Dehumidifiers

[bertterbo]

I currently own the Meaco DD8L, which has the following specs:

Room Conditions	Maximum Water Extraction	Wattage
20°C and 60%rh - fan speed 1	3.5 litres per day	330 watts
20°C and 60%rh - fan speed 2 and laundry mode	7.5 litres per day	650 watts

However, their newer 12l Arete One model claims the following specs :

Room conditions	Maximum water withdrawal	Wattage
10 °C and 60 % RH	1.95 litres per day	130 watts
20 °C and 60 % RH	5.23 litres per day	151 watts
30 °C and 60 % RH	8.21 litres per day	186 watts
10 °C and 80 % RH	3.77 litres per day	131 watts
20 °C and 80 % RH	8.33 litres per day	157 watts
30 °C and 80 % RH	12.18 litres per day

That's quite the difference... and would appear to be significantly cheaper to run.

Given that they still sell the DD8L for roughly the same price as the newer model, .. what's the catch?

I have sent them an email to ask, but also wondered if anyone here had any thoughts.

 

[Sachakins]

The DD8L may be at the end of its production run, so just the remaining stock to sell through.
The new model may just be significantly cheaper to manufacture, and may have a far cheaper type of motor, given reduction in wattage?

 

[artie]

Pinch of salt etc.

 

[Sideways]

Have they changed from a rotating disc type to a (cheap) condenser type ?
650W is about right for a pretty powerful zeolite disc design on full fan.
So the old one matches that tech.
The numbers for the arete suggest to me a condenser design whic is more efficient at higher temps but poor when it gets cold.

My own is a disc type and running in the workshop on a timer for 2hrs a day early evening. It's extracting about 1 litre in those 2 hrs.

 

[Andy's Shed]

I have a 20l Meaco Arete and it's a condenser version, I think it's 216 watts.

 

[Glenhyrst]

On the subject of dehumidifiers, one of my ancient models that I ran on a time switch at the overnight cheap electricity rate packed up and I have been unable to source a new one that is not full of microelectronics that do not like being switched on and off via an external timeswitch.
With my old setup, it was set and forget for nightly action.
The bells and whistles on the new machines preclude this.
Anyone know of a new old fashioned basic on/off unit?

 

[RogerS]

On the subject of dehumidifiers, one of my ancient models that I ran on a time switch at the overnight cheap electricity rate packed up and I have been unable to source a new one that is not full of microelectronics that do not like being switched on and off via an external timeswitch.
With my old setup, it was set and forget for nightly action.
The bells and whistles on the new machines preclude this.
Anyone know of a new old fashioned basic on/off unit?

I'm guessing you mean one with a good, old-fashioned, traditional manual mechanical switch. Not one of these fancy gizmo's, such as this one
which is forever on, albeit, a small but constant drain on the battery and turned on by a push-button.

 

[TheUnicorn]

strange how, say, 30 years ago the conversation around conserving energy was much less and yet everything was manufactured with an off switch, now we are all, rightly, concerened with carbon footprints etc etc with barely an off switch to be found

 

[Sideways]

On the subject of dehumidifiers, one of my ancient models that I ran on a time switch at the overnight cheap electricity rate packed up and I have been unable to source a new one that is not full of microelectronics that do not like being switched on and off via an external timeswitch.
With my old setup, it was set and forget for nightly action.
The bells and whistles on the new machines preclude this.
Anyone know of a new old fashioned basic on/off unit?

Mine works as you need.
It does have electronics that let you set a target humidity or programme a run time of something like 2, 4 6 or 8 hours + continuous. But it can simply be turned on and if plugged in to a time switch, it it runs whenever the clock gives it power.
It's a dessicant type. Ecoair dd3 classic mk2. Bought direct from the makers.
The switch is electronic - power needs to present to turn it on in the first place but power is interrupted, it resumes automatically when power comes back. Auto stop when the container is full.

 

[eribaMotters]

Last winter we went for the 20L Maeco for our 125m2 bungalow. It is a new build and the amount of condensation was biblical. Until the purchase we had been wiping down the obviously double glazed windows up to 5 or 6 times a day when it dropped to -10 outside. This went down to a light wipe each morning after buying the Maeco.
https://www.johnlewis.com/meaco-arete-dehumidifier-air-purifier-20l/p5295768It says 218 watts in the spec but 310 watts on the back, so I'm guessing P1 & P2 ratings, output & consumption?
We set it to run at 55% humidity at the first signs of any condensation of the bottom of aluminium bi-fold doors and leave it on until the weather improves. When it reaches this level, usually after a few hours, it turns off and every 30 minutes clicks back on. It will run for a minute or so but click off if the pre-selected humidity is met. We do not find we needed it plugged in continually in lovely wet Devon where we live. We also find we do not need to empty it daily, so run time and energy consumption would appear to be low.
It has a "quieter" night time operation button that we use, but it's run time appears to be very low at night.
For drying clothes it excels. Our son and partner often bring around a washed load of nappies and towels. These take up two clothes rails in the utility room and with the door closed and it set to 35% level are usually bone dry within 3 hours having extracted about 4L of water.
For those of you who are unsure about these pieces of kit, they are wonderful and we would not be without one. They are cheap to run and improve your living environment. This view is obviously shared by others. If you look at the above link you will notice excellent reviews and an out of stock listing a lot of the time.

Colin

 

[Jester129]

Have you also noticed that the property 'feels' warmer? And cheaper to keep warm? When we bought one 25 years ago it made the world of difference to the house temperature. Got LOADS of water out of the walls from a flood prior to purchase and made the aforementioned differences. One of THE best things to buy if you own your property.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I got this one, primarily for the new (no windows or doors yet, so saturated) shed but for laundry afterwards. I've not used it yet but my daughter has the same model and says it's brilliant. I'll have to ensure it's enclosed - the humidity here this morning is 96% - otherwise it would be like attempting to desiccate the universe.

 

[bertterbo]

I primarily use the DD8L to dry laundry as I don't have room for a tumble drier. It's used in a spare room with the door shut and when the heating is on.

But when you consider that a drying cycle is around 6-8 hours, it really adds up in terms of running costs. I tend to have it running on the lower speed setting of 300w, or sometimes 600w when I am drying things like jeans (which hold a lot of moisture even after spinning)

600 x 8 = ~5kw

The newer models claim to do the same at about 1/3 of the power usage. So its whether to take a gamble and see if that's true.

 

[eribaMotters]

With the demand for dehumidifiers I'd buy a new one as you would have little problem selling your old one.

Colin

 

[sploo]

I couldn't immediately see info on the type of the Arete, but the DD8L is a desiccant dehumidifier. They use more power than condenser models, but work at low temperatures (much below 12C and the condensers don't work too well).

 

[bertterbo]

With the demand for dehumidifiers I'd buy a new one as you would have little problem selling your old one.

Colin

haha yes, can't even buy it if I wanted it

 

[Andy's Shed]

Last winter we went for the 20L Maeco for our 125m2 bungalow. It is a new build and the amount of condensation was biblical. Until the purchase we had been wiping down the obviously double glazed windows up to 5 or 6 times a day when it dropped to -10 outside. This went down to a light wipe each morning after buying the Maeco.
https://www.johnlewis.com/meaco-arete-dehumidifier-air-purifier-20l/p5295768It says 218 watts in the spec but 310 watts on the back, so I'm guessing P1 & P2 ratings, output & consumption?
We set it to run at 55% humidity at the first signs of any condensation of the bottom of aluminium bi-fold doors and leave it on until the weather improves. When it reaches this level, usually after a few hours, it turns off and every 30 minutes clicks back on. It will run for a minute or so but click off if the pre-selected humidity is met. We do not find we needed it plugged in continually in lovely wet Devon where we live. We also find we do not need to empty it daily, so run time and energy consumption would appear to be low.
It has a "quieter" night time operation button that we use, but it's run time appears to be very low at night.
For drying clothes it excels. Our son and partner often bring around a washed load of nappies and towels. These take up two clothes rails in the utility room and with the door closed and it set to 35% level are usually bone dry within 3 hours having extracted about 4L of water.
For those of you who are unsure about these pieces of kit, they are wonderful and we would not be without one. They are cheap to run and improve your living environment. This view is obviously shared by others. If you look at the above link you will notice excellent reviews and an out of stock listing a lot of the time.

Colin

Similar situation for us. We had issues with mold on the upstairs ceiling and downstairs outer wall, also condensation on the windows. Our house is a single skin brick build from the 1930s and the original build has always felt cold, the extension is much warmer.

I placed our Arete 20l on the upstairs landing, after several weeks the condensation has gone and the mold hasn't returned (fingers crossed). After a tip from our son, we also use the dehumidifier to dry the washing, it takes around 6 hours, but does a good job,

 

[JKM]

I have the DD8, it's a bit more specialised than the others (iirc) and can work at a far lower ambient temperature. Hence it is very popular with the yachting fraternity.

Personally I don't think you will see much benefit from changing