Which Dehumidifier?

[Gavlar]

+1 for Meaco, ours is the Platinum, a few years old and runs nearly 24/7 during the colder months to dry washing. Hasn't missed a beat since we bought it.

 

[sammy.se]

+1 for Ebac.

I've had experience of two: One in my father's house, and one in my previous house.
Solid workhorses and good customer service.

I did actually buy one which was an all-new Ebac model, and it had some sort of design flaw. Their service was good and when I complained they refunded it and I bought another more established model, this one:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/ebac-powerdri-18ltr-dehumidifier-unit/41553

 

[hairy]

After a water leak a few months ago we borrowed a neighbours one which was good but noisy as heck.
I bought a Meaco 20l ABC Dehumidifier on the basis of quietness as well as reviews and have been pleased with it.

 

[WoodYewToo]

I've got two old Ebacs... about 23 years old. Both have given great service.

By contrast, I bought a Meaco about 10 years ago and it lasted about 2 years. Similarly, I bought a more modern Ebac - and that failed just after the warranty period.

 

[WoodYewToo]

I think I paid about £250 but this was 18 months or so ago. The one I have is this one PureAir Home with heater | Vent-Axia

I don't have it on the legs I hung it on a string.

They do various models, I got the one with the heater which takes the edge off the cold air as it comes through. Also I upgraded to the Hepa filters which I bought on ebay separately.
I need to get some more actually as they are quite dirty now as I noted when shoving Christmas nonsense back on the loft.

As a small positive side effect is my daughter used to get "itchy" skin quite often.
After we had installed the unit she never mentioned it again. Perhaps she was allergic to mould growing in the damp or something, or the filter is catching whatever was bothering her.

Ollie

Ollie,
Do these need to be installed by an electrician - or do you just plug them into an electrical socket?
Thanks.

 

[Ollie78]

Ollie,
Do these need to be installed by an electrician - or do you just plug them into an electrical socket?
Thanks.

You are probably supposed to get an electrician to do it.
However, it is easy enough, luckily I had an old wire which I think used to be a loft light.
I put in a fused, switched spur with a 5 amp fuse as it says in the instructions and wired it to that.
I guess you could wire it to a plug as long as you have the right fuse in it.

Ollie

 

[WoodYewToo]

You are probably supposed to get an electrician to do it.
However, it is easy enough, luckily I had an old wire which I think used to be a loft light.
I put in a fused, switched spur with a 5 amp fuse as it says in the instructions and wired it to that.
I guess you could wire it to a plug as long as you have the right fuse in it.

Ollie

Thanks Ollie.

 

[Glitch]

Had a quick look at PIV.
Looks simple to install.
I thought it might take the outside air through a vent in the wall. Surprisingly it just takes the air from within the loft space.
A lot will depend on how and how well the roof space is insulated. I can see how it works with a cold roof but not with a warm one.
Modern houses are built with a ton of insulation, no air leaks and poor air quality. Somewhat different to my draughty, poorly insulated 1908 house.

I'm guessing PIV isn't suitable for all houses.

 

[Ollie78]

Had a quick look at PIV.
Looks simple to install.
I thought it might take the outside air through a vent in the wall. Surprisingly it just takes the air from within the loft space.
A lot will depend on how and how well the roof space is insulated. I can see how it works with a cold roof but not with a warm one.
Modern houses are built with a ton of insulation, no air leaks and poor air quality. Somewhat different to my draughty, poorly insulated 1908 house.

I'm guessing PIV isn't suitable for all houses.

They do a version for flats which uses a hole in the wall instead. The loft is vented, or should be so it works well, keeps it out of the way.
Even modern houses with a loft are only insulated to ceiling level unless the loft is to be habitable, which then makes it not strictly a loft.
Any house that meets the passive standard pretty much has to have a heat exchanging air control system which I suggest has a similar effect to the piv. If they don't then mould can become an issue as there is so little natural air movement.

My house is a 1930s semi with a hung floor downstairs so not the most insulated, modern windows though.

Ollie

 

[Matt_0222]

This is an interesting thread. I hope you don’t mind me jumping in but you all seem like you might have the knowledge I need for a sensible way forwards. I’ve got a single unheated, detached garage, single skin brick, corrugated cement roof, concrete floor - no dpm, single glazed windows that is sitting at around 92% humidity. It’s not specifically wet ‘damp’ but the humidity is a lot higher than I’d like it. In your experience would you recommend I went down the PIV or dehumidifier route to bring this down?

 

[jon_c]

We have a Meaco that's been great. My brother bought the same model just before us and his packed in after a few months. And the replacement died even quicker. I guess it might be a quality control thing?

 

[Ollie78]

This is an interesting thread. I hope you don’t mind me jumping in but you all seem like you might have the knowledge I need for a sensible way forwards. I’ve got a single unheated, detached garage, single skin brick, corrugated cement roof, concrete floor - no dpm, single glazed windows that is sitting at around 92% humidity. It’s not specifically wet ‘damp’ but the humidity is a lot higher than I’d like it. In your experience would you recommend I went down the PIV or dehumidifier route to bring this down?

You are going to need to insulate it and seal it up as well as you can to begin with.
Once you have some control over the heat and moisture then you have some chance with maintaining it using a dehumidifier or somthing.

Ollie

 

[artie]

You are going to need to insulate it and seal it up as well as you can to begin with.
Once you have some control over the heat and moisture then you have some chance with maintaining it using a dehumidifier or somthing.

Ollie

Might also be an idea to get a draught through it when not in use, would help to dry it out some.

 

[Matt_0222]

You are going to need to insulate it and seal it up as well as you can to begin with.
Once you have some control over the heat and moisture then you have some chance with maintaining it using a dehumidifier or somthing.

Ollie

Thanks. I think it’s going to be quite tricky to plug up all the holes! There are a lot of them: a window that doesn’t quite close, door with gaps around it, gaps under the roof line. That said, I can see the challenge of keeping the humidity low with it being so open to the outside. I guess that’s why I wondered about a PIV system in the interim.

 

[Matt_0222]

Might also be an idea to get a draught through it when not in use, would help to dry it out some.

I have 10” portable extractor/ventilation fan. That ought to do the job!

 

[artie]

I have 10” portable extractor/ventilation fan. That ought to do the job!

Since there's loads of holes and gaps there already, just leave the door or window open or slightly open, it's amazing how much it'll dry out in a short time.

If security is a problem, you can fit vents.

Why spend on leccy and equipment when nature will do it for free.

 

[Matt_0222]

Since there's loads of holes and gaps there already, just leave the door or window open or slightly open, it's amazing how much it'll dry out in a short time.

If security is a problem, you can fit vents.

Why spend on leccy and equipment when nature will do it for free.

Now all I need is some sun! Maybe in a few months we might get a day or two!