The story from start to finish is iterated in the paragraphs above. The following is for Dos and Don'ts: If you are contemplating installing a dehumidifier in your crawl space, I recommend that you ask your pest control technician to come to your house and examine the space specifically for the presence of excess or unexpected moisture. Alabama is humid, especially in the summer, and it may require more information from more people in order to make a decision to have the dehumidifier installed. Shortly after my experiences reported in the section above, and in this one, I learned from another person that her Turner and Schoel - installed dehumidifier had resulted in all the floors cupping and rippling up, and at the time were still in that condition although some weeks had passed. SEEK OUT OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE INSTALLATION OF A DEHUMIDIFIER AND ASK FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK AND ITS EFFECT UPON THE DWELLING, INSIDE AND BENEATH. HOT WEATHER WILL BE PRIME TIME FOR PROMOTION OF THESE INSTALLATIONS. SOME MAY BE VERY SOUNDLY JUSTIFIED, AND OTHERS MAY NOT BE NECESSARY. SEEK INFORMATION AND ADVICE FROM OTHERS RATHER THAN DEPENDING ON COMPANIES WHO HAVE HANDLED PRIOR SALES TO YOU. DON'T BE AS TRUSTING AS I WAS.
Description of Work: Installed a de-humidifier in crawl space under house. (When the house was built, Turner and Schoel installed two air conditioning systems, a heat pump, thermostats, anad had a maintenance contract for years 2006 through 2009 or part of 2010.) In 2010 representatives from Turner and Schoel repeatedly said that the crawl space "looked like it was raining under there." They vigorously recommended a de-humidifier to remove the excess moisture and make the house more comfortable. When the contract was brought to the house the representative named Aubrey said he was surprised that my hardwood flooring was not "cupping" because he expected to see that. He repeated lthe "looks like raining under there," and every other Turner and Schoel employee used exactly those phrases. I told the contract manager and the installation personnel that I wanted some observable proof of the "looks like raining." They went under the house, photographed the air conditioning ducts, and showed the image to me. It looked like small patches of condensation rivulets from cooler air inside the metal ducts in the hot atmosphere of the crawl space. They insisted that this was copious and constant moisture production and bad for the house. Alabama is humid, especially in the summer, and I did not ask to go under the house to observe all of the duct work. (I am extremely sensitive to heat, have problems breathing, and will not go outside without another person in the event I am being overcome by the heat.) When the de-humidifying system was in place, the hardwood floors did begin to "cup" and remained that way for about 3 weeks. Eventually the cupping became less drastic, although the floors never resumed their original status. It has been 11 months since the dehumidifier was installed, and I do not expect the flooring ever to return to its original smooth level. A few weeks after the installation, the technician who services the pest-control work (both inside and outside, as well as underneath the house) asked me why there was the new installation (de-humidifier) under the house. I described the events, and the wording of all the Turner and Schoel employees, specifically their emphasis on the "looks like it is raining under there." The pest control technician told me he wished I had called him to inspect the crawl space before the job was done. His statement was: "I have been under this house, in this crawl space, every time the house was serviced (inside and outside, and underneath in the crawl space, since it was built." He then said, "This crawl space has never been wet; never even damp. I check the moisture barrier every time, and it is always intact, keeping moisture from coming up from the ground." He told me the dehumidifier was not necessary, and had there been any excess moisture at all, he would have notified me. A secondary effect from the installation of the dehumidifier is that there is some damage to drywall, especially on the sides adjacent to the outer construction. The drywall itself shrinks away from the counters wherever they are on the "outer" walls. Until July of 2010, I had never seen any damage. I now, in addition to the separation of drywall from counter, I am finding corners in the dining room separating. This, again, happened in the same time period as the other drywall problem.