Like most people in town (at least, the ones of us who have basements), I have a damp basement. What with the thawing and flooding and all, my basement is particularly damp at the moment. And the main reason (well, other than the thawing and flooding) was because my dehumidifier was dead. Tonight, however, I had Bachelor Dad at my disposal. (Mom was off at a Craft Night.)

After allowing my father to buy me supper at Friendly’s, and eating his free sundae so that Lactose Intolerant Father wouldn’t get sick, we went to Lowe’s in order to buy a dehumidifier. They had many on display – all by Whirlpool. Dad explained how they worked (they’re basically air conditioners that collect water from the condensation on the cool coils) and what “50 pint” vs “25 pint” meant. The 25 pint one was the cheapest at $128, but the 65 pint would collect the most water for the least amount of energy (and was $100 more than the 25 pinter). I was all set to get the 40 pint one for $158 when we saw another brand – Roper. It looked identical to the Whirlpool 50 pint job, but cost the same as the 40 pint one. And it turns out, Roper is a Whirlpool company.

I also picked up a 50ft garden hose in hopes of moving the dehumidifier to the wetter side of the basement. Once we got it home (dad even carried it into the house and down to the basement – what a guy!) we checked out the wetter half. It looks like we’ll be able to eventually set it up there, but for the time being, it’s right next to the sump pump, where the old one used to stand. It’s running as I type – woohoo!

This will not give me a dry basement, but it ought to help cut down on the moisture. (And, as always happens at this time of year – it’s too damn damp in the basement, and too damn dry in the rest of the house. Heh.)