Post #783770 by Prikli Pear on Fri, Feb 9, 2018 9:15 AM

Hamo, that's kind of why we got it in the first place--we had much of our things in storage for the better part of a year in a semi-basement that had humidity issues (long story). I got the dehumidifier from Lowe's for around $150 and ran it 24/7 in there to protect against mold, etc. It worked. The water catch basin (2-3 gallon capacity) has a screw plug, so I ran tubing from that to an existing drain and ran it full blast, continuously.

We were initially reluctant to buy it, because 1) that was a lot of money for us and 2) we thought we'd have no use for it thereafter. In the ensuing years, my children managed to flood the upstairs bathroom in our previous house ("It's raining in the garage!"), The Wife flooded our current bathroom when she forgot she was running a bath, an unforeseen leak erupted under the kitchen sink, and our garage flooded two years ago during an insane downpour (11 inches in under an hour). In each of those cases, that dehumidifier has been put to serious work. It's more than paid for itself, I'd say.

And yes, it's got an analog dial where it can be adjusted. Modern models allow you to digitally adjust the humidity levels, but usually when we need it, we need it a full power. A dehumidifier might be too aggressive for drying clay. Unless Northern California moves more toward a Seattle-like climate, it might be overkill. But it's really made my refurbishing of the old redwood boards go much more smoothly, and I also run it when I bring in fresh-cut bamboo to accelerate the drying process. I don't think I'd ever specifically buy one for those purposes, but since we already have one, it gets the usage. :)

And the black velvet tikis look fantastic, Wendy. I have a hard time envisioning how to work in a sky with what you've already got, so I'll be eagerly watching what you come up with.