Mini (non electric) dehumidifiers... anyone tried?

AdrianW2

These things are basically just giant versions of the silica gel sachets that you get inside packaged goods.

For use in a room they have a problem in that they can only hold so much moisture - about a third of their own weight - before needing to be dried out. So a 300g unit is only going to hold about 100ml of water. In a room where the air is constantly being replaced, this isn't going to make a huge different to the overall levels of humidity.

In an enclosed environment, a sealed box or an infrequently used cupboard or drawer, then they are more useful.

More information here.

Baglady_2

I've been umming and ahrring about getting an electric dehumidifier, and I've read the posts on MSE about condensation, mildew/mould etc. They seem to be the way to go, and I've read they cost just pennies to run, but my OH remains unconvinced. He thinks only the small low wattage ones would be cheap to run.
The thing is, we only have storage heaters which are expensive to run and are only placed centrally, not in the bedrooms. We can't afford to put them on until we start getting really cold snaps, then we keep all doors open to try and circulate the warm air around. The double glazing is old and starting to break down, and the house only has a plastic panel under the windows rather than brickwork, with no windowsills. We get mildew/mould on the little-used north-facing bedroom walls.
My point is, the mini non-electric jobbies seem popular according to this thread, but are they man enough do you think to sort those rooms out? Maybe double up in each bedroom? :rolleyes: