The most challenging part of buying a dehumidifier is determining the right size for your needs. The different sizes will determine its cost and effectiveness. Instead of asking “What is the best sized unit?”, the better question to ask is “How much moisture needs to be removed?”
If the answer is “not a lot”, then a smaller unit will be sufficient. However, if there is a continuous source of dampness in the room and need continuous help, but the most powerful dehumidifier you can afford.
When choosing the right dehumidifier it is important to know the size of the room, how much moisture to be removed, the air temperature and the humidity level. On each unit’s box, manufacturers will usually give you the idea of the room size it was made for or how many liters of water it can absorb. As useful as these guidelines are, the level of humidity vary greatly in real situation and not as simple.
These guidelines enables you to compare each unit with each other; all you have to do is decide how powerful a dehumidifier you need. Below are steps to help you determine this:
You will need: (a) humidity gauge and (b) measuring tape.
1. Measure the area of your room/ home. Manufacturers provide charts as a guideline to match the right dehumidifier with the right area size.
2. With the humidity gauge, measure the humidity and determine how much water that is removed from the room in 24 hours.
3. Determine if you need to dehumidify the whole house or just a room.
4. Get a unit that covers more area than what the room/ house measures. If your room is 1200 square feet, get a unit that can cover up to 1500 square feet.
5. It is a safe move to get a dehumidifiers that comes with warranties should they don’t perform as the manufacturers claimed. Research the cost and warranties offered before purchasing.
Even though it is not important to consider the dehumidifier’s size (you can always purchase a large one with variable speed control with a built in humidistat that will cope in any situation), it will affect you if you’re running on a budget. The larger and fancier it is, the more it will cost you. The same goes if you buy a too small unit for a large room as it will run continuously without fixing the problem.
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