For part 2 get an eco air desiccant dehumidifier, they are around 260 or so on amazon
Two-part question here, I'm hoping for recommendations please for dehumifiers for car (battery/rechargable) and house:
Part 1: I have a couple of cars that just haven't dried out properly after all the rain in the last six weeks or so. Most of it us all getting in the cars soaking wet and not driving far enough to get the moisture out of there, but sometimes I won't drive one for a couple of weeks. Can any recommend a rechargable battery-powered dehumidifier please? I have the Karcher window cleaner which has really helped but the cars really need to get properly dry and I could do with sticking a proper dehumidifier in there every once in a while.
Part 2: We have that age-old thing of clothes drying on racks indoors and taking a long time to dry in winter. Lots of kids clothes etc. Is a dehumdifier a good idea and what would you recommend please?
Alternatively, do I just ignore Part 1 and buy something Part 2 that I can stick in the cars on an extension cable?
All help gratefully received!
"A man of little significance"
For part 2 get an eco air desiccant dehumidifier, they are around 260 or so on amazon
1, Unaware of any large product, occasionally use the crystal condensation catchers in caravan & unused cars just to get excess condensation out.
2, Just buy a heat pump dryer, I gave in last November & month later the Bosch vented was on gumtree.
I've used a Meaco desiccant for years, works well, even in the 12-14c temperatures of my 2nd home in winter.
https://www.meaco.com/collections/de...679.1700852612
We're back last week from a 2 week holiday, so loads of washing to get through.
Done 2 separate loads in the washing machine, hung on clothes dryers, switched on our years old delonghi dehumidifier and just over 12 hours later, all bone dry.
Well worth it.
Point 1 - I have a couple of the silica crystal bags under the seat of my car to keep the moisture down
Point 2
I’ve an old homebase dehumidifier that I picked up for peanuts- it’s quite big but I’m amazed at the rate it pulls moisture from the washing
I pop it on a rack in the spare room- shut the door and witching a couple of hours the whole load and is dry
Can’t see why if you can physically get a dehumidifier into the car ( and you have a drive) you couldn’t run it in there for a day or so
When my car had a leak I used an old dehumidifier that we’ve had for years - put it in the car, managed to compress the door seal enough to close the door and plugged it in.
Did a great job.
Obviously you’ll need access to power and maybe a drive.
Worth a try as opposed to buying 2 items.
I've just ordered the DD8 junior to put in my Mini Cooper that's sat on the drive, currently out of action. 3% back via Quidco too. It will be interesting to see how it gets on, especially given the drop in temperature now we head into the winter months. Thanks Sent from my SM-G998B using TZ-UK mobile app
We bought the Meaco DD8 a couple of weeks ago and impressed with the results. May get some of those tubs to pop under the car seats.
We just came across the idea of buying one of these devices to help dry clothes quicker. This is after my wife had been trying to convince me that a heated clothes rack was the way to go. We resisted that, but looks like we are now potentially going for something like this:
Meaco Dry Arete One 25 Litre Dehumidifier
Seems expensive, but great reviews. It is a compressor type rather than dessicant, but I don't think the room where we dry clothes is going to get less than 15 degrees C, so hopefully should be OK.
On another note, I read some reviews saying it dries out the whole house...really!??
We have two, one for laundry and one for the living room windows. Best thing we did was buy smart plugs for them. Every night the living room one is on for a few hours without thinking. Just have to remember to empty it.
Costco seems to sell a lot of Meaco so worth checking offers from time to time.
Thanks everyone!
"A man of little significance"
Probably a bit late in the thread but......
I can recommend Ebac 2250e for indoors. I have had three over time. It's run 24/7 on auto. The last one lasted six years. Smart, not too noisy and pulls water like a beast.
For the shed I use a Meaco DD8L (dessicant) because the shed is unheated and is obviously pretty cold in winter. Runs 24/7. Does a very good job. Have had two of those so far. The first one did have a circuit board issue but was fixed under warranty.
Also recently bought a Meaco Arete One. Can't say I'm that impressed. Look nice, but it's noisy, doesn't seem to be accurate re humidity readings, and doesn't pull the water like the Ebac does.
Last edited by Mouse; 26th November 2023 at 11:46. Reason: added info
Both types will blow warm air (though will vary from tepid to warm depending on ambient temp/humidity) and for different reasons.
Dessicants work by drawing the air over the moisture absorbant dessicant disc which is also heated by a fan as it slowly spins. The drier, heated, air is then expelled. So, partly a fan heater in a way. Work well at lower ambient temps.
Compressor/Refrigerant types are, well sort of like a fridge basically. Work better in warmer environments. So that's drawing through air at ambient temp, then during the compressor stage you're getting heat returned and expelled.
For the car it may be worth trying a UniBond AERO 360 Moisture Absorber Dehumidifier. Costs about £9 from B&M type stores extra refill blocks are about £6 for two.
It's just cheap plastic unit with a desiccant refill block in it and the water collects in the bottom of the unit. You'd just need to remember to empty if before your driver off.
They'll both work well at that kind of temp. Though a compressor type should edge it. It's just that when you get down to like 5degC you really need a dessicant. The one in my shed probably has to cope even at freezing temps!
There is a lot of variation in quality and performance between brands, and many are designed for a lot higher temps/humidities than the UK experiences. All a matter of finding what works best in your particular situation.
I have a 20l MeacoDry Arete for the house which is very good. Quiet, efficient, low power consumption, plus easy to operate and empty. Its reduced the humidity level in our 1840's house from over 80% to around 50%. We leave in constantly on and it switches itself off when below 55% humidity then monitors the level every half hour.
A big plus at this time of year is it dries clothes very quickly too. We use it in our utility room with a clothes airer and a fan to help circulate air. Dries most cottons in around 5 hours although heavy towels take a little longer.
HTH
Gary
Well there goes another £260 on something I didn't know I even needed until this morning.
Also picked up a 25L Meaco during Black Friday sales. Got 4 litres out of my house in a day sitting in a hallway, clearly I needed one! Not sure on optimum placement yet though, stuck it in the middle of the house but wondering if it might actually be better placed at ground level.
Typically I missed BF pricing so probably overpaid.
My wife is trying it tonight on the laundry mode so should know how decent it works tomorrow.
I don’t use laundry mode on ours as it’s just a timer for something like 6 hours then shuts off. Not helpful when they’re still wet.
If I go in to check them before bed and they’re nearly dry I’ll pop it on laundry mode but otherwise never bother.
Should have got a better one during BF but completely forgot
I did also read that laundry mode not so helpful for jeans etc . But it does target a lower humidity so effectively a more powerful setting to dry quickly I think is the theory.
Will give it a go if not next time plan to set at 50 overnight and see how that goes.
I’m glad I saw this thread, very useful thanks, just bought a DD8L from appliances direct, everything I pick up in my garage this time of year has condensation on it, some things even go rusty, I’m hoping this is the fix
We’ve had one for a year now and after a bit of experimenting it’s on the first floor landing, adjacent to the bathroom (middle of the house for us). This seems to keep the whole house at the target 55% humidity and it only runs for any considerable time at morning shower time. We’ve got a humidity sensor in the lounge as part of a weather station and it matches the display on the dehumidifier within a few %, so I’m confident it’s doing a job throughout the house.
We tend to hang towels used for showers opposite the dehumidifier in the morning rather than put them on the rads or towel rail which would just make humidity higher.
If you want to know if it’s easier and cheaper just to open your windows to lower humidity on any given day, rather than use the dehumidifier, then is is a handy calculator:
https://www.richard-stanton.com/humidity-calculator/
Last edited by SlipperySam; 29th November 2023 at 09:50.
Reporting back after first night of use on laundry mode for 6 hours.
Clothes were all bone dry in morning including heavy towels.
Highly recommend the 25L Meaco.
It is more powerful than most and I think that just make the difference.
Laundry drying problem appears to be solved.
It’s a brick built detached with a tiles roof, when it cools down and the humidity goes up it seems that everything I pick up has condensation on it, even stuff in the tool box, it’s only a few weeks per year but it is very annoying, some things can get surface rust, it will be interesting to see if this thing works, and doesn’t cost fortunes to run.
Meaco DD8 Junior is amazing.
I use it on my boat in the winter.
We have two existing small Meaco 12L ABC dehumidifiers but I upgraded two weeks back to the Arete 25L as a single 12L wasn’t enough for laundry and the other 12L is to stop condensation ruining single glazed wooden windows downstairs.
The laundry mode on the 25L works really well which I wasn’t expecting and so far it seems really worth the money.
Interesting thread…. I have a large utility and as it’s in internal room (no window) assumed I couldn’t dry clothes…. I could vent a dehumidifier externally…. Presumably that would work ?
We have a portable air conditioner which also doubles as a dehumidifier - you use the same vent that pushes out warm air to push out the humidity with a pipe too which you put into a suitable external container. To collect the water. The vent is the same size as a clothes dryer vent so I suppose you could.