When I wrote the above response, I focused on the response you got but not your original question: Keep the screens in or use the glass year round. I think it probably depends on conditions, but I would say this -- it is most likely a waste of energy to both run the dehumidifier and have the screens in.

With all of the air changes you're getting from the screens, the dehumidifier is, as you say, just sitting down there eating electricity. (They do use a lot -- usually 500 to 800 watts, and many run about all the time -- so you're looking at 350 to 500 kilowatt-hours a month, which would add $50 or more to your electric bill in many areas of the country.) It's not, as you said, sucking in humidity from the outdoors, but the dry air it's producing is basically blowing out the windows, so shut it off when you have the screens in.

Could the screens alone be an adequate moisture control measure? Here's the plus and minus: If it's 65 degrees in the basement and 80 outside, bringing warm outside air in may produce additional condensation. But, if you kept enough outside air moving through the basement over a period of days, the basement would eventually start to warm up. And as it did, the walls, floors, etc., would give up more of their moisture to the warmer surrounding air, causing the basement to get progressively more dry.

I think what I would try if I were you is one window open with a screen and an exhaust fan in the other window, so you pull air through the basement. Give it a few days of constant running of the fan, and see what happens. The best time to run the fan would be during the warmest parts of the day. If it's cool and damp at night, or if it is raining or has recently rained, shut it off. The fan would use a small fraction of the power the dehumidifier uses, so it would be worth a try. Whether it will work or not just depends on how much moisture is present and how humid it is where you live at any given time. If that does not work, you can always close the basement (put the glass windows in) and use the dehumidifier.

Thank you so much for your time, ky114. Got to find a fan to fit the small window.

Hi, I live in the north east and have a very similar problem. I have an almost 200 year old house with dirt floors, just had central air installed last year. this year it has been so damp and wet, the dirt floors were like mud. i am running a dehumidifier and the AC in the basement - although the cool air is not vented into the basement that's where the furnace is. when the company installed my furnace and a/c they sealed up an old wood door and the only window in the basement, i figured that's why it was so damp. i unsealed the window but am wondering if that was a mistake. can you tell me what worked for you? thank you.

We live in New Haven where summers tend to be on the hot side and the humidity varies weekly from moist one week to dry the next.

We have been using an inexpensive window fan to ventilate our basement now for many years and absolutely love it! The air is always fresh and the warmer moving air dries out the dampness.

We do the following: all windows are closed save for one, where we install the fan. I have cut a piece of extra thick foam core to perfectly fit in the window opening and have also made a cutout for the fan. The extra thick foam core works well because it is flexible, but plywood works well too and is more durable. Getting a reasonably tight fit between all the parts is important and it may take a few tries to get it correct.

We run this fan in exhaust mode on its slowest setting 24 / 7 from late spring to late fall, from when the heating season ends through when it begins again.

A really big advantage of the fan over an ac or dehumidifier unit is that the fan will also exhaust any radon in the air out of your house!!! The EPA ranks radon as the most serious indoor air pollution problem in houses. Not all areas have radon issues, but many do, ours included. I think the fan uses a lot less power than the other options too.

By exhausting air from our basement, warmer dry air is pulled through a first floor window which we leave open, and down into the basement. I can tell this because the air current will pull the basement door closed when it is opened just a tiny crack.

I also use a window fan in a 3rd floor window to pull hot air out of the house, using roughly the same idea as described above. The fan keeps us comfortable most of the year, but we supplement it with 2 window ac units, in 2 out of our 4 bedrooms, for portions of July, August and September, as needed. We also use small 6" diameter table fans in our bedrooms at night to keep the air moving and also to provide a little white noise.

I think this solution is as energy efficient as you can get while still maintaining a high level of comfort and also provides the healthiest air quality.

pinemaher_yahoo_com! Let me just say THANKS! This is by far the BESTEST solution I found AND it makes a lot of since! KUDOS to YOU pinemaher_yahoo_com!

First : Understand where the moisture is coming from (soil, air, runoff?). Second: minimize the largest contributors to moisture problems and re-evaluate. 3. Find solutions that minimize reliance on active interventions - electrical power, and homeowner power can be fickle :-) Quick fixes typically aren't. .https://extension.umn.edu/moisture-and-mold-indoors/moisture-basements-causes-and-solutions