To effectively remove moisture from the air in many rooms, it is best to place your dehumidifier in a central area, such as a landing or hallway. Keep all your internal doors open, and the excess moisture will travel towards the dehumidifier.
For placement ideas of a dehumidifier for the best results, the most important thing is to ensure that the unit is in the center of the room and has good air circulation. This means placing it in an open area, such as a living room or basement, and away from walls, furniture, and other items that could block airflow.
The simple answer is that you should place the dehumidifier near the primary source of moisture or in the room most affected by dampness. You should also leave plenty of space for airflow around the machine, as this is essential for maintaining the dehumidifier's effectiveness.
Do You Need A Dehumidifier In Every Room? Ultimately, most homeowners can get away with only needing one or two dehumidifiers to keep their rooms dry and comfortable. If you live in a humid area that makes your entire home damp, we strongly recommend you install a whole-house dehumidifier system.
For a bathroom, you should position the dehumidifier just outside the bathroom door and ensure the door is left open so the unit can draw the moist air towards it. If you're drying clothes, just place the dehumidifier in the room, making sure the door and windows are all closed.
A dehumidifier can be invaluable when it comes to reducing the humidity that fuels the growth of mould spores. Many people don't realise that reducing humidity is also very important for keeping the house dust mite population under control.
Dehumidifiers do work in winter, but when it is very cold, there's a difference in the moisture in the air. When temperatures are below freezing, moisture becomes trapped in the ice and snow and the relative humidity in the air plummets.
Especially in the winter months, dehumidifiers become even more vital as the humidity levels rise and temperatures drop. Although many people associate humidity with the warm summer months, actually the winter months are on average the most humid in the UK.
Keep your dehumidifier set to 30-50% to eliminate excess dryness or moisture. Don't leave your dehumidifier facing a wall (this will block the vents & prevent it from doing its job) During winter be careful of having your settings too high or excess use (you could damage your dehumidifier)
So for example, a dehumidifier that can extract up to 20 litres a day, with a wattage of 480w would use 0.48 kWh, would mean an hour's usage (0.34) would cost just under 16p. Whereas a dehumidifier that can extract up to 12 litres a day, with a wattage of 157w (0.157 kWh) would cost just over 5p an hour.
Most dehumidifiers should not be operated in temperatures below 60° F, since the moisture removed from the indoor air can freeze when it condenses on the cooling coils, which can damage the unit.
Dehumidifiers work best when there is good air flow around them. Ideally, you should place it in the centre of a room, or at least 6 inches away from the nearest wall, furniture or surface.
As the name implies, this can treat an entire house. They can be standalone in the basement, or they can be installed into your duct system. The Aprilaire 1850 Dehumidifier, for instance, can remove up to 11.9 gallons of water per day.
The simple answer to whether they use a lot of electricity is yes. Even though the wattage or energy consumption of many models is low (The average being 483 watts), they stay on for at least 12 hours a day and in most cases, 24 hours, which is why the costs can increase, particularly for less efficient models.
The windows in a room should be kept closed when running a dehumidifier. As open windows let moisture in from the outside, they can work against the dehumidifier and keep the room from drying out because the continuous flow of air can be counterproductive.
The water is drained by gravity alone so for effective continuous drainage the dehumidifier needs to be raised a foot or two above the floor and the hose run to a floor level drain.
With this assumption, you can safely run your dehumidifier for about 12 hours a day. That should (again, depending on your unit) run all the humid air in your space through the system at least once. I usually tell people to run their dehumidifier for 10-12 hours a day, and of course, the more the better.
Placing a portable dehumidifier in the basement will help to remove mold from a basement and keep humidity below 50%.
Choosing a dehumidifier for a healthier home
So, buying a dehumidifier for the spring and summer, even if you always have the windows open, is a good idea. It will help to reduce the incidence of mould, which in turn is a positive thing for health issues like asthma.
What's the ideal humidity level in a UK home? The range in which optimal indoor humidity is achieved is, thankfully, quite broad. If you're getting a reading somewhere between 30 and 60%, you're in pretty good shape.
Dehumidifiers naturally create a small amount of heat as they operate, and depending on the size of your room and how often you run your dehumidifier, you might experience a few degrees increase.
Set the Right Humidity
To get your manually-controlled dehumidifier up and running, set its humidity level. You want it set at 30 – 50%. If there's too much moisture, you'll get dampness and mould. If there's too little moisture, your home will be too dry and attract bacteria.
Open Windows and Doors
One of the easiest ways to dehumidify a room is to open up the windows, says the National Asthma Council. Doing so lets in fresh air, improving the air circulation in the room and—when you keep your inside doors open—within your home.
Can you dehumidify too much? There is a chance of dehumidifying your home too much with a dehumidifier, especially if you are leaving your dehumidifier running for several hours on a timer unattended. Over-dehumidifying your home can lead to an increased chance of respiratory illnesses and dry and cracked skin.