Dehumidifiers and performance
Dehumidifiers
are simple and affordable devices that may easily solve many
moisture and excess of home humidity problems.
You can regulate dehumidifiers to get the ideal home humidity
level: something between
35% and 45%.
Obviously there are also structural causes of high home
humidity, demanding other measures and other strategies than
dehumidifiers.
See, on these issues:
Controlling home's high
levels of humidity
Moisture and
insulation
Natural Ventilation
Mechanical
ventilation
Basics on Humidity
Dehumidifiers and energy efficiency
The
energy
efficiency
is measured in liters of water removed per kilowatt-hour of
energy consumed:
Litters/kWh.
A higher ratio means usually a better energy performance. The
energy efficiency of current dehumidifiers strands typically
between 1 and 3L/KWh.
Buying dehumidifiers: their capacity
and performance
Dehumidifiers
capacity
is measured in
pints per day.
The higher the number of pints the higher the capacity of the
humidifier. Dehumidifiers of 40-65 pints are very common today.
Dehumidifiers should be bought having in mind their
energy efficiency and their capacity and the size of the
space that needs dehumidification and its humidity levels. The
chart below allows an estimation of the
minimum capacity
(number of pints) required to the dehumidifier
for several basic conditions and areas.
|
Condition without
Dehumidification |
Area (Sq. Feet) |
|
500 |
1 |
1,5 |
2 |
2,5 |
|
Moderately Damp (space feels damp
and has musty odor only in humid weather) |
10 |
14 |
18 |
22 |
26 |
|
Very
Damp (space always feels damp and
has musty odor. Damp spots show on walls and floor.) |
12 |
17 |
22 |
27 |
32 |
|
Wet
(space feels and smells wet. Walls or floor sweat, or
seepage is present.) |
14 |
20 |
26 |
32 |
38 |
|
Extremely Wet (laundry drying, wet
floor, high load conditions.) |
16 |
23 |
30 |
37 |
44 |
Chart source: Energy Star and AHAM (Association of Home
Appliance Manufacturers)
Energy Star
Dehumidifiers and qualified brands
Considerer
qualified dehumidifiers models using
UE eco-labelling (European
countries) and Energy Star ratings (for USA,
Canada or New Zealand and Australia).
Qualified models are good options, even if they are initially more
expensive. They will assure good performances and high energy
efficiency.
Manufacturers and brand names
as
Amana, Amcor, Comfort Aire, Danby, Dayton,
De'Longhi, Fedders, Friedrich, Frigidaire, GE, GoldStar, Haier,
Home Hardware, Kenmore, LG, Maytag, Therma-Stor, Therma-Stor,
Whirlpool, Woods have excellent qualified models.
Dehumidifiers and Water Removal
Typical dehumidifiers
use a
removable plastic bucket
and an automatic shutoff when the bucket is full of water. You
won’t have to worry about the bucket overflowing.
To avoid the need of
empting the bucket, typical dehumidifiers allow hooking a
hose
to the bucket and direct it into a floor drain (or sump pump).
Cares you should take regarding dehumidifiers
Be aware with electrical issues. Make sure the dehumidifier is
connected to a properly grounded outlet. Keep drain hoses and
water drainage away from electrical circuits, connections and
devices.
For better operations, the dehumidifier should be located in a way
that air can circulate freely around it.
To ensure that the space is dehumidified efficiently, your
home’s doors and windows should be closed while the dehumidifier
is running.
Sources of dust and dirt can clog dehumidifiers: so,
place it away from those sources.
Operating Temperature of Dehumidifiers
The dehumidifier removes
moisture from the air and that operation slightly warms the
space around the device. So, do not be alarmed if the air
temperature around the humidifier is a little warmer than
temperatures in surrounding areas.
If temperatures drop below 65 degrees F (18ºC) the performance
of many models of humidifiers can be affected due to frost
formed on the condensing coils, which will demand the unit to be
switched off and allowed to defrost before turned back on again.
The solution for this problem is in models capable of working at
very low temperatures and with
antifrost sensors
(which will
automatically turn off if the air temperature drops below a
certain point).
Humidity, Humidistats and Hygrometers
Many dehumidifiers
include a built-in device (a
humidistat)
that allows to set the desired humidity level. The dehumidifier
will cycle on and off automatically to maintain that level.
If your dehumidifier does not have a built-in
humidistat, you may purchase a hygrometer.
Hygrometers measure humidity levels and enable people to monitor
when to turn the dehumidifier on and off.
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