Dehumidifier Guide
October 23, 2007
A dehumidifier is a household appliance that reduces the level of humidity in air. The concept of keeping dehumidifiers at home is to control the level of moisture. If the moisture content is high it leads to dampness, which can cause growth and increase the proliferation of dust-mites whereas if the moisture content is low it will lead to dryness and causes irritation and coughing. So it’s required to keep balanced moisture in the room for general health and to keep away from allergies.
The Dehumidifiers components are similar to that of a refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner. Let us take a look on the components used in Residential Dehumidifiers. The motor or engine works as the compressor, which is located at the bottom of the machine and it is usually found in black colour with the size of a football. The compressor works until the humidity sensor or the humidistat in the dehumidifier asks for a reduction in the humidity.
There is a condenser made out of a series of finned tubes similar to that of a radiator and it is usually fixed next to the circulating fan. There is an evaporator, which is fixed at the back of the dehumidifier and right above the water collection container. This evaporator too is much alike the radiator with a coiled set of tubes. When the dehumidifier’s humidistat senses the increase in humidity in the atmosphere, the evaporator automatically starts thereby allowing the compressor and the circulating fan to start its work. The work of the circulating fan is to circulate the air over the evaporator and the condenser coils.
The principle behind the working of a Dehumidifier is simple. When the dehumidifier is switched on, the circulating fan and the compressor also starts to work. The fan draws the room air continually over the evaporating coils, which are cold, and then over the condenser coils which are warm. As the evaporator coils are cold the moisture in the room gets deposited on them, this process continues and when the moisture on the coil gets loaded it drips off from the coils into the container kept for collection of water. This air is then passed on to the warm condenser coils and hence gets warmed up. This air which is free from water content and warmer is passed on to the room and thus the exiting air from the dehumidifier is dry and warm.
Why are Dehumidifiers used?
Dehumidifiers are mostly used in buildings, hospitals and houses to improve the indoor environment. Dehumidifiers are also used to give a long life period for sensitive electronic equipments such as servers that has to be kept away from moisture. It has proved out to be very cost effective equipment for such purposes. It is even used to dry out a damp basement from a rainstorm too. It is a perfect equipment to be used in libraries where lot of books and furniture is involved.
Refrigerant Dehumidifiers can be used efficiently when the air is humid. The use of the device is also recommended when you want to make your room very dry.
The Mechanical or Refrigerative Dehumidifiers work by drawing moist air over the refrigerated coil that has a small fan fixed on it. When in contact with the fan the saturation of water vapour pressure decreases and the water from the air is dripped to the container meant for it, leading out the exit of warmer air to the room. The container meant for collecting this dripping water plays a very important role while deciding the price of a Dehumidifier. The larger the container and costlier is the unit. But there are Dehumidifiers, which give a direct outlet to the drain from the container. In other cases there are signals which show when its time to drain the container or when the container is filled. Hence a proper drain is required to get a reliable dehumidifier.
Buying Tips
• Select a dehumidifier that will fit perfectly in the space you allot for it. You must know about the size of the room you want to dehumidify and also have a clear picture of the moisture levels.
• Make sure that you select a humidifier with automated controls, which will help in monitoring and setting the relative humidity levels.
• Check the bucket size of the device.
• Select a dehumidifier that can function perfectly even at low temperatures
When you decide on a dehumidifier, ensure that you know about the size of the unit you require for your house, the cost of the product, whether you have to drain the condensate tub or the unit is self-draining. A self-draining dehumidifier is recommended as you don’t have to remember to empty the tub everyday. Check whether it has an automatic defrost feature, the noise level at low and high speed, the manufacturer’s status for quality and the service offered from the seller or a local service depot when you purchase one.
Keep the warmth in your room by using a Dehumidifier and breathe healthy air to stay healthy.
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