Choosing the best dehumidifier

ummHamza

I have been reading the thread about running cost of a dehumidifier since I need to invest in one or more dehumidifiers. Our property is currently rented and it's been for the last 4 years. The tenants are suffering from a severe condensation problem, there is mould growth ( black spots) in almost every room on the ceiling and walls, inside wardrobes, even clothes and mattresses. Water drips down one bedroom external wall and lots on the windows. They have moved in September and after less than 2 months complained about the condensation. Over the past 4 years the humidity level has increased and now it has exploded. The house is aerated and heated but it doesn't make any difference. A guy came round to have a look and suggested we should get dehumidifiers. Another company came before that and recommended air vents. But we think dehumidifiers offer a better solution.
So now I need to decide which one(s). I have a few questions regarding them which I hope I can find answers to on this forum.
1) The house is a 3 bedroom semi detached house in the UK, with an extension at the back and the loft is open, there are stairs leading to it. How many dehumidifiers will need? One for each floor or just one placed correctly?
2) I have seen there are dehumidifiers for houses upto 5 bedrooms. Does that mean to control humidity in a house you can only have one dehumidifier?
3) I have seen in threads that some people have a dehumidifier on each floor. Is that really necessary considering the above?
4) Is more than one dehumidifier used so as not to have to carry them from one floor to another?
5) Is it worth hiring a commercial dehumidifier with a high extraction rate for a week and then start using the home ones?
6) The guy who came to see the house said that within a week or two the situation will improve. How can I do this? Do we need to do room by room at first?
7) Which dehumidifier is better dessicant or refrigerant? I read that the ones with a compressor won't work below 19 deg celsius.
I'm sorry the post is quite long but I wanted to explain the situation.
Thank you for your help in this matter. Our property is in a pitiful state.

System

I dont know all the technical stuff but we bought this one before christmas and it work really well, i empty it once a day and its usually full. Its very quiet to run.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wdh-122h-12r-12ltr-dehumidifier/72503?cm_sp=Homepage-_-Slide-_-Dehumidifier

lstar337

I have an ecoair DD122FW Simple, and it is quiet, and extracts lots of water. I use this model because I can use a mechanical timer for E7 hours.

babydaisy

We have an Ebac:


http://www.ebacdirect.com/product.php?productid=27


Comes with a 5 year guarantee, really happy with it. We dry our washing in the loft so it keeps it nice and dry.

mart.vader

ummHamza wrote: »

1) The house is a 3 bedroom semi detached house in the UK, with an extension at the back and the loft is open, there are stairs leading to it. How many dehumidifiers will need? One for each floor or just one placed correctly?

Why ? is the loft insulated ?

ummHamza

Thank you for the link.
I would just like to ask if you have noticed any difference in performance if temperature drops.
I have read somewhere that refrigerant dehumidifier ( with a compressor) work better at temp above 19 degC.

ummHamza

Yes, the loft is insulated and carpeted. There is a skylight so this space can be put to good use.

ummHamza

I would like to ask about the Meaco DD8L. How good is it?

Kernel_Sanders

Are you expecting your tenants to bear the cost of treating the symptoms or are you going to tackle the cause?
Dessicants are definitely better at lower temperatures but no contributor seems to know which their machine is - hardly surprising though considering manufacturers fail to state it on the packaging or even the instructions!

jezebel

Do tenants get bills included? Dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity, so they might not be happy to pay the bills!

ETA: Don't mean this to sound as passive aggressive as it does on re-reading - this is why I should not post after midnight!