killervette
Active Member
I have a dehumidifier and it has a bucket full light on it. I would like to have the elk monitor it and report when it is full. Is there a light sensor I can use on an elk zone or is there another way to do it?
Elk monitor a dehumidifier?
- Thread starter killervette
- Start date
Check out the How to monitor the status of a device using its status light tutorial, I did this with the Elk M1 for a while and it worked fine. You'll have to create a rule which checks the value every x seconds, since it won't report voltage changes by itself.
Neurorad
Senior Member
You may want to consider a flood sensor, as a backup.
Sensing the level of water in the container may be another backup option.
My cheapo dehumidifier from Costco came with a threaded connector, for a garden hose, to remove water (in lieu of emptying the container). I located this basement dehumidifier next to the furnace, which has a small water 'sump' pump attached to it. There was an open knockout on the pump - I just ran a foot of garden hose from the dehumidifier to the open hole. I put the dehumidifier on an end table, for gravity drainage of the dehumidifier to the pump. The dehumidifier is firmly attached to the table with a tie-down strap, as it's heavy and we have little kids. I've never had to empty it.
Sensing the level of water in the container may be another backup option.
My cheapo dehumidifier from Costco came with a threaded connector, for a garden hose, to remove water (in lieu of emptying the container). I located this basement dehumidifier next to the furnace, which has a small water 'sump' pump attached to it. There was an open knockout on the pump - I just ran a foot of garden hose from the dehumidifier to the open hole. I put the dehumidifier on an end table, for gravity drainage of the dehumidifier to the pump. The dehumidifier is firmly attached to the table with a tie-down strap, as it's heavy and we have little kids. I've never had to empty it.
jwilson56
Senior Member
These little devices hook right up to a Elk zone for water detection. I have one on my laundry room floor.
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home/Water-Sensors/GRI-2600
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home/Water-Sensors/GRI-2600
killervette
Active Member
I have a sump too. Does it run all the time or just when it fills with water?
Neurorad
Senior Member
The pump operates intermittently.
The pump has a limit on the amount of water it can handle. And, it has a life cycle - it will die eventually. You should have a backup, in case the pump dies, or your dehumidifier overflows.
Check the make/model on the pump, and look up the specs.
The pump has a limit on the amount of water it can handle. And, it has a life cycle - it will die eventually. You should have a backup, in case the pump dies, or your dehumidifier overflows.
Check the make/model on the pump, and look up the specs.
The sump will run only when it fills with water. In some houses, it runs all the time. In mine, I've never had it run, but I still put in a water sensor.
That is not a sump though. A sump is a pump in a hole in the floor. French drain tile is placed around the foundation of the house and water flows into the sump hole and gets pumped out. It's to reduce the hydraulic pressure pushing on your basement walls to prevent stress fractures, and also reduces the risk of water forcing it's way into any existing cracks.
Why not get a condensate pump to automate the dehumidifier? Then you won't have to worry about emptying the dehumidifier. Put a hose from the dehumidifier to the utility pump, and then pipe the utility pump outside your house, to a sink drain, or to floor drain. Many of the condensate pumps have a "safety switch" which is a float activated switch to indicate failure of the pump. See the Flotec utility pumps which are typically sold at Lowes or Home Depot.
I am sorry for calling my condensate pump a 'sump' pump.
I now know what a sump pump is and does. I do not have one.
I have been summarily schooled.
So...a condensate pump may be an option to empty the dehumidifier...
Haha. Test tomorrow at 8am. No cellphones.
Neurorad
Senior Member
Oh shit. Did the residents get ahold of that paitent? Is that a PTX on the right too?
