A Guide to Home Dehumidifiers

It can be difficult to choose from among the countless home dehumidifiers out there. First, determine the square footage of the largest room you plan to dehumidify. The larger the room, the larger the dehumidifier should be.

Check the label on the unit and see if it matches your square footage figure.

Now decide what kind of control you would like to have over your dehumidifier. If you want to have full control over precise percentages of humidity, get a unit with a hygrometer and humidistat. These will sense humidity levels in the room and adjust accordingly. On the other hand, if you have an aversion to complicated electronics and are more of a hands-on person, buy a manually controlled dehumidifier.

If your dehumidifier is blowing out cold air, have the condenser coils replaced. The condenser coils are supposed to warm the dried air back up to room temperature before it is blown back out into the room. Unfortunately, these wear out quickly and must be replaced every season.

If your dehumidifier is blowing out humid air, the problem is one of two things. Most likely, the compressor is broken. Get it repaired or replaced. The other major cause of poor dehumidification is dirty or broken evaporator coils.

The evaporator coils are responsible for cooling the air, causing water to drop out and into the reservoir bucket. If your machine is blowing out humid air, the evaporator coils might be dirty or broken. Have a technician steam-clean them. If that doesn’t work, you might need to replace them.

If the machine is cooling and warming properly, but the air isn’t moving, check the fan and motor assembly. Be sure it is moving at full power, or you’ll be wasting money on electricity, since the compressor is still working to cool the air. If the fan slows down – or stops working entirely – get the motor replaced.

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