Should I open the AC register in the basement to help with condensation

condensationhvac

Really hot in NJ this week, excessive heat warnings, and the like. 

Daytime Temp: 96 degrees  
Daytime Humidity: 55%   
Feels Like: 105 degrees  

Nighttime Temp: 79 degrees  
Nighttime Humidity: 87%  
Feels Like: 87 degrees

We live in a two-story colonial with a basement. We have a single unit two-zone system (with dampers to separate the 2nd floor from the 1st/basement). We keep the upstairs temperature set at around 75-76, and the downstairs temperature around 78-80.

Humidity sensor in the basement reads between 50-55%. I know above 55 is a mold threat. The unit is in an unfinished storage area.

We just bought the house this past December, it's our first summer in the house. There are decent amounts of condensation forming on some of the vents and the main unit (mostly above the inside unit and ducts to the 2nd floor. Obviously, it's working really hard to keep up with the high temps outside.

I moved some stuff out of the way and put some buckets down to catch the drips. There is a register on one of the main branches of ductwork.

Here is a video of my AC unit, the condensation, and the register.

…………………………………………

Should I open up a register in the unfinished basement storage area where the AC/Furnace is kept to help with the condensation problem?

(And should I leave the door to the unfinished room open or closed too?)

Edit: I already have one dehumidifier running, added a second one last night.

Update: I opened the vent, increased the temp on the thermostat and ran a second dehumidifier. There was still some condensation, but nowhere near as much as the previous day.

Best Answer

My recommendation would be to run a de-humidifier in the house to control the excess humidity. If you do not want the noise in the living space as I did not then I would put the de-humidifier in the basement. You should open 2 registers in the basement and have at least 2 floor level return grills to circulate air in the basement. Set the de-humidifier at a comfortable level and now you can control the excess humidity. This is what I did and it works great. My de-humidifier is a 70 pint model bought at the 1 of the big box stores.

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