The weather has definitely started to warm up and officially we are well into summer but I have certainly not had to apply any sun tan lotion yet this year so far. It is this time of year when we all start to open our windows that customers phone us up and start to ask if they should turn their dehumidifier off or leave them on.
It is certainly true that if you have your windows open then you will be trying to dehumidify the whole country as you have a constant supply of fresh air coming in. What I tend to do with my dehumidifier that sits outside of the shower room door, is to leave it on using our recommended humidistat setting. That way I know that if the relative humidity
is ok then the dehumidifier will remain switched off and no electricity will be consumed.
In summer when I am in the bathroom I open the window to let the moist air out but if outside looks damp (as it often does) I close the window straight away and make sure that the shower room door is left open so that the damp air migrates out of the bathroom and towards the dehumidifier. If outside looks dry then I leave the window open and the shower room door closed so that the bathroom is dried naturally and the dehumidifier does not sense the moisture and remains turned off.
On Sunday I was outside kicking a rugby ball around with the boys and it was not long before you noticed have humid and clammy the weather was. It is on warm, humid days like this that mould will grown fastest and a dehumidifier is very useful for stopping that mould growth and for making us feel more comfortable, especially in bed at night.
Leaving the window open on warm, humid days is great to allow a breeze through the room but one should be aware that mould is likely to grow particularly fast – this will reach a peak in July and August.
With the air being more moist in summer and the relative humidity being naturally higher
then mould spores and dust mites will be on the increase. If you are allergic to these then you will want to use your dehumidifier more often in the summer.
In central Europe and America the peak season for dehumidifier sales is actually in the summer. The driving force behind the bulk of these sales is basements. In summer a basement will be cooler than the outside air and if a window is left open that warm, humid air comes in and comes into contact with the cooler surfaces inside the basement. Wherever you have organic material (i.e. wood or paper) mould growth is very likely. This is why where you have a basement you should have a dehumidifier.
So the answer to the question should I turn my dehumidifier off in the summer, the answer is – it depends!
Products featured: Dehumidifiers
