Dehumidifier Recommendations?

Adamc

Hi all 

We get a lot of condensation upstairs on the windows etc. The bathroom doesn't have an extractor fan fan.
This can often lead to a musty smell in the house. 

We would like to get a dehumidifier or dehumidifier/purifier to reduce moisture in the air. Can anyone recommend a good one? 

We would like to move it between rooms and operate it through winter (beginning now). 
We sometimes dry clothes inside. 
We have two large rooms and a landing upstairs - these are the areas most affected. 
Quiet is desirable however, efficiency and effective moisture removal is more important. 
We would prefer to control when we put it on but would be open to unit that is left on for long periods. 
We are unsure if we need a larger more expensive unit or whether the smaller cheaper ones would do the job. 
Is it would getting a thermometer that also displays humidity? 

Many thanks for any help offered. 

Sistergold

I have used the elecriQ brand 12ltr
i have used it for a few years now and does a brilliant job it was over £100 when I bought it. Deals well with a four bedroom house and any drying I have needed to do. 

emgus53

Hi, we have had intermittent damp/mould issues upstairs in our house for the last couple of years and have a fairly ineffective extractor fan in the bathroom so are in a similar situation to yourself. We initially bought a 'cheaper' dehumidifier (see here) in 2019 to see if it had any effect - whilst it did remove some moisture from the air it was never really able to cope and the humidity in our house remained between 65-80% (have a Nest thermostat to monitor humidity), ideal for mould to grow! We found that opening the windows when possible did help, but also let a lot of cold in and meant the gas bills shot up... 

We recently decided we should get a better one, so got this one in November 2020 (Black Friday deal!). It's so much better than the other one and actually removes a lot of moisture. We have now not had any mould re-growth since getting this and the humidity is now fairly constant around 50% with some intermittent use of the dehumidifier after having showers, drying washing etc. etc. This one also displays the current humidity on the top when in use, allows you to set a target humidity so it switches itself on/off as and when required and is a lot quieter than the first one we bought. In short, I think spending a little more on a better one is definitely worth it and has helped us no end

ka7e

I bought the Probreeze 12l one to help dry out new plaster and it worked very well. Our kitchen was always cold and we had damp marks appearing on an external wall from condensation and the unit helped keep those at bay. You can set a desired level of humidity and it will switch off automatically when it is reached. Although it says it can extract up to 12l a day, the tank only holds 1.8l (turns off when full) so you have to empty it regularly unless you can set it up to drain through the supplied (short) hose. Not exactly cheap at £170, but I would personally recommend it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B073XNK45P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Emmia

We've got a Meaco dehumidifier which is really effective at removing moisture from the air in our flat, and helps to dry laundry in the winter - it's got wheels so it moves around on one level, but is pretty big and heavy so I wouldn't try and carry it up and downstairs on a regular basis (I'd probably get one per floor of the house)

We have this 20L one which is £259.99 (a smaller 12L version for £179 is also available)

https://www.johnlewis.com/meaco-platinum-dehumidifier/p1107148?s_share=jlappdroid

SaintJudy

I bought this one about 5 years ago because I have had terrible damp and black mould in my rented flat. It's been worth its weight in gold and has solved the damp / mould problems completely. I also have to dry clothes inside and it does a cracking job of pulling the moisture out of the clothes and keeping it out of the air. https://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoAir-DD122-Simple-Desiccant-Dehumidifier/dp/B00474K8SY

jimjam83

Emmia said:

We've got a Meaco dehumidifier which is really effective at removing moisture from the air in our flat, and helps to dry laundry in the winter - it's got wheels so it moves around on one level, but is pretty big and heavy so I wouldn't try and carry it up and downstairs on a regular basis (I'd probably get one per floor of the house)

We have this 20L one which is £259.99 (a smaller 12L version for £179 is also available)

https://www.johnlewis.com/meaco-platinum-dehumidifier/p1107148?s_share=jlappdroid

I second this - we have the 20L one. We bought an old, “damp” house in late November. I put the dehumidifier in immediately and the humidity levels were around 70-80% throughout. 6 weeks later and they’re at a comfortable 50-60% throughout. They also come with a hepa filter, which purifies the air. I regularly carry ours up and downstairs, it’s really not that heavy 🙂

Adamc

Thanks for all the replies. I still can't choose between a compressor and a desiccant. Did anyone consider the pros and cons in deciding which to get?