THE NORTHERN VA & WASHINGTON DC AREA’S
Humidity & Moisture Control Experts
We Keep Your Basement Dry & Mold-Free…
At The Lowest Possible Cost.
If you even think you have mold, turn to Valor Mold Removal. We can provide test results for mold on the spot.
We’ve invested in a groundbreaking technology that eliminates the issues of the typical mold test. Namely, the waiting time, the inaccuracies, and the high costs.
We can help.
Our Mission: Get Your Basement Below 60% RH…
… And Stop Your Humidity Issue At Its Source.
Unlike many companies, we don’t just stick a cheap dehumidifier in your basement and call it good. Nor do we push you into buying an overpriced $4,000 dehumidifier that ties into your air conditioning.
We actually take the time to assess your situation using real, verifiable science. Based on our findings, we develop a humidity-control solution that works for your situation and budget.
Our goal? Get your basement below 60% RH at the lowest possible cost to you. Here are a few paths we take to accomplish this…
How We Get Your Basement’s
Humidity & Moisture Under Control
Path 1: Exploring The Cheapest, Easiest Humidity Solutions First
Typically, the cheapest way to solve a humidity problem is to determine—and fix—the underlying cause.
High humidity almost always stems from one of the following nine problems (ranked most to least common):
- Gutter downspouts aren’t extended far enough away from your foundation (most wet basement and humidity problems are caused by this)
- Your yard has poor drainage or slopes toward your house
- Your gutter guard allows rain to shoot right over it, land right next to your home, and get absorbed by the foundation
- Your gutters get clogged, which causes water to land right next to your home and get absorbed by the foundation
- Your new “energy efficient” HVAC unit grows mold. How? The reason it’s energy efficient is the evaporator coil is kept at a colder temperature so the air conditioning doesn’t have to run as long to lower the temperature in your house. The trade off? It takes time to pull moisture from the air. Shorter run time means less dehumidification. This may be fine in other climate zones in the country… but not in our mixed-humid region
- Poor air movement between your basement’s rooms and closets
- Clogged or crushed exterior drain tile around the foundation
- Cracks in your home’s foundation
- Your HVAC system is too large for your home (it cools your home so quickly that the air conditioning doesn’t have enough time to remove humidity from the air)
- The waterproofing that the builder applied to the foundation has worn away after 75 years. Generally, 50-75 years is how long the waterproofing lasts that builders apply when the house is being built.
We can help you fix many of these issues—and do it at a reasonable price. For those we can’t, we’ll recommend the best course of action for you to take, along with a referral for a trusted professional who can assist you.
But what happens if you fix the issue… and your basement is still too humid? Or what if fixing the underlying issue is too expensive?
That’s when we turn to mechanical dehumidification…
Path 2: Determining The Right Dehumidification System
If the actions in Path 1 can’t fix your humidity issue, we turn to mechanical dehumidification.
Central VA and Washington DC have a mixed-humid climate. This means we have the worst of both worlds—freezing temperatures in the winter and high humidity in the summer. This makes controlling moisture and humidity incredibly hard.
Consumer-grade dehumidifiers won’t fix the problem. Manufacturers claim they’ll cover 1,200 sq ft… but this is only in tests under laboratory conditions. You’d actually need 3 or 4 of these to control a humid basement in our climate!
Dehumidifiers sold by HVAC companies are one alternative to consumer-grade dehumidifiers. They are installed into the ductwork and typically much more expensive. There are, however, several problems with them…
- The steep price. These dehumidifiers tend to run $4,000 to $5,000.
- Some of the dehumidifiers HVAC companies install only turn on when the air conditioning turns on. Why is that a problem? Your AC kicks on because of the temperature (remember the gizmo on the wall is called a thermostat). When it comes to mold, the temperature in your house doesn’t matter. What does matter is humidity. You want the dehumidifier to kick on independently when it’s humid.
- Even if the dehumidifier turns on independently, it’s tied into the ductwork to “dehumidify the whole house.” Guess what? High humidity is 99% of the time only a problem in the basement. So you don’t want the power of the dehumidifier getting diluted by pumping dry air into parts of the house that don’t need it.
- You also don’t want the dehumidifier getting fooled into not turning on because it thinks the air coming into its sensors is fine. If the basement air is 65% RH (high enough to grow mold) yet it’s being combined with 55% RH air from the rest of the house, then the dehumidifier might only see it’s 60% RH air in the ductwork and not turn on—even though the basement air needs to be dehumidified.
Bottom line: It’s all about keeping the humidity in your basement or crawl space under 60%. If you do that, you control the humidity in the entire house.
So, what’s the RIGHT solution?
Building science says a powerful, stand-alone whole-home dehumidifier with its own humidity controls is the best mechanical dehumidifier option for our area.
Santa Fe Dehumidifiers: Built To Humiliate Humidity
Our Santa Fe dehumidifiers pack commercial-grade power for a consumer-grade price tag.
Wimpy big-box systems are made of cheap plastic. Santa Fe dehumidifiers are made of premium double-walled, powder-coated steel—and 100% manufactured in the USA.
- For basements and crawl spaces between 1,800 sq ft to 4,000 sq ft (depending on model)
- Removes up to 155 pints of water per day (depending on model)
- Ultra-quiet operation
- Dual exhaust outlets to distribute air to multiple locations
- Exceeds ENERGY STAR efficiency requirements
- State-of-the-art filter that removes 98% of dust (typically filters remove only 90%)
- Unmatched 6-year warranty
No matter what’s causing moisture in your basement, we can fix it. Get in touch now to book an inspection and estimate.
Why Choose Us
We remove mold the right way… and it would be an honor to hear from you.
96% Success Rate
Your home is in the best hands—our chemical-free remediation has the highest success rate in the industry.
Instant Mold Testing
You get the answers you need—our special mold testing provides 99% accurate results on the spot.
300+ Happy Clients
You can trust our process—we’ve performed over 300 successful projects since we opened in 2006.
Get In Touch
Fill out this form to contact us. We’ll follow up with 24 business hours.