With a particularly wet Autumn underway the UK dehumidifier season has arrived early this year. Cold and damp appears to be settling in sooner than expected, so this could well be the right time to consider buying a dehumidifier.
There are two types of dehumidifiers: desiccant and compressor. At Meaco we manufacture and sell an equal amount of both types of technologies, so we are uniquely placed to give unbiased advice on which would be best for your needs. Both types of appliance will help prevent mould and damp by extracting water, but if the following factors match your requirement’s we would recommend the desiccant:
In cold conditions
In general a desiccant works better at low temperatures, and extracts more water than a compressor.
The inside of a compressor dehumidifier needs to be colder than the air within the room and the colder the room is the harder the dehumidifier has to work. As the temperature starts to fall towards 10°C then the chances are that the inside of the dehumidifier will get close to freezing, increasing the chances of ice forming on the dehumidifier’s cooling coils. This is why below around 15°C compressor dehumidifiers are programmed to spend up to two thirds of their time defrosting themselves rather than dehumidifying. The Meaco DD8L Zambezi is a desiccant that works consistently well at temperatures below 15 degrees.
To help heat a room
As it has an internal heater, and higher wattage, a desiccant will add warmth to a space, particularly useful in the winter months, and for spaces that do not have any heating like garages and sheds. They are often used as an alternative to installing heating. The Meaco DD8L Zambezi has two heater settings at 330 watts and 650 watts. By setting the dehumidifier to single fan speed the heater will never go above 330 watts and by selecting a humidity setting of 60%rh you will minimise the dehumidifiers running time.
When drying washing
Small properties often do not have space for a tumble dryer and may need help drying clothes. Desiccant dehumidifiers can help dry washing because of the extra heat they give out, and the high air flow that passes over the washing when set on the highest fan speed. The DD8L Zambezi has a louvre that moves the dry air across the clothes, and has a special intelligent laundry mode, that also reduces energy consumption right down to just 40 watts as the clothes dry. Other dehumidifiers will just run and run regardless of the room conditions. Zambezi will sense that the air is dry enough for the clothes to dry and will reduce its energy consumption so that as little power as possible is being used. It will switch into fan only mode and will only turn its dehumidification cycle back on if the relative humidity starts to rise again.
Low noise levels
In low fan speed desiccant dehumidifiers are all just above or below 40db. The low noise level makes them ideal for use in a small house, or near a bedroom. The DD8L Zambezi is a good example of a desiccant dehumidifier that is quiet in the low fan speed.
If the home has allergy sufferers
Allergy sufferers may want a product that filtrates the air as well as reduces damp. DD8L Zambezi uses a different air cleaning method using a sterilising ioniser that combats dust, dust mites, viruses, mould, bacteria and odours. Using a sterilising ioniser has the advantage of being filter free so there are no ongoing costs.
If the appliance needs to be light weight
Desiccants are lighter in weight to move around, making them ideal for transporting and using in different locations, which makes them popular not only in the house but in the garage, shed or boat during the damper autumn, winter and spring months.
The DD8L Zambezi has a Which? Best Buy, has six world firsts, and offers more functionality, more control and more options than any other domestic dehumidifier on the market.
For more information about the differences between desiccant and compressor dehumidifiers please watch our handy explainer video:
Alternatively, feel free to speak to the team at Meaco who have decades of experience when it comes to dehumidifiers, call: 01483 234 900. Or email: sales@meaco.com
Products featured: Meaco DD8L Zambezi
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