Dehumidifiers - talk to me...

velonoir

velonoir

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Hi all, we're looking at getting a dehumidifier as we live in a lovely but old tenement flat and have had some problems with damp and condensation through the colder months. It's a 2 bedroom but with large rooms and fairly high ceilings. Has anyone got any recommendations? Was looking at the ebac 2650e for about 209 quid but would rather spend less if anyone can suggest something as a good alternative.
 
I fitted a nuaire drimaster into my house, it's a whole house dehumidifier, made a huge difference, my windows used to be soaked I the morning and I had to use a karcher window vacwindow vac. They also do a product called flatmaster for homes without lofts.

Dehumidifier running costs are generally pretty high, this unit is cheap to run but initial purchase cost is quite high.

http://www.nuaire.co.uk/our-product...al/positive-input-ventilation-piv/flatmaster/
 
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Meaco DDL8 -

http://www.meaco.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DD8L&review=all&ro=2

I got one after reading all the reviews I could find and it does what it is meant to do pretty well. It isn't quiet at full power but we leave it on overnight with one closed door between it and us and I cannot hear it. I cannot compare it to any others but would recommend it from my experience having had it for 6 months or so.

Ours recently started making a few little squeaks so I contacted Meaco to ask if it was a known problem and got a reply within minutes with a suggestion that might fix it and an offer to arrange for it to be collected if it didn't cure the problem with no question as to how old it was or if it was under warranty - I have just today let them know the problem is still there so don't know how they will follow up on this but so far their customer service seems pretty good which has to be worth bearing in mind.
 
Funnily enough I got a dehumidifier delivered yesterday.

We have very limited ventilation in our flat and really struggle to keep on top of the moisture created by multiple hot showers each day, cooking etc.

For the past month I've had a persistent chest infection that hadn't shifted despite antibiotics but a few days staying with my family over christmas and it improved considerably. That largely confirmed my suspicions that the flat was an aggravating factor so I wasted no time in ordering an Ecoair DC202 when I got back. It's marketed as being suitable for a 5 bed house so it's probably overkill in my 2 bed flat split over two floors, but I wasn't going to skimp in this instance.

It's been on all day yesterday and today and has so far taken over 3 litres of water out of the air and it's still showing humidity levels of 50-60%. My only criticism is that it's a little loud. You wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as it.

Obviously it's early days but just seeing the tank fill up with so much water has me sold on its effectiveness. It's also got a built-in purifier for killing bacteria, dust mites etc. associated with humid environments. You can even add scented oils if you want to make the place smell fresh whilst it's on.

Of course, it's best to address the causes of humidity first. Fans over cookers, in the bathroom, windows open for ventilation etc. but where some of those options aren't available or are insufficient then the addition of a dehumidifier seems like a sensible choice.
 
Whatever one you get make sure it has either a large tank or you can put a hose somewhere to drain it off. Emptying tanks is a faff. The model above's review specifically mentions how awkward the tank emptying is so best avoided.

The nuaire thing looks much better if you have a loft.

Ebac at least offer a 5 year warranty with some of their models. Think they're UK made too. Tanks look a bit small compared to how much water they can suck out of the air though so if it is very damp expect to be tank emptying a lot.
 
Interesting, I was looking at the ebac condenser based ones but after more looking around I've noted that they aren't great in cooler environments - our heating is off during the day while we are out and at night when asleep so the house does get quite cold. I think I'm moving towards one of the ecoair or meaco ones which are ddessicant based an a bit cheaper. I found a few places which offer a 2 or 3 year warranty. While it's doing its worst at the start I could put it in the bathroom with the hose running into the bath I suppose.
 
Hi we bought the ebac 2650 direct from ebac with 5 year warranty

It's very efficient and the tanks fills about every 2 days or so.
Best thing I bought in a while
 
srichards said:
Whatever one you get make sure it has either a large tank or you can put a hose somewhere to drain it off. Emptying tanks is a faff. The model above's review specifically mentions how awkward the tank emptying is so best avoided.

The nuaire thing looks much better if you have a loft.

Ebac at least offer a 5 year warranty with some of their models. Think they're UK made too. Tanks look a bit small compared to how much water they can suck out of the air though so if it is very damp expect to be tank emptying a lot.
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Are you referring to a review of the Ecoair DC202 stating it's hard to empty?

If so I couldn't disagree more. It has a 4 litre tank that just slides straight out from the bottom of the unit. It couldn't be more simple.
 
I'd also get yourself a laser thermometer and go around looking for cold spots. Having poorly insulated lofts and roof space can lead to damp and mould too.

If it is only the bathroom that really has the issue then I'd consider getting an extractor fan that comes on when the light goes on/shower goes on and a thermostat controlled heated electric towel rail which remains on all the time in winter. This will keep that room warmer and dryer and give you nice warm towels. No emptying needed either.

Lack of proper ventilation and proper heating is the main cause of damp. Keeping the place warmer and the problem will usually go away. Also check external guttering for leaks as that can be another cause.
 
TriggerHappy said:
Are you referring to a review of the Ecoair DC202 stating it's hard to empty?

If so I couldn't disagree more. It has a 4 litre tank that just slides straight out from the bottom of the unit. It couldn't be more simple.
Click to expand...

No the Meaco thing. Went to their site and first review mentions it's a pain to empty and the controls are difficult to get at!
 
Unfortunately we are in a flat and it's an old sandstone one so there isn't anything we can do to improve insulation short of upgrading the already decent double glazing. The bathroom has an external window but due to the type of room can't easily have an extractor fitted. I don't want one in anyway as the window is fine for that. The main issue is that we have to dry clothes inside quite a lot so I think that keeping the dehumidifier in the same room as the clothes with a door shut should be a good step in the right direction. Ideally we should probably upgrade the central heating system and keep the place a bit warmer but in the meantime a dehumidifier is a good compromise.
 
srichards said:
No the Meaco thing. Went to their site and first review mentions it's a pain to empty and the controls are difficult to get at!
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I can't quite understand that first review - to empty the Meaco requires one to pull out the reservoir and tip the contents into the sink. Not so very hard. Using the hose included might mean placing the machine on the worktop near the sink if drilling a hole through the wall or plumbing it in isn't possible.
As for the controls - they are all mounted on the top of the machine, so again, not very hard to get at..

Not a dig at you Suz, but a response to the review.

As you say, curing ventilation and heating problems are the way to sort out condensation and mould problems which is what I am slowly doing to my house - my dehumidifier is the short term answer while I renovate the place, and I have seen my machine drop from extracting 5-8 litres a day to 3-4 with the house now half done.
The Meaco dehimidifier I linked to is a desiccant type, which makes it good for helping dry clothes (note that my use of the word 'helping' means just that - it helps, but won't be as good as a tumble dryer..)
 
Thanks again for all the input, I've decided on a desiccant type dehumidifier, either the meaco or one of the new eco air ones. After a lot of reading it seems these are the best for a home in a cold climate.
 
Know all about dehumidifiers! 95%+ humidity through february and march = water dripping down walls, clothes moulding in cupboards and drawers :/

Standalone unit shifting 6ltr a day is enough to clear the air, as long as you are smart about showers (door shut, fan on until steam clears). Dessicating packets in with clothes usually sorts out the mould.
 
I bought a dehumidifier from B&Q a few years back as I'd just moved into a brand new flat and there was a lot of condensation on the windows..... turned out it was a defect with the windows in the end but it was still a good thing to have as we had to dry all our washing inside so it helped us with that too.

I'll still use it occasionally in my new place (helped me dry out a freshly plastered kitchen ceiling a little quicker) but it's not something we *need* now.
 
mid_gen said:
Know all about dehumidifiers! 95%+ humidity through february and march = water dripping down walls, clothes moulding in cupboards and drawers :/

Standalone unit shifting 6ltr a day is enough to clear the air, as long as you are smart about showers (door shut, fan on until steam clears). Dessicating packets in with clothes usually sorts out the mould.
Click to expand...
Jeez, that sounds bad. I don't think we're quite that humid. Just ordered our one from dehumidifiersUK - went for the eco air dd128 in the end. It's the newest one on market but seems to be very similar to meaco one we were looking at. They did a price match with appliances direct £157 when I called them plus 24 hour delivery and a free konig weather station. Very happy with their service and I would happily recommend them to anyone else looking to buy a dehumidifier.
 
Excellent choice, I'm sure you'll be impressed by the amount of water it removes!
 
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