Are you searching for selecting the right Dehumidifier?

A dehumidifier is a device that can remove excess moisture from the air that can potentially cause various adverse effects for us. Dehumidifiers have become one of the most important household appliances especially in countries with hot and humid conditions or for hot and humid weather. Humidifiers are used to protect us from various kinds of effects of humidity. They reduce humidity and help to create a suitable environment for us.

Types of Dehumidifiers

Basically, there are two types of dehumidifiers on the basis of their working principle. They are refrigerant dehumidifier and desiccant dehumidifier.

1. Refrigerant Dehumidifier

   These dehumidifiers are also known as condense drying dehumidifier as these dehumidifiers use the principle of condensation during its operation to obtain dry air. The dehumidifier consists of two main parts i.e. a fan and a refrigerant or refrigerated evaporator. Now what the fan of the dehumidifier does is it sucks the humid air from the environment and channels it towards a cold evaporator or refrigerated evaporator in a coil. The evaporator then cools down the humid air below the dew point of water due to which moisture from the air is converted into a liquid. The liquid water from the cooling coil is then collected in a pan. The water from the pan can be removed manually. Some dehumidifiers come with an attached hose for removing the water automatically.

   The dry air from the dehumidifier is then released into the environment to gain dry environment. The process of sucking in air and condensing the moisture keeps on going until the desired level of dryness is not maintained.

2. Desiccant dehumidifier

   These Desiccant dehumidifiers work on totally different principle than the refrigerant dehumidifier. These dehumidifiers consist of a rotor that contains absorbent material of moisture which is simply called absorbent. The humid air from the environment is made to pass through the rotor of the dehumidifier. The absorbent in the dehumidifier absorbs the moisture from the air and then the dry air is blown back into the environment. The general preference for the absorbent in a desiccant dehumidifier is a silica gel. The silica gel is naturally very good absorbent of moisture and the life expectancy of the gel is also much higher than other material. The moisture absorbed by the absorbent is removed with the help of the process known as reactivation process. The reactivation process helps the absorbent gain its capacity to absorb moisture from the air. Hence the desiccant dehumidifier can dehumidify air for a long time.

Difference between a desiccant dehumidifier and refrigerant dehumidifier

Generally, in comparison, the capacity of dehumidification of refrigerant dehumidifiers are higher than desiccant dehumidifier within a certain period of time. Hence refrigerant dehumidifiers are more useful in places where it requires quick drying of air.

The temperature range for both dehumidifiers are different as desiccant dehumidifiers can operate properly in much lower temperature than a refrigerant dehumidifier. Refrigerant dehumidifiers are more useful for environments having a higher temperature. The reason that degrades the capacity of refrigerant dehumidifier is that the dew point of the moisture becomes very low at low temperature. Due to this reaching the dew point is harder hence the dehumidifying capacity of the refrigerant dehumidifier lowers with the lowering of temperature.

The refrigerant dehumidifier is much more energy efficient than the desiccant dehumidifier. The energy consumption of refrigerant dehumidifier is very low due to the fact that no heating process is required, unlike the desiccant dehumidifier.

The use of the compressor in the refrigerant dehumidifier makes the dehumidifier noisier than the desiccant dehumidifier. The weight of the refrigerant dehumidifiers is generally greater than the weight of the desiccant dehumidifiers. Hence it is harder to move the refrigerant dehumidifiers from one place to another with a comparison to desiccant dehumidifiers.

What type of dehumidifier do you need?

Well, the type of dehumidifier you require is really up to you and your requirement. If the temperature of the environment is relatively low then it is better to install a desiccant dehumidifier. For higher temperature refrigerant dehumidifier is the best option. If you want the electric bill to decrease also then a refrigerant dehumidifier is the better option. But since refrigerant dehumidifier produces a lot of noise for a peaceful environment installation of desiccant dehumidifier is good. The refrigerant dehumidifiers are also good if you are always looking for quick drying of air of a place.