The best dehumidifiers will certainly lessen the harmful effects of moisture and given time can eliminate them altogether. Here is our short buyers guide to getting the best dehumidifier for you: Firstly a brief explanation: of how dehumidifiers work will enable you to gain some valuable insights to allow you to find the best dehumidifier for your needs: Most dehumidifiers work by absorbing excess moisture and water vapour from the air. They such in air through a vent, cool it down fast which means that the air condenses. A fan then blows the air out of the dehumidifier. The water which has condensed inside then runs off into a water bucket or alternatively it is attached to a hose to drain off elsewhere. |
Above pictured the harmful effects of excess moisture |
Suitable places that are most commonly found needy of a dehumidifier are: basements, kitchens, pool/spa rooms, bedrooms, warehouses and workshops. The best dehumidifiers are not however only useful for lowering the humidity level, they are useful in order to:
Save energy – When the air around you is less humid you can feel cool regardless of whether the temperature is warmer, thus saving you on energy billing costs.
Supplement ACs – To feel cool two things need to happen 1) cool enough air 2) dry enough air. Often people keep running their AC because the air is simply too must and they will never actually decrease the temperature of the air significantly. Whereas if you used a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity then the air conditioner would become more effective and it would reduce the need for you to leave it running for long periods of time.
Keeping out the effects of excessive moisture can in the long run negatively effect the structural integrity of your building. Buckling floor panels, rotting supporting beams can be expensive to repair not to mention reducing the value of your property.
There are a range of different types of dehumidifiers on the market today. They are usually categorised by their functionality. The categories usually are: residential, industrial and commercial. When deciphering which is the best dehumidifier for you it is worthwhile considering the following elements:
Size: Dehumidifiers are designed in order to remove a set amount of water out of a set amount of air per day. It is most easy to think about the size of the area you wish to be dehumidified as opposed to the volume of water you wish to have removed as this is far easier to estimate. Sometimes square foot measurements/guidelines are provided in shops for guidance but even these my not be accurate as your area depending on where you are located may have more or less than the average humidity level.
It may also be worth purchasing the next size up on the guidelines if your room is at the higher end of the scale for the dehumidifier you have selected. This will prevent overstressing your dehumidifier and ensure it’s longevity.
More commercial sized and priced units may well be worth considering for areas that have particularly heavy humidity levels. A smaller unit will only have to work harder and for longer and may breakdown a lot more easily because of that. Some dehumidifiers are indeed designed particularly for troublesome areas such as basements, bathrooms and so on.
Many dehumidifiers are not designed to operate in very cold conditions so again you will need to take this into consideration when making your purchase, the best dehumidifiers are equipped with anti-frost sensors so they will turn themselves off if they get too cold thus preventing themselves from getting damaged. These are particularly important for areas such as basements and outdoor buildings.
As ever there are high end and low end products. The main differences are down to the features that are available on the machine and the amount of pints per hour they are able to suck out of what size area. What you ideally need to do is think about what exactly it is that you want and then match these features up with an existing product to find the best dehumidifier for you. Of course shopping around for dehumidifiers is essential to make sure you are not paying over the odds and get the best dehumidifier. Prices can range from $200 to over $1000, so there will be something to suit everyone.
Using the following list of questions is a good starting point when searching for the best dehumidifier for your needs:
- What is the size of the area I am trying to dehumidify?
- Is the area greater than 1000 square feet?
- Is this space finished or is this space crawl?
- How high are the ceilings in the rooms?
- Is there a problem of a musty smell and mould?
- Is my local climate high in humidity already?
- What length of time do I expect the dehumidifier to last for?
- How much do I want to invest in a dehumidifier?
These answers should go some way into giving you an idea of what the best dehumidifier for you is.
