Dehumidifying a dojo

Greetings all,

I was wondering if anyone had ideas on how to dehumidify a dojo during the winter months. We are located in East Bay so the humidity is always high (70-90%) and our heating system does not vent or bring in outside air, the only vent is located in the bathroom. The heating system just brings in air from one side of the dojo, runs it through flame heated coils and blows it directly to the center of the room. No matter how long we run the heating system for, we cannot manage to dry out the dojo after extensive training periods, as a result, we end up training in a very muggy/stuffy room which ends up creating mold in some of the hard to reach areas.

Any suggestions? Besides having to drop 400-600 dollars on an industrial dehumidifier.

-Justin Tyle

I assume you only run the heat when you're in the dojo (to save energy)? If the structure is well sealed, then running the heat won't help since the water is just absorbed into the air and then condenses when the heat is eventually turned off. Definitely a mold problem.

You might try a decent ventilation fan (e.g. Broan) plus a timer control, ducting (so you could leave it running after you were done training) costs less than a $150 total. You would have to wire it and run the 4" ductwork to the outside.

A dehumidifier is problematic - they are basically AC units and use a lot of power and don't work very well below 40F. If the structure is well-insulated and well-sealed and you are willing to leave the heat on to keep the structure at 60F+ - then a dehumidifier that drains outside (or to the sewer) would be a good choice to keep your dojo nice and dry.

Robin

Any external doors or windows? Open them after class for a few minutes to blow out the funk?

A really big bucket or 5 of Dri-Z-Air?

Thanks for your responses, we have decided to leave the windows open during the night in order to let the air circulate and turn the heater on about a half-hour before class.

Thanks again for your assistance.

- Justin Tyle

I'm probably nuts but surely leaving the heating off and the window open is the best thing. Heating the dojo will cause more sweat/moisture.

A heated dojo? I thought our bodies were supposed to heat the dojo.

Rupert Atkinson wrote: A heated dojo? I thought our bodies were supposed to heat the dojo.

only live bodies, and only when huddled naked to save you from hypothermia, which i don't think anyone want to do aikido naked, especially, when you have to do some of those pins. god forbid if you have to do some of those bjj arm bars while naked or worst by pulling guards.

on the other hand, dead bodies (all dead, not mostly dead) wouldn't heat the dojo very well. the only thing you can do with dead bodies is "Go through his clothes and look for loose change"