQ foot space?
Simple answer is find the Consumer Reoprts issue that covers dehumidifiers. We have one in the basement that is roughly 30 years + old and takes care of moisture issues over the summer/fall. When I smell the moisture, usually late spring, I plug it in, and the smell goes away.
the big box stores all sell them. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...ooglebase-_-D29X-_-202051351&locStoreNum=4301
I have used two Maytag dehumidifiers for about six years now. Run one in the lower level of the home and one near garage area. These units have been running for past six years and have never turned them off. Only drawback is if you do not have a place to drain the moisture you will have to empty the bin which is somewhere around 3 gallons ( if I remember correctly ). The amount of times you will have to empty the unit depends on the moisture levels inside the rooms. You may empty the unit once per month, or during high humidity days empty more often. Even with central air running I find the dehumidifiers working and that is with a newer central ac. They do work very well and can remove moisture related odors. The models I have do make some sound although not very loud. They probably make much quieter models now and I would look into that as a loud unit will be like a window air conditioning unit and that is not pleasant. This is similar to the maytag units I have http://www.amazon.com/Maytag-M7DH45B2A-Dehumidifier-Adjustable-Humidistat/dp/B0007P2J48
Yes nitro, the problem is your heat source. Not that it uses steam, but that it is radiant. Radiant heat is much nicer than forced air heat, but it has a downside. Forced air heat increases circulation and air exchange within the home. Cool air is brought into the house containing a low amount of moisture as cold air can't hold as much moisture as warm air. When the air expands as it heats, the amount of moisture per cubic foot of air drops dramatically, and moisture is expelled from the home. This effect is so dramatic that in arid climates, humidifiers are installed on the forced air furnaces so the air doesn't become too dry. This doesn't happen with radiant heat. The moisture remains in the home because there is no air exchange. Cooking, running water, even just breathing all add to the amount of moisture in the air. Eventually the home will begin to smell musty and damp. The next step is mildew. The final step is mold. The easy remedy is a nice dehumidifier. Size it appropriately for the space. They will all have a volume rating on them that will indicate the max area they can cover. Do yourself a favor and get one that is nice enough to allow you to set a desired relative humidity and shut itself off. Also, get one with a large reserve tank so you don't have to constantly empty it.
Dehumidifiers cool air and reduce the moisture content in the room - not sure how this will help with smells. Probably what you need is to increase the room air circulation - more fresh air and use a with recirculation carbon filters eliminate smells - think of something similar to your kitchen cooker hood combined with humidifier
Don't get one from the box stores. They usually don't have a good selection, and they are very overpriced. Go to amazon, and get a really nice one with high rankings, for the same price as a cheap small box store model.
Thanks for all the replies. Epic, what do you think of this one? http://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-70-pint-Dehumidifier/dp/B001UH91OI/ref=pd_sbs_hg_14 It seems good, but one customer says it is loud. If a computer can be whisper quiet, I see no reason why these things can't be completely silent?
If you are really around 1000s.f. then you shouldn't need a 70-pint unit. The 50-pint equivalent in your area (Chicago) will likely serve you better. It works similar to the way an air conditioning unit works in pulling moisture from the air. IOW, bigger isn't better. If you have an over-sized unit, you will experience short cycle times and the condenser in the unit doesn't have enough time to work properly, so you will get fluctuating levels of humidity as it cycles on and off. Longer on cycles increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this type of device. FYI, the 70-pint rating relates to its ability to pull water from the air and indicates the max volume per day in very humid conditions. Not how much water it holds. The water tank on that unit is 17 pints and it is the same on the 50-pint version also. The noise levels of the two units are also the same. This is because the bulk of the noise comes from the fan, not the condenser. The two devices use the same fan, so they are both 56dB. Another FYI, a high power case fan in a PC might move about 200CFM of air, which is slightly less than the fan on the unit you linked. These PC case fans register right around 55dB, so they aren't any quieter. The difference is that most stock PCs only use low CFM fans at about 40-50CFM and are thus much more quiet,at less than 40dB. Normal speech is around 60dB. Most refrigerators run at around 45dB. Although they use a similar mechanism, the fan is much smaller because it is a contained unit.