A damp and humid house is bound to develop mold and mildew problems pretty quickly. While good maintenance and cleaning can help to prevent this, if you live in a high humidity environment then you’re going to need a dehumidifier. Choosing the best dehumidifier for the job isn’t always an easy decision. Here are a few things to look out for.
Where Will You Use It
The room that you need to dehumidify will determine what type of dehumidifier you buy. This is because different rooms experience different conditions. Bathrooms are normally quite small rooms but they also experience high levels of humidity. If you want the best bathroom dehumidifier you need to get a small dehumidifier but one that can deal with the humidity. If you are trying to control the humidity in your garage or basement then the temperature could be a concern. These rooms aren’t always heated. If they experience temperatures below 40 degrees then you’ll need a dehumidifier with auto-defrost function. The best basement dehumidifier will have this option. If the room regularly gets down to this temperature then you may need to consider getting a desiccant dehumidifier. These are still effective at low temperatures whereas the compressor type units won’t be.

Dehumidifier Capacity
The capacity of dehumidifiers is normally indicated in pints per day. This is an indication of how much moisture the dehumidifier can remove from the air in a day. The level of humidity you expect to experience will determine the pints per day figure you need to look for. Besides this number, the fan strength is also an important figure to look at. The level of humidity will also give you an idea of the Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) required. The ACH tells you how often all the air in the room needs to pass through the dehumidifier. The volume of the room will determine the amount of air you need the dehumidifier to process. Check the cubic feet per minute rating of the fans to make sure that it is high enough to give you the required ACH for the room volume.
Desiccant or Compressor Type?
The two main types of dehumidifiers are compressor (or refrigerant) type and desiccant type. The former uses a compressor while the latter has no compressor but uses a desiccant material to extract the moisture from the air. Compressor types are effective in temperatures above 40 degrees and have higher capacities than desiccant dehumidifiers. They are less effective at colder temperatures and that’s where desiccant dehumidifiers come into their own. The other reason why a desiccant dehumidifier might be a good choice is because they are really quiet. If you want to dehumidify your bedroom then these are a good choice because they won’t disturb your sleep.

Dehumidifier Efficiency
All dehumidifiers are going to need to be powered so they will have some impact on your power bill. It’s a good idea to make sure that you get a very efficient dehumidifier. A good way to make sure that you get one that won’t cost you too much to run you can have a look at Energy Star rated units.
If you’re looking to buy a dehumidifier then make sure you do some research before making your purchase. Read some dehumidifier reviews to find the best dehumidifier for your needs. Make sure that you understand the humidity level, temperature and volume of the room you want to control before deciding on the model you want to buy. If you make a good choice then you’ll be able to keep your home mold and mildew free.
