Dehumidifiers - What Do I Need to Know?

Here at Air Conditioner Home, we try to make finding the right dehumidifier a simple process, so we've compiled a list of products that we find to be most popular and useful.  We hope this will help you in your search and with taking proper care of your new dehumidifier, but do feel free to call us toll free at 800-734-0405.

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What are the benefits associated with dehumidifiers?
Dehumidifiers, such as the Sunpentown SD-60E, lower the relative humidity of the surrounding area. This is required in a number of situations to reduce the amount of water in the air. Reducing water content of the air lessens the potential for mold and fungus to appear and grow, not to mention, reducing the expansion and warping of wooden furniture. In areas of high humidity, such as the Southeastern United States, these problems can quickly become unbearable during the summer. Using a dehumidifier indoors in such places will help stop the growth of microbes and warping from this excess moisture.

What does humidity have to do with my furniture and how can a dehumidifier help?
When the relative humidity of the air increases, the amount of water it is holding increases drastically. With more moisture in the air, your furniture will absorb excess moisture through cracks and joints between the finish. In severe cases of absorption, the wood takes in so much water that it begins to swell and expand. As it does so, the pieces that previously fit together, become pushed apart and can force nails and screws out from their positions. Heavy use of the expanded furniture continues the problem. Dehumidifiers remove the moisture from a closed room and help to eliminate this expansion and related problems in high humidity.

A toxic mold specialist estimated that it would be expensive to remove the mold problem in my walls, but can I buy a dehumidifier instead?
Not entirely; while a dehumidifier helps to dry the air and objects within the room (including drywall) helping to reduce mold growth, previous growths of mold will more than likely see little to no reduction in size. Most mold requires moisture to germinate and to continue growing, but once it is established, it begins to store moisture within itself to survive. If the environment begins to dry eventually, the mold will begin to form cyst-like structures that are viable to re-germinate for years after the original infection has dried out. For established mold growths, we suggest seeing a specialist for removal, and then purchasing a dehumidifier and/or air purifier to reduce the chances of the mold returning.

Do dehumidifiers require much maintenance?
The bulk of the maintenance for a dehumidifier is emptying the tank as filled by normal usage. Some dehumidifiers, such as the Amcor AHD65, have alarms which warn you when they are full. All dehumidifiers will stop operation when the water tank can no longer hold anymore water. A few dehumidifier units have hose drains that automatically drip the water out, but beyond draining, the tanks should be washed occasionally to prevent bacterial growth and should never be stored with water remaining in the tank.

How do dehumidifiers work?
Most dehumidifiers work similarly to air conditioners. The cold coil in the dehumidifier collects water just like a cold glass of lemonade collects water on a hot day, then the water is dripped into a collection tank. After being cooled and dried by the cold coil, the air is reheated to its original temperature by the warm coil in the dehumidifier. This results in drier air released at about the same temperature as when it entered the machine.

In addition, some dehumidifiers work like sponges. A plate of crystals will slowly absorb water from the air, and when the crystals are full, they are heated (in another location, not where you are dehumidifying) to push the water out.

We recommend the following dehumidifiers:

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