Why boatowners should use a dehumidifier over winter

Meaco MD Chris Michael’s expert advice featured in “All at Sea”. 

Dehumidifiers are especially popular with boatowners to help protect their boat and belongings during the damp and cold winter months. However, not all dehumidifiers work well in the cold which is why it’s important that boatowners carry out research to find the best appliance for their needs.

Meaco’s Managing Director Chris Michael has been in the dehumidifier business since 1989 and his expert advice to boatowners was recently published by “All At Sea”, a print and online publication which is “Britain’s most read waterfront newspaper.”

In the article Chris provides buying advice, tips on using dehumidifiers on boats and how keep your costs down. Here are some of the highlights:

• “Organic material in particular is prone to damage from excess moisture which explains why cushions and bedding often smell musty when you return to your boat in spring.”
• “If your boat is still on the water then avoid a dehumidifier with castors as it will roll around.”
• “A desiccant dehumidifier operates well in cold conditions, so choosing a desiccant rather than a compressor dehumidifier is best for boats. A desiccant dehumidifier also has a heater inside it as part of the desiccant regeneration process.”
• “Place the dehumidifier on a level surface, the galley side.”
• “Use an RCD because you are using an electrical appliance on your boat and it will be unattended most of the time.
• “Drain the water away using a hose into a sink (otherwise the dehumidifier will turn itself off when it is full and you will need to go back to the boat every
  day to empty the tank).”
• “Do not use a plug-in timer switch with your dehumidifier. This is like giving your appliance a power cut twice a day and will damage it in the long run.”
• “Leave the internal doors open so that the damp air in the boat can migrate towards the dehumidifier and be dried.”
• “When you do visit the boat clean your filter; this will increase the lifespan of the dehumidifier and will keep it efficient ensuring that your running costs are reduced.”

From the Meaco range of dehumidifiers Chris recommends the Meaco DD8L Junior which is perfect for unmanned boats, has no castors (so it won’t roll), emits heat and extracts high volumes of water.

He also recommends the Meaco DD8L Zambezi, a Which? Best buy for three years in a row, that has a daily run timer to restrict hours of operation and is extremely safe for use on boats, with every attention given to maintaining electrical and corrosion standards. It features a three-litre tank, which can be partnered up with a hose so that it can drain into a sink or bathtub. The Zambezi also has several world “firsts”, such as being the first domestic desiccant dehumidifier to have a digital display dashboard and the first to have a sterilising ioniser.

Both the DD8L Junior and the DD8L Zamebzi have been extensively reviewed and come highly recommended in the boating and yachting press.

To read the full article in “All at Sea” click here

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