dehumidifiers

druidhill

Looking to get an electrical dehumidifier and both Aldi & Lidl have offerings at the moment (140 - 170 euro). The price seems below that of other comparable models.

Has anyone used either and would they recommend them? Also interested to know if you found them effective and were they noisy.

Regards.

The Red Ace

it depends on what your expectations are from the unit, ideally its capacity should be matched to the area of the room, but generally speaking they work quite well at getting rid of moisture, are cheap enough to run, and if you have a big house that all rooms are not being used in are a cheap alternative to heating as our greatest problem in Irl is the amount of moisture in the air which dehumidifiers can easily remove leaving you a dry room

Northumbria

I lived in a very damp, humid flat before. Dehumidifiers worked too slowly to be of any use, I found the humidity dropped greatly when I used convection heaters at cold times of the year though - they dried out the air.

mrcheez

In my house the steam from the bathroom gets into the hallway and rooms since the bathroom has no ventilation fan and only a small window. There are no mould problems yet (it's only recently been repainted and I've only lived there a few months) but would it be wise to get one of these to prevent problems in future? The air does feel rather humid, but as I said I haven't yet seen any issues.

Also the dehumidifier doubles as an air purifier. I have to paint a few doors in the house, and then sleep in the house. Would the purifier likely reduce the fumes?

armchaircoach

can anyone explain why have to wait 24 hours before switching a new dehumidifier on?

mrcheez

armchaircoach wrote: »

can anyone explain why have to wait 24 hours before switching a new dehumidifier on?

Need some context here. What did you do to the humidifier before you needed to wait 24 hours... plug it in? Maybe it has a rechargeable battery??

Alun

I'm guessing it's the same reason why you should leave fridges and freezers to settle before switching them on after transporting them. Not exactly sure why that is, but it's always recommended.

armchaircoach

Its just been purchased, it doesn't mention anything in the manual about the 24 hours, but there is a warning written on the back is the machine. Just wondering if this is a bit over the top and I can just go ahead and start using it?

Alun

I wouldn't if I were you. I've heard many tales of fridges being ruined by being switched on too soon after moving.

The Red Ace

The reason it is recommended to let it stand is because the compressor motor has oil in its base and if laid on its side while being transported and taken home and plugged in may cause a blockage in the evaporator as the oil could have seeped up the pipes, 24 hour stand on a new unit seems over the top, more like an hour or two unless it has been standing upside down for a long period

An Ri rua

Northumbria wrote: »

I lived in a very damp, humid flat before. Dehumidifiers worked too slowly to be of any use, I found the humidity dropped greatly when I used convection heaters at cold times of the year though - they dried out the air.

From research I've done for myself, typical dehumidifers don't work too well in the damp and cold Irish and Uk climate. Unless you have your heating at 20c all the time! No, the best bet is a dehumidifier that works in cool conditions.

ps wet air is much harder to heat. So it stands to reason that dehumidifers (that dehumidify to the correct percentage) are a good mix in the heating solution.

Have a look at the Ruby Dry dehumidifier. Its silicant based, not refridgerant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruby-Dry-Dehumidifier-DH600/dp/B0002XOYDE

Youtube review http://youtu.be/Rp655KQvVyM
http://youtu.be/Rp655KQvVyM
http://www.dry-it-out.com/ruby-dry-amber-dry-dh600-dehumidifier

and in Ireland at MCL in Newbridge. Its about €250.

I want one. I already run an Inverter 5006 Paraffin heater now for 3 seasons: which I bought from Michael in MCL

mrcheez

Any idea if it's ok to run a dehumidifier in a steamed-up bathroom while taking a shower (plug is situated outside of bathroom and cable running under closed door), or would that be too much moisture to operate under?

You'd be far better off getting an extractor fan fitted rather than trying to dehumidify the room.

mrcheez

Not possible unfortunately. The demudifier works well AFTER I've taken a shower though so should keep mold at bay.

who_ru

mrcheez wrote: »

Any idea if it's ok to run a dehumidifier in a steamed-up bathroom while taking a shower (plug is situated outside of bathroom and cable running under closed door), or would that be too much moisture to operate under?

i don't see why that would be a problem, i've done the exact same thing. they operate best in rooms between 10c-20c, lower than 5c they become inefficient.

mrcheez

who_ru wrote: »

i don't see why that would be a problem, i've done the exact same thing. they operate best in rooms between 10c-20c, lower than 5c they become inefficient.

So 99% humidity won't break the thing?

who_ru

mrcheez wrote: »

So 99% humidity won't break the thing?

no - some models adjust for the percentage relative humidity in the air, the higher it is the more moisture they extract, the lower it gets, the less hard they need to work and actually use less power, but it wouldn't damage the unit as far as i can see.

as said they work best in a room with a heat background, cold rooms with no heating are not ideal for them.