Last Updated On December 4th, 2018
There comes a time when you feel the air around you is a bit musty or too humid and you are not comfortable with it, this is where you need a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers are home appliances designed to reduce levels of humidity or reduce the musty odour in a room. That is to eliminate as much as possible the amount of water in the air and thus drying the objects surrounded by the air
Basically a dehumidifier works by extracting water from the humid air in a room or any enclosure and can be disposed off either in liquid form or vapour form. There are several types of dehumidifiers depending on how they work.
Some few examples are:
- Thermal condensation dehumidifiers
- Absorption dehumidifiers
- Ionic membrane dehumidifiers
Thermal condensation dehumidifiers
These are the most common which you will find in most households and offices. We have the refrigeration dehumidifiers which basically work by drawing the moist over a cooled coil with a fan which condenses the water then the air is reheated by a condenser coil then realising the re-warmed air into the room. This process has its advantages and disadvantages. In as much as it lowers the humidity in the air, it is less effective in very cold climates. The other common type of thermal dehumidifier is the common air conditioner which works as the mechanical one by passing air over a cold evaporator then directly releasing it to the room without re-heating it.
Absorption dehumidifiers
This type of dehumidifiers uses a desiccant which is a humidity absorbing material. You just place the desiccant in the humid room till its saturated then move it to a different location where you can heat it to get rid of the water. These types of dehumidifiers are good as they can be used in low temperature areas; they are lighter and even quieter than others.
Ionic membrane dehumidifiers
These are commonly used in enclosed areas that are difficult to regularly maintain. These dehumidifiers dispose off the water extracted from the humid air in vapour form. This process requires less energy consumption. They are commonly used in medical laboratories to protect equipment from humid environments.
Conclusion
When it comes to deciding on whether dehumidifiers are safe or efficient, one must consider energy consumption/maintenance costs, environmental pollution and health effects to people. Humidity in a room or house can cause health problems like difficulty in breathing, brings about dust mites and this greatly affects Asthmatic patients as well as other people hence the need for humid free/fresh air.
Humidity can also cause a big problem to a house’s foundation when mould or mildew start developing in the air vents, behind walls — this is commonly known as damp. When you compare the cost of repairing your house in case of mould attacks or hospital bills due to constant sickness caused by humidity, I bet one would choose to dig a little deeper into their wallet and not mind increased their electric bills just to be on the safe side. Generally, humidifiers have more benefits that negative effects on us.