A common request is for a quiet dehumidifier, customers often ask which dehumidifier is the quietest.
The answer is ‘it depends’ and often noise becomes an issue because people use the dehumidifier in the wrong way as you will see below.
Why would you ask for a quiet dehumidifier?
1. Because you live in a small property like a flat or an apartment and you cannot get that far away from the dehumidifier so noise is an issue.
2. Because you want to put it on the landing or in the hallway by the bedroom.
3. Because the damp problem is in the bedroom and you plan to have the dehumidifier in the bedroom all night.
4. Because you want to use it in the living room but you do not want the noise to distract you from the television.
How to make your dehumidifier quieter?
1. Place the dehumidifier somewhere central in the property and leave the internal doors open and let the dehumidifier run in it’s lowest fan speed 24/7. That way it will keep ticking over and keep on top of the problem and will not have to speed up to the second fan speed which is noisier. You can close your bedroom door at night if you are a light sleeper.
2. Place it on a level surface to prevent any vibrations (and leaks).
3. If it is a wooden floor then placing a mat or a carpet tile under the dehumidifier will help to prevent reverberation through the floor.
4. Keeping your filter clean will put less of a strain on your fan and will keep the noise level down as well as increasing the lifespan of the dehumidifier.
5. Read the manual and make sure that the dehumidifier is the correct distance from walls and currents to allow the air to flow in and out of the dehumidifier.
6. Don’t try and sleep with your dehumidifier, even the tick of a watch can keep some people awake at night so a dehumidifier in the bedroom is not a good idea. Put it in the hallway or landing and let it run with your bedroom door open and it will be just as effective. Close the bedroom door at night if necessary.
Are desiccant dehumidifiers quieter than compressor dehumidifiers?
They can be is the answer, in single fan speed mode a desiccant dehumidifier will always be quieter than a compressor dehumidifier but in the second fan speed then there is little to choose.
Meaco DD8L single fan speed = 39dB
Meaco DD8L second fan speed = 43dB
Meaco DD8L third fan speed = 48dB
Compared to
Meaco 20L Low Energy dehumidifier single fan speed = 44dB
Meaco 20L Low Energy dehumidifier second fan speed = 46dB
Every 6dB is a doubling of noise as perceived by the human ear so the Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier is more or less twice as noisy as the DD8L in single fan speed but the difference is minimal in the second fan speed and the desiccant DD8L is actually nosier if you select the third fan speed.
Extraction Rate verses Noise
So the DD8L desiccant dehumidifier is quieter but how much water will it collect, after all that is what you want a dehumidifier to do?
Extraction rates with a compressor dehumidifier vary depending on the temperature and relative humidity but for this example we will use 20°C and 80%rh as a heated home in winter.
Meaco DD8L single fan speed = 3.5 litres / 39dB
Meaco DD8L second fan speed = 7.2 litres / 43dB
Meaco DD8L third fan speed = 8 litres / 48dB
Compared to
Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier single fan speed = 10 litres / 44dB
Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier second fan speed = 12 litres / 46dB
So under these conditions the Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier will extract more water for you.
Which should you buy?
If you live in a flat or an apartment then I would buy a desiccant dehumidifier because you do not need to extract much water from the air because your air volume is not huge and at least the desiccant dehumidifier gives you the ability to drop down below 40dB which is significant. When you want to use the dehumidifier to dry washing then you can switch it up to the third fan speed and put it with the clothes horse in the kitchen or the bedroom and close the door so you will not hear it anyway.
So if you want the cheapest desiccant then buy the Meaco DD8L Junior, if you want the benefit of an ioniser and an anti-bacterial filter then but the Meaco DD8L.
For a larger property noise should be less of a deciding factor if you position the dehumidifier correctly and it becomes more about selecting the correct capacity dehumidifier for the size of house.
Products featured: Meaco DD8L Junior, Meaco DD8L. Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier
