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"We have experienced a lot of rain in the past month and unfortunately some flooding in CNY. Most of you did not have records destroyed by flooding, but there is a universal risk that all of us are currently exposed to . . . mold and other fungi. Thus, the essentials of dehumidification which follows.
Please take a moment to check your basement records storage areas today and make sure that you have not experienced any flooding and that your dehumidifier is functioning properly. It is really a good idea that your dehumidifier is plumbed for ongoing drainage rather than you having to empty the accumulated water manually.
One would think in these very wet conditions that you would want to crank up your dehumidifier to a higher setting to drain the swamp so to speak. Nothing could be further from the truth. When a dehumidifier is turned up to a high setting, it will actually pull moisture from outside your records storage room through the walls and floor. The extremely dry air inside your storage room will act as a wick and will suck in moisture. Also, a dehumidifier running on high will create a lot of extra heat in your storage area, inviting mold like a tornado a mobile home park. If your dehumidifier has settings 0-9 for example, I personally would set it at 3 and forget it (as long as it is plumbed for self drainage).
Set the dehumidifier's FAN only to a high setting or get a new little box fan to circulate the air in your storage area nicely. This will go a long way to keep the air moving and remove pockets of moist air.
These basic steps will save you A LOT of grief if followed as there is almost nothing worse than a basement full of moldy, fungi covered records. "
Below you can see some pictures of the recent flooding in Herkimer, which took place at my house and in my neighborhood.
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