We get enquiries on a regular basis asking what the differences are between the current DD8L and the new DD8L Zambezi. Although they are both desiccant dehumidifiers the differences are considerable.
The DD8L was designed about 8 years ago now so it should come as no surprise to learn that lessons learnt over the years from the initial design have been incorporated into Zambezi, hence the internals only sharing one common part.
The new design means that Zambezi extracts more water using less energy, but that is only the start of the differences which include.
| Feature | DD8L | DD8L Zambezi |
| Digital display | – | Yes |
| 3 point fixed humidistat | Yes | – |
| Fully variable humidistat | – | Yes |
| Left right louvre | – | Yes |
| Up down louvre | – | Yes |
| Anti-bacterial filter | Yes | Yes |
| Standard Ioniser | Yes | – |
| Sterilising Ioniser | – | Yes |
| Off Timer | Yes | Yes |
| On Timer | – | Yes |
| Daily Run Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Laundry mode | Yes | – |
| Low Energy Laundry Mode | – | Yes |
| Turn me on indication | – | Yes |
| Child Lock | – | Yes |
| Meaco 20+ Control | – | Yes |
| Meaco Control Logic | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-drip cover on the spout | – | Yes |
| Mould resistant tank lining | – | Yes |
| Super condenser for increased dehumidification | – | Yes |
| Tilt switch | Yes | Yes |
| Ant-blockage system | – | Yes |
| Front access tank | – | Yes |
| Desiccant wheel safety counter | – | Yes |
| Donation to DSWF | – | Yes |
| Happy and Sad Elephants on the display | – | Yes |
| Which? Best Buy Award | Yes | Yes |
As you can see although the original DD8L is good Zambezi just takes the whole thing to a completely different level with a host of really cool features, most of which came directly from customers, and this is why Zambezi is proving to be such a huge hit with customers.
Products featured: Meaco DD8L Dehumidifier, Meaco DD8L Zambezi
10 responses
Dear Mr. Michael,
I live on a 53 foot boat and would like to use one of your dehumidifiers to dry laundry in a 360 sq ft head. Keeping mold in check throughout the vessel in an often high humidity environment is also of interest. Power consumption is of some concern but speed efficiency would out rank that. What do you recommend?
Note, per another email, that directing me to a US distributor would be helpful though shipping a unit would be considered if available in a 110 60 hz configuration.
Kindest Regards,
Jim Budi
James,
Thank you for your enquiry! Unfortunately, we do not ship overseas and we also don’t sell 110V products.
For your needs, I recommend checking with a local distributor who may have suitable options available.
Kind regards,
Omar@Meaco.
Hi,
We’re not sure how to decide between the Platinum (refridgerant) and the Zambezi (desiccant). Our home is 3 bed, 820sq ft, 3 adults living there. We have a bathroom and kitchen and extractor but do dry washing on an clothes airer and on radiators. We have black mould in our bedroons but not downstairs, we are using two Dimplex dehumdifiers, one of which has just died. Thank you!
Alison,
If you want a dehumidifier that is light and easier to move about and will add some warmth to the air then select Zambezi. If you tend to leave your dehumidifier in one place and you want one that is as cheap as possible to run and will not add warmth to the space then select the 20L Low Energy.
Chris
Hi I’m interested I getting a dehumidifier
as I have mould which one is better DD8L Zambezi or the 20l platinum one ?
I need something that won’t break, easy to use and very effective , also another question do I need always hepa filters for the Platinum one?? If not still effective against mould?
Thanks
Noelia
Thank you
Noelia,
Thank you for your message. We need a few more clues to help you decide. What size house do you have and how many people are living in the house? How do you dry your laundry, tumble dryer or clothes horse and do you have a working extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom? What sort of temperature is the space over winter, does it drop down to or below 10°C often?
If you prefer you can call us on 01483 234900 to discuss in detail.
The 20L Low Energy can be used without the HEPA filter but a HEPA filter is useful for capturing mould spores and so I would recommend using the HEPA filter.
Chris
For a newbie how do I set the meaco Zambezi to use as low energy as possible? Issue with condensation and mould. Should humidity be on co? It would be nice to know the average settings on first use esp if buyer is elder and not so techie. Thanks
Marie,
Always feel free to call us on 01483 234900 if you want us to talk you through things. The cheapest mode to run the dehumidifier on is single fan speed when it will use 300 watts. If you set the target humidity to 50%rh then the machine will switch on and off at this point and will deal with your damp issues.
Chris
Can you configure automatically so it turns on if the rel. humidity goes over 60 % and stops when 50% reached?
You can Zambezi at a range of relative humidities in 5%rh steps. So you could select 60%rh and it would then turn off when the humidity drops below that point and it will turn on when the relative humidity goes above that set point. The normal DD8L models have three pre-set target humidities at 40/50/60%rh.