Dehumidifiers - dessicant or compressor?

ripplyuk

We've had a lot of warm humid weather recently so I don't want the heat on but the humidity inside is getting too high. I've decided to buy a dehumidifer as it would also be useful in winter for drying clothes that can't go in the tumble dryer. Despite reading up about the different types and speaking to some customer service reps on the phone, I'm still confused about what to buy.

I need one that's as quiet as possible and doesn't cost a fortune on electric. I usually have the thermostat set at 18 Celsius but it would drop below this in winter when I'm out. Could anyone advise on what to get, or have any recommendations? Does one type last longer than the other?

It seems like every time I make up my mind, I find out something else that contradicts it. I've spoken to Meaco and they said the compressor ones work fine at 16 Celsius. Other people say the dessicant ones are best at those temperatures but they seem to be higher wattages and would cost a fortune to run. Do the compressor ones blow out cold air?

stator

Compressors are noisey but the units are cheapish and last a few years.
I've never used dessicant but i noise is a factor for you then avoid compressors.

dermonte

I dont know what ours is but its meaco 20l low energy dehumidifier. Everybody comments how quiet it is and how great it is when they see it. The air in my house feels so fresh while its humid outside. I never noticed any difference on my electric bill either.

coffeehound

The air from the front of dehumidifiers is cooler, but they also put out a little heat from the process and the net result is a slight warming of the room. However in summer this slight heating is easily outweighed by the comfort you get from the reduced humidity in the room.

Compressor dehumidifiers will continue to work well down into single-digit temperatures.

ripplyuk

The Meaco one sounds good if it's quiet. I've been told all the compressor ones sound like noisy fridges when they're running. Maybe that one is different. It'll be on in the evening when I'm watching TV so I couldn't stand anything loud. Also I wouldn't be able to sleep.

It's very confusing reading about the energy efficiency of both types. Some say the dessicant ones cost more but give out a lot of heat so you save money on heating. It does seem an expensive method of heating though.

Then I read that the compressor ones take much longer to get the humidity down, which increases costs. That would also be annoying having it running continuously with the noise, if a dessicant could do the job in half the time.

patman99

Compressor-based units become less able to work as the temperature drops.
Whereas desicant dehumidifiers will work perfectly in sub-zero temperatures.

Having had both types, I can say that the desicant unit is far more efficient at removing moisture.

ripplyuk

I've narrowed it down to either the Meaco 12ltr energy efficient one or the Eco air DD122 mini. The Meaco one uses 165watts and the Eco air 442 watts but reduces to 270 watts in economy mode, which I guess I'll use most of the time.

At the minute, I'm swayed towards the dessicant due to the noise level as its only 32db whereas the Meaco is 44db. I don't know how much of a difference that would be but I know if I find it noisy, I'll not use it so it'd be pointless.

Is it worth buying an extended warranty for these things? The manufacturers guarantee seems to be only 1 year. Are they prone to packing in shortly after that? How long would they be expected to last?

dermonte

I think as long as you look after it, it should last forever. Mine gets dusty on its air vents and need hoovering the vent and washing the filter regularly or it becomes noisier.

lstar337

patman99 wrote: »

Compressor-based units become less able to work as the temperature drops.
Whereas desicant dehumidifiers will work perfectly in sub-zero temperatures.

Having had both types, I can say that the desicant unit is far more efficient at removing moisture.

patman99 is correct. Desiccant units are the way to go.

cazs

I've the Ecoair 122 Simple it's easy to use and is excellent at drying laundry. It does make the room warmer. No good in July but in the cold months it's a useful by product.

ripplyuk

I bought the Eco air mini and tried it out last week during the hot humid weather. The temperatures were around 25 Celsius and humidity 73%.

I left it on for about 3 hours upstairs. Problem was, the extra heat it created was absolutely unbearable. It reduced the humidity massively but no way could I sleep in that heat! I ended up opening all the windows which just let all the humidity back in!

Normal humidity in my house is around 45-55% so I don't usually need a dehumidifier but this warm wet weather has created seriously high humidity, which makes me worry about getting a damp/mould problem.

I'm at a loss now.