Do dehumidifiers work in cold weather?

During the colder months, the most common phone call that we get is from customers asking why their dehumidifier has stopped collecting water. In fact, there are periods where we know we’ll get lots of these calls, and it’s when the temperatures are below freezing and there’s often snow on the ground. So we thought we’d address the question of ‘do dehumidifiers work in cold weather?’

What Changes In The Freezing Cold Weather?

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.  You can feel the effects of this yourself – your skin becomes dry, so you need to moisturise more often, or pile on the lip balm. You get static shocks when we touch something metal and your throat becomes dry. This is all because there is dramatically less moisture in the air in general. Normally the human body is rubbish at telling whether the relative humidity is high or low but when things get to the extremes we can easily spot the difference.

So, do dehumidifiers work in colder weather?

When the air is this dry there is nothing for a dehumidifier to do – there’s just no excess moisture to remove from the air. In their humidistat modes the dehumidifiers are aiming for a target relative humidity of between 40 – 60%rh, and in Laundry mode the lowest they can go is around 35%rh. The relative humidity during freezing weather is often between 10 – 25%rh. So it is no wonder that the dehumidifiers stop collecting water if the relative humidity is all tied up in the snow and ice.

When the temperatures rise the dehumidifiers will start to collect water again. So there’s no need to panic – your dehumidifier is having a well-earned rest and you can go and play in the snow! And there’s the simple answer to the question: ‘Do dehumidifiers work in cold weather’.

You can take a look at our range of dehumidifiers for the home, and call us on 01483 234900 if you need any help or advice.

Products featured: dehumidifiers

Do dehumidifiers work in cold weather

Snow and ice reduces moisture in the air and gives your dehumidifier a rest.

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20 responses

    1. Linda,

      Thank you for your enquiry. Yes these temperatures are suitable for any of our dehumidifiers.

      For further assistance please contact us to discuss.

      Omar@Meaco.

  1. My Meaco Zambezi is some 5 years old and has worked fine throughout – until it recently began showing a C2 error code. It’s in the same room as it’s been used in for years, which has no central heating and barely reaches 10 degrees C; the room’s humidity is always higher than the 65% standard which I was told to aim for. The filter is regularly cleaned by vacuum and brushing and the water bucket is nowhere near full.
    Why does this code keep recurring? It stops if I turn off the power at the wall but returns every time that I restart the machine, which is worrying. I’m used to turning the machine off with its own controls and letting it slowly run down to a stop, rather than suddenly depriving it of power.

    1. Thank you for your purchase Diana.

      C2 is a lack of airflow, this will be because of dirt on the filter, or the machine being too close to the wall. Give the machine plenty of space and run the filter through the dishwasher and see how you get on. If these things do not work then it will be a build up of dirt internally.

  2. I live in a cold end terrace cottage high up in Wales with no central heating. Temperatures average 4-8°C if I don’t have the open fire made, 10-14°C with a fire and anything above that in summer conditions. Last year was a balmy 24°C. The more I’ve learned about dehumidifiers recently, the more confused I’ve become in terms of whether I should have a refrigerant or desiccant dehumidifier to replace my older refrigerant one. I’ve fallen in love with the Meaco ones, but don’t know which one to buy. Help!!

    1. Nicky,

      If the space is under 10°C for the majority of the time then it has to be desiccant, if it is 10-15°c for the majority of the time then the Arete 20L or the Arete 25L will be fine, over 15°C for the majority of the time then a 12L would be ok if it is a small property.

      Chris

  3. Hi Chris
    As your post suggests the humidity in our older house has reduced because of the colder weather. However we have two Meaco dehumidifiers and they have been working fine. However they are kicking in when the humidity in the house is lower than the percentage we have set it at. As it’s both of them we would be unlucky to have them both go wrong at once and I just wondered if the units are doing this for a particular reason or is it potentially a fault with both. I have turned them off at present. Thank you Claire

    1. Claire,

      thank you for your purchases. The machines will kick in every 30 minutes to test the room relative humidity and will then turn off again after a minute or so, that is what you should be seeing. If you feel that the machine is running continuously then it is worth pressing the button under the display to check the set point, clean the filters and blow the humidity sensor behind the filter through with a hair dryer.

      Chris

  4. Hi Chris
    I have the Arete 20L in the house and Arete 12L in the garage both amazing bits of equipment. My question is my garage has just registered 1.5 degrees. This is below the operating temperatures Meaco stipulate of 5-35 degrees.. I notice in the last couple of days in the cold weather the collection of water has dramatically reduced. Is it safe to leave if on or turn it off until the temperature raises back to 5 degrees? I don’t want to damage the device.

  5. Hi Chris. Please can you recommend the best model for a not very well insulated Victorian property with 5 bedrooms/4 floors. The heating comes on during morning and evening but it gets cold during the day and overnight. We have some condensation visible on windows and walls in the loft bedrooms. We dry laundry in one of the bedrooms on the first floor. Also, would the unit be best placed in the laundry room or in the loft room where condensation in on the walls or elsewhere? Thanks.

    1. Mathew,

      For 4 floors you really need 2 machines as it would be hard to dry the whole house from one position. You definitely should be drying that washing with a dehumidifier to stop the moisture from spreading around the house.

      I would go for a 20L machine and see how you get on, but don’t be surprised if you end up needing two.

      Chris

        1. Thank you for your question,

          For laundry mode, you can use the laundry setting, tailored humidity level to ensure a dry environment is achieved focusing on the humidity within the finished laundry/wash. Best done in a confined space such as a bedroom.

          Similarly depending on the temperatures and humidity levels you can set the relevant target to 55% or less if needed to keep your windows dry.

          Hope this helps.

          Omar@Meaco.

  6. I have the Meaco 20 litre dehumidifier. The target humidity button is stuck on 02 which is flashing. Pressing either the up-or down button makes a beep but it doesn’t change. Istgisa fault or is it due to the low temperatures this week, please? Roughly -2 degrees overnight or 1 -3 degrees in the daytime. Thank you.

  7. I have bought a Meaco Dry ABC. First night I left it on continuously (without realising) now I’ve set it for 55 on a cold night and I still have condensation. Is it best to leave on all night to control this?

      1. It’s been extremely cold and my Meaco Dry ABC seems to run all night and collects water, but flashes more. Am I damaging the machine is it better switched off? I understand dehumidifiers work better when it’s warmer. Thx.

        1. As long as it is collecting water and you have no error codes then all is fine. They do work better when it is warmer, but it will be fine. Just keep the filter clean to keep the dehumidifier happy.

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