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Buying any new appliance for your home is never an easy thing. There is only so much that you can squeeze into the home before you start noticing that it is impossible to make a step or two before you trip over something. It is common sense that you will have to really think if you need the appliance.
Luckily, with a dehumidifier, this is not really the case. The discomfort that is caused by having too much humidity in your home as well as the imminent health risks make it quite easy to know you need one. However, you have to be careful with your purchase and certain with your decision.
What is a Dehumidifier and what Does it do?
If the air in your home feels heavy and you have made sure that the cause of this is excess humidity in the house, then a dehumidifier would be the appropriate appliance to get for your home. It helps to decrease the presence of moisture in the air within your home. It is the exact opposite of a humidifier that works by elevating the air moisture in your home. Ideally there are primarily two types of humidifiers that you can choose from that would make for a great selection tin your home.
Types
There are mainly two types that you can choose from and the probability of choosing one over the other will be dictate by the size of the house as well as your needs. It is important to make sure that you have a great appliance that is able to satisfy your needs and for this you would need to make sure that you make the right choice.
- Portable humidifiers: these are great for use in the basement for room to room use. It is able to fit into the crawl space and its portable design makes it quite easy to move around the house. It is pretty convenient and allows you to use it on site.
- Whole house dehumidifiers: you might want to consider picking a great whole house dehumidifier if your notice you have more than one portable option or in your locality, moisture levels are a common occurrence. Typically, these are trickier to purchase so you might want to read further on making the right purchase here.
How to tell you need it?
It is important to know when you need any appliance before you make the purchase. They tend to get attached to you and hence you need to be sure that you have made the right choice and are sure that it will be able to get the job done. Here are some great signs that could alert you it is time to get a dehumidifier for your home.
If you constantly notice condensation usually inform of water droplets on the windows or the patio door, this could be a great hint that you need to make the purchase. What seems like vapor or fog is usually a sign that there is too much moisture in that particular room.
Too much moisture can also be indicated by spots of mold on the ceiling, corners of the walls or other related places. It is important to note that if this happens near a water line, it could be as a result of the wetness from the water pipe and hence it would be better to try and locate a leak in the pipe.
The musty smell is usually the one that pushes most homeowners into trying to understand the dehumidification process and trying to buy the proper equipment. This will usually be prominent in basements and crawl spaces.
How Does a Dehumidifier Work?
You have settled on the fact that you need a dehumidifier. However, not understanding how it works could cause you to have a blanket of fear. Understanding how the appliance works not only proves importance when setting up, but you also get the full scope of how to maintain the machine and the conditions in which it would work best.
A dehumidifier works by attacking the root cause of all your moisture related problems which happens to be the moisture itself. Most of the machines are built to withstand low temperatures especially given the surroundings that they will be working under and also, if there is a power outage, a great collection of them will switch themselves back on after power is restored.
Ultimately, there are quite a number of benefits you would expect to gain from buying a dehumidifier and while most of the dehumidifier reviews cover these exhaustively, highlighting the primary benefits will ensure that you in the know of what you stand to gain.
- Gets rid of allergens: The most important thing to you and your family is their wellbeing. Making sure that they are healthy and well. Allergen can trigger allergies and asthma in some cases as well leaving you prone to airborne diseases.
- Offer comfort: You have invested in a great home that was okay until moisture creeped in and made it hard for you to even breathe. But, with the best dehumidifier you can reclaim the comfort and pleasure of your home.
- Removes excess moisture: Expectedly, this is the primary reason of having a dehumidifier and also its greatest benefits. Feeling the dampness on your walls, mist on your window and mold in the corners is not a comforting feeling. It is a real threat not only to your health but equally to the structure that you now call home. Thankfully with a good dehumidifier, you can be able to eliminate the threat.
- Makes other appliances perform better: this is more so in reference to your air conditioning system. Getting rid of the moisture ensures that you are able to cool and control the temperature of the home faster and at the same time reduce your electricity bills. That should sound like music to your right?
How to Pick the Best Dehumidifier
This is more of a skill that you acquire with the right knowledge than an art. You have to make sure you know what you are doing and while reading dehumidifier reviews will usually be of some help, you need to make sure that you actually understand the jargon and the proper process.
For more on how to pick the best dehumidifier in the market, you can refer to (https://airprofessor.com/best-dehumidifier-on-the-market/)
However, here are some great tips that could help you pick a great dehumidifier on short notice that could really come in handy.
- Size: first you will need to think about the size. This can be determined by the severity of the moisture situation you might be suffering from and if not, the size of your house or the plans that you have for the dehumidifier.
- Portability: you will need to consider this only if you settle for the portable options. But if you settle on the whole house dehumidifier, this might not be much of a problem. Some of the features that you need to consider include the weight and if possible the presence of wheels which make it easier to pull the dehumidifier from one place to another.
- Auto defrost: chances are, your dehumidifier is going to be relegated to places like the basement most of the time. This can make it very risky because of frosting of the moisture. With this feature, this does not have to be a concern any more.
- Pump or pumpless: to most people, this does not make a great difference but if you look at the benefits of having a dehumidifier with a pump here (https://airprofessor.com/dehumidifier-with-pump/) you will definitely note that it actually makes a big difference. Also, the nature of the surrounding where the appliance will be used, the amount of moisture to be handled and the time that the appliance might be running are some of the factors to consider before making a choice on whether to go pumpless or not.
- Built in humidistat: this is a simple feature but one that can save you a lot on energy bills as well as lengthening the life of your new dehumidifier. It commandeers the operations and switches the unit on or off depending on the settings that you use for humidity.
- Noise levels: in most instances, this might not really affect the performance of your dehumidifier but if you are going to use it close to your room, then you need one that is quiet. You can get more on these options here (https://www.airprofessor.com/best-quiet-dehumidifier/) and see what they have to offer and what you stand to gain.
There are a lot more features and factors that you need to consider to be able to make the right choice and if you feel some further reading on this is in order, then this might be of help (https://airprofessor.com/dehumidifier-buying-guide/).
Best Dehumidifier for your Basement
Before we hop on and look at some of the top rated dehumidifiers, it is worth noting that not all dehumidifiers are meant to be shoved in to the basement and put in all the work for you to enjoy the comfort. Putting a dehumidifier in a setting that it has been built for ensures that it is able to offer you the best possible service.
If you are looking for a great dehumidifier for your basement, you might want to consider reading this first (https://airprofessor.com/best-dehumidifier-for-basement/). The insight could prove be vital in the decision making process and ensure that you make the right one.
The same is the case if you are looking for a great dehumidifier for commercial purposes. It is important to make sure you have the right dehumidifier for the right purpose. Even though these kind of dehumidifiers will not be covered here at length, you can get the tidbits on how to make the right commercial dehumidifier purchases here (https://airprofessor.com/best-commercial-dehumidifier/) and ensure you pick a product that you will be forever proud of.
What are the Best Air Dehumidifiers in the Market?
The best dehumidifiers in the market strike a balance between the features that they have to offer and the dehumidifier prices they come with. It is a tough balance to strike but that is what makes them great. Here are top ten dehumidifiers that have the best dehumidifier ratings and offer great price points.