Dedicated dehumidifier system ductwork
In addition to an ERV system—and separate from—we’re installing a dedicated dehumidifier system that will not connect to outside. A few questions on design:
(1) Can I get away with a simple design, or should I go through the standard HVAC design calculations?
(2) Do smaller flexible ducts similar to the ones ERVs can utilize work, or should I use full size ducts?
(3) Should the dehumidifier vent the dry air into the basement, pulling from elsewhere in the house, or should it pull from the basement and vent throughout the rest of the house? I’d like to keep the system as simple as possible.
We have a brick century home in Cleveland, OH that is well on its way to meeting Pretty Good standards. 1500 sq ft divided evenly between a simple floor plan up and down. One full bath on the first next to the kitchen, one full bath upstairs directly above the kitchen.
Any advice, suggestions, etc are appreciated!
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I gave it some thought and the output should be into the basement (in an old masonry basement, it would be running constantly if the inlet side was there).
My thinking is having an inlet branch at each bathroom, kitchen, and maybe one inlet in the central hallway upstairs and one in the living room which is on the other side of the house on the first floor from the kitchen. I’m also thinking about installing a return air transfer grille over each bedroom so there’s some ease of air movement for both the ERV and dehumidifier systems.
In this scenario, where is the best place to install the hygrometer?