In a message dated 98-08-01 22:18:54 EDT, [log in to unmask]
characterizes dehumidifiers in damp basements as

<< useless . . . if not maintained on the same schedule as the dog gets fed on
>>

We're close to the sea, and the air is almost always damp.  Without the
dehumidifier, our basement is musty and cranks up some allergy or other that I
seem to have.  Ken rigged the device with a rubber tube that drips into the
sump (a sump pump is a necessity here - most houses have little or nothing
below ground).  As long as the dehumidifier is running, I can even hang up
laundry down there and expect it to dry - around here, the outside air is
hardly ever dry enough for that, so I doubt that venting the space would do
the job as well.  And no, the open water in the sump and the wet laundry don't
seem to make it musty, again, as long as the little wonder is buzzing along.

I don't know of a designation of "basement" that would eliminate all cellars
(except root cellars), or of "cellar" that eliminates basements.  Is
"basement" a real estate politeness word, sort of like calling an entrance
hall a "foyer"?

Kathy Follett