Running Costs for a Dessicant Dehumidifier

chrisb1357

Hi all,

I am thinking of purchasing a Dessicant Dehumidifier this one http://ecoair.org/DD122FW.html but wanted to know how can i work out the running costs before i buy. Do these cost much to run.

Chris

happy35

i have just ordered a Meaco DD8L dessicant dehimidifier, they are supposed to be much more energy efficient than a normal dehumidifier.

I dont know how to work out running costs but if you look at the one I bought it does tell you about energy efficiency, you cna then compare the spec to the one you are buying

dld2s

I dont know about your model, but according to Ebac dessicant dehumidifiers use twice as much electricity than the coil type http://www.ebacdirect.com/dehumidifier-types.php

Chris_Michael

Running costs for dehumidifiers are more straight forward than you might imagine. In the home they are mostly used in the winter to prevent condensation from appearing on windows, as they dry the air the energy they use is returned to the room as heat. Any local heat source like a radiator can be turned off and therefore the energy usage is balanced out.

Dry air is also cheaper to heat than damp air and therefore your heating bill should come down.

With regards to the dehumidifiers mentioned in the thread one runs continuously so that it can continuously check the relative humidity of the air. This means that when it is not drying it is running its fan and using about 30 watts. The Meaco model turns off when the relative humidity is reached to save money and reduce noise.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Chris_Michael

Oh and to complete the replay the comment about desiccant verses compressor in terms of running costs.

Compressor dehumidifiers have a lower wattage but take longer to remove the moisture from the air and are therefore running for longer. (University of Southampton test for Practical Boat Owner magazine).

Meaco desiccant dehumidifiers (can't speak for other brands) have a two stage heating element inside them, so in normal use the wattage is around 320 watts which is similar to a desiccant dehumidifier, in laundry mode they use 650 watts which is higher than a compressor but they will extract water up to four times as fast (the University report again) and they are really replacing a far more energy hungry tumble dryer in this mode.

Again all wattage used is returned to the space as heat.

Hope this helps.

Chris

PaulReso

Hi Chris, what size is the room you are looking to use the dehumidifier for? This will affect the running costs quite significantly? After some quick scouring about and researching I've found that the X-Dry Home Dehumidifier (another model by the guys you mentioned) is one of the best all-round dessicant dehumidifiers - at a cracking price too.

breathingspace.co.uk/desiccant-dehumidifiers/x-dry-home-dehumidifier

(wont let me post the link for some reason!)

alanobrien

chrisb1357 wrote: »

Hi all,

I am thinking of purchasing a Dessicant Dehumidifier this one http://ecoair.org/DD122FW.html but wanted to know how can i work out the running costs before i buy. Do these cost much to run.

Chris

i have that one, and also an amcor compressor model.
The dessicant dehumidifier is much much quieter in operation and works down to lower temperatures. It also weighs significantly less than a compressor model.

Running costs are tricky. It depends on the appliance rating and how long its on for which will depend on the RH setting you set on the dial and how much work it needs to do to reach that RH setting.

Typical room Rh is in the range of 40 to 70.
Ours is set close to the top end of the scale and i estimate it costs us approx £50 a year to run and that includes the odd blast drying off the washing.

poppellerant

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I too am researching the running costs of desiccant dehumidifiers compared to refrigerated ones.

I am growing bored of my Ebac dehumidifier failing every year, usually a month after I start using it which is October until March. Plus the filter costs for Ebac machines are an absolute joke - £15.99 for three bactiguard filters, working out at £5.33/filter. Oh, and each filter only lasts three months! :eek:

My electricity usage always increases when the dehumidifier is on. I find the house hard to keep warm, despite trying hard to insulate it as best as I can. When the dehumidifier is running, the house is noticeably warmer. But I always struggle with condensation on the double glazing windows during winter.

I've read that the desiccants don't need to be on for as long as refrigerants, as they dry the air quicker. Plus the refrigerants spend 2/3 of their time defrosting when below a certain temperature of about 15c. So I suppose it's six and two threes.

All I want is to keep the condensation away from my windows, or as much as reasonably possible. At the same time, I'd rather not see my electricity bill increase. :eek:

Am I asking for too much?

cazs

I'm looking into this too. I have a washer drier but it tends to make my clothes really really badly crinkled even on a iron-dry setting. I also get shrinking sometimes so am looking at an option, which I belive to be getting more popular, of using a dehumidifer by a clothes airer.

I also was looking at that EcoAir as it was the top listed one on Amazon, I have checked the Which mag and it recommended an Ebac Powerpac 18 and Ebac 2650e and a couple of Delonghi ones though I think they are all compressor ones and more costly.

Has anyone got any experiences of using dehumidifiers for this purpose or can comment on the one they have.

alanobrien

I note that i wrote my response above in march 2012. I still have both the dehumidifiers mentioned above and they are still going strong. Having run both types for over a year i would not get another compressor model. We do use the ecoair for drying washing - it has a setting for that purpose and it works well.

Kernel_Sanders

I have a desiccant and find Chris Michael's advice to be the best.