Advice for Picking the Best Dehumidifier for Your Home

A dehumidifier removes water vapor from the air and this lowers the humidity. There are primarily two benefits that reducing the humidity can provide. The first is that the dryer air is able to soak up excess moisture from the walls and floors in your home. The second is that you will feel more comfortable due to the lower humidity . Dehumidifiers work by condensing the water onto a cold surface. This effect can be seen when you have a glass containing a cold drink. Moisture will build up on the surface of the glass because it is a cool surface.

Home dehumidifiers are portable units that you can place in the area that you want to lower the humidity in. The dehumidifier contains a fan which draws in air and blows it over a cold coil. The water condenses on the cold coil and the dried air is passed over a warm coil to bring it back up to temperature. Therefore a dehumidifier does not lower the temperature but the lower humidity does make your home feel much more comfortable. Many people use dehumidifiers in place of air conditioning, especially at night. This is a very economical way of producing a better environment in your house.

Together with comfort, dehumidifiers are often bought because an area in the home is damp. This is particularly the case with basement areas. Dehumidifiers can turn an unusable room into a comfortable and healthy living area free from damp. Many basements unfortunately were not constructed properly; particularly the older ones which often don't have adequate wall construction or ventilation. The walls of such a basement quickly become damp because they are cold and water vapor readily condenses on them. This becomes the perfect place for mold and fungus to grow. Wood will tend to rot and the whole area will become very unhealthy, people with allergies being particularly prone to the effects. A dehumidifier will lower the humidity and this will inhibit the growth of fungus or mold.

There are many dehumidifiers to choose from for the home. There are four main things to look for when choosing one. The first is the noise level. If you are going to be running the dehumidifier in a living area, in particular at night, make sure you buy one that will is quiet and will run on a low setting. The second is to decide on how much water you want to remove. The figures quoted on dehumidifiers relate to the number of pints they can remove in one day. For example a 50 pint unit will extract 50 pints of liquid from the air each day. The third point is to consider whether you want to buy a dehumidifier with an integral pump. As long as you have somewhere a drain or a sink to place the pipe into, then you don't have the job of emptying the water container each day. The final thing is to choose an unit that is energy-efficient. If you are looking for an unit that contains a pump, DeLonghi with their DD50P and DD45P dehumidifiers are worth considering.

Have a look at some additional material and reviews of the best dehumidifiers for the home.

Learn about today's number one ranked dehumidifier - Frigidaire FAD704TDP 70-Pint Dehumidifier.