ALDI dehumdifier

SuperS54 · 20-01-2015 6:48am

One question though, when I first started using it, the water tank in the dehumidifier would fill up within about 20 hours and now it hasn't filled up in ages. I don't know is that because most of the dampness has been taken out of the walls etc, or is it because of the outdoor temperature level being too low, even though it's heated in my place with the heater on?

If there is an air filter make sure it's clean, check for dust clogging up any intakes.

cormie · 20-01-2015 7:39am

Thanks, I don't think there's an air filter, but I'll give the vent a dust and see if it makes a change

Unless of course it's just the temp issue and a desiccant one would be better at this time of year?

air · 21-01-2015 12:55am

Corvus Libros wrote: »

I think it is the outdoor temperature, all right. In summer the ground heats up, evaporating the rainfall and causing higher humidity. In winter the ground is cold, so there's less evaporation and less vapour in the air.

This isn't the primary reason, she has just likely dried out the contents of her house.
Have a read up on absolute vs relative humidity.
Put simply warm air can carry more moisture.
In winter the relative humidity inside a heated house will be lower given the same outdoor relative humidity level.
Cool air at say 50% relative humidity comes in and gets heated up so its relative humidity drops.
Our houses should actually be much drier inside in winter. In practice though we tend to keep windows closed in winter to keep in heat.
This reduces the ability of moisture from cooking, showers / baths & drying clothes indoors to escape.
So it ends up being more humid than summer time.
So cold air is (relatively) dry in terms of actual water vapour load, this is one reason why people can get chapped lips in winter for instance.

This is the principal that dehumidifiers work on in fact, they cool the air below its dew point which causes the water vapour to condense out on the cold surface of the evaporator.

Gits_bone · 21-01-2015 9:19am

Absolute humidity = amount of moisture in the air. This is measured in g/kg. (g of water in 1 kg of air)

Relative humidity is the ratio of how much moisture is in the air to how much the air can hold. It's measured in %.

The properties of air allow warm air to hold more moisture than cool air.

This means that if you have cool air, then warm it up you are increasing the airs capacity to absorb water. This will increase drying.

It's why dryers in bathrooms use warm air, to absorb more water.

mrcheez · 21-01-2015 11:43am

I do notice that when I run the dehumidifier in a cold bathroom after a shower it drops from 90% to 70% humidity and struggles to go lower, but after turning on the heating it reduces to 50% within less than an hour.

So it would seem keeping the room at room-temperature maximizes the efficiency of these devices.

TBi · 21-01-2015 11:15pm

mrcheez wrote: »

So it would seem keeping the room at room-temperature maximizes the efficiency of these devices.

A desiccant style one is efficient down to very low temperatures. One of the reasons I bought one given the climate in Ireland.

cormie · 22-01-2015 12:23am

Thanks again for the replies folks. How much is a decent desiccant one? Do you have to power the desiccant ones by the mains, or are they just like the disposable gel packs you get the absorb moisture? How do they work compared to the regular type which I have already?

moodrater · 22-01-2015 2:58am

cormie wrote: »

Thanks again for the replies folks. How much is a decent desiccant one? Do you have to power the desiccant ones by the mains, or are they just like the disposable gel packs you get the absorb moisture? How do they work compared to the regular type which I have already?

Desiccant ones use a zeolite core to absorb the water a heater then drives the water out of the zeolite into a simple condenser. Compressor types never achieve a fraction of their quoted capacity in average use conditions. In a side by side comparison at 15C my 8l meaco removed 8 times as much moisture in a 24h period vs my brothers '20l' compressor model. I just dried out the wifes car last night at about 1-3 celcius took 1.25l put overnight no foggy windows for the rest of the winter. A compressor model would just have spent most of the night defrosting and removed 100ml if youre lucky. The main issue with dessicant models is the heaters can be fragile most common faults though are thermal fuses popping from people unplugging without turning it off and letting the cooling cycle run or covering the exhaust or not cleaning the inlet filter.Keep an eye on amazon for the dd122 it come of offer every now and then.

cormie · 22-01-2015 6:50am

Cool, thanks a lot for the info. Actually, in that case, I could definitely use it to try out a few vehicles myself. Did you just leave it plugged in overnight and it filled up and was dry by morning?

This is the one you mention: http://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoAir-Desiccant-Classic-Dehumidifier-Ioniser/dp/B008BZVCVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421904987&sr=8-1&keywords=dd122

And I see the MK5 has filters for making the air cleaner too. The cheapest it has been is £129 in November it seems and then around £148 and it's now £159 which isn't so bad. The one thing that would put me off is having to replace the filters often and ensuring I'm able to get them still after a few years use. I guess it would be pretty much useless without the proper filter replacements after a while?

TBi · 22-01-2015 3:01pm

I have a Meaco DD8L. Boots supply it in ireland. Only a tad more expensive than buying from UK but at least you don't have to pay to return it if if breaks.

cormie · 26-01-2015 5:23pm

Well with the rise in temperature over the last few days my non desiccant dehumidifier seems to be collecting water like it was at the start, much more than it has been in the colder outside temperature even though the temperature in my place has been the same.

September1 · 26-01-2015 5:27pm

cormie wrote: »

Well with the rise in temperature over the last few days my non desiccant dehumidifier seems to be collecting water like it was at the start, much more than it has been in the colder outside temperature even though the temperature in my place has been the same.

If you increase temperature then humidity will decrease, hence when cold air entered house and was heated its humidity would drop. Now air is heated less hence its humidity stays higher.

cormie · 26-01-2015 5:36pm

Thanks for that

I'm not sure if it's been answered in the posts above, but if you were to explain to a child, where has the 2l of water gone that was in my clothes wash when the temperature was colder and the dehumidifier was only collecting a few ml, even though the clothes would be drying at the same rate as when it's warmer outside. I mean, everything the same, constant on for the dehumidifier and heater set to same temperature with thermostat regulating it. Where is the actual water that was in the clothes gone to? When the temperature is warm outside, the amount of water collected in the dehumidifier would drastically increase if there were clothes drying inside, when the temperature outside is cold, it would only collect a trickle, yet the clothes would dry at the same rate. So where is all the water going? Into the walls? Outside? Staying in the air?

September1 · 26-01-2015 5:43pm

cormie wrote: »

Thanks for that I'm not sure if it's been answered in the posts above, but if you were to explain to a child, where has the 2l of water gone that was in my clothes wash when the temperature was colder and the dehumidifier was only collecting a few ml, even though the clothes would be drying at the same rate as when it's warmer outside. I mean, everything the same, constant on for the dehumidifier and heater set to same temperature with thermostat regulating it. Where is the actual water that was in the clothes gone to? When the temperature is warm outside, the amount of water collected in the dehumidifier would drastically increase if there were clothes drying inside, when the temperature outside is cold, it would only collect a trickle, yet the clothes would dry at the same rate. So where is all the water going? Into the walls? Outside? Staying in the air?

Ehh.. like a child. Ok, there are air gnomes that have magic buckets for water. Those buckets grow when it is hot and shrink when it is cold. On cold day gnomes that comes to your house have a very small buckets, hence less water. When you heat their buckets they grow and they look very empty, so they take water from your clothes to fill their buckets. On warm day they come with bigger buckets and more water, hence they are no longer so interested in water from your clothes and dehumidifier leprechauns can get water from your clothes.

wiz569 · 26-01-2015 6:33pm

I would hazard a guess that the 2 litres of water was mainly from the air,not your clothes,now that there is less water in the air you are only getting a small amount of water in the unit from your clothes

cormie · 26-01-2015 6:36pm

Ok, so the air gnomes took the water and left the house without putting it into the walls and vandalising the place with mould and everyone lived happily ever after? :pac:

September1 · 26-01-2015 6:45pm

cormie wrote: »

Ok, so the air gnomes took the water and left the house without putting it into the walls and vandalising the place with mould and everyone lived happily ever after? :pac:

No, on cold day they arrive without water because of tiny buckets - there is less water in your house air to start with. In very cold climates people would wet towels and put them on radiators as so dry air enters the house.

Leaving gnomes aside. Humidity is ratio of max water than can be stored in the air to actual amount of water stored in the air. So if you take a sealed box that has cold air and and 100% humidity and heat it you will get a very dry air inside - though no water particles escaped and there is still same amount on water inside. Reasons is that the hotter the air the more water can be there and as that is part of ratio you can control humidity without adding and removing any water.

mrcheez · 26-01-2015 7:03pm

cormie wrote: »

...2l of water gone that was in my clothes wash when the temperature was colder and the dehumidifier was only collecting a few ml ...the clothes would be drying at the same rate as when it's warmer outside.

So it would seem that the dehumidifier isn't playing a major role in drying your clothes when it's colder as your clothes dry at the same rate regardless if the machine is working efficiently or not.

Normally clothes would take longer to dry in a cold room so perhaps your radiator thermostat (if any) is keeping temp higher for longer in the cold weather so playing a larger factor in drying the clothes?

i.e.

COLD WEATHER:
- less collected by dehumidifier
- rads play larger part in drying clothes

WARM WEATHER:
- more collected by dehumidifier
- rads play lesser part in drying clothes

I'm open to correction on this one!

Gits_bone · 26-01-2015 10:52pm

September1 wrote: »

If you increase temperature then humidity will decrease, hence when cold air entered house and was heated its humidity would drop. Now air is heated less hence its humidity stays higher.

you are wrong.

cormie · 14-02-2015 1:20pm

Just to note, I just ordered the DD122 MK from "Warehouse deals" for £131 (£135 when Irish VAT added). I think I got the last warehouse deal one, but the "NEW" price has just decreased from £159 to £149. I know it's getting warmer these days, but I need this to dry out some vehicles as there's condensation building up on the inside windows a lot.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoAir-Desiccant-Classic-Dehumidifier-Ioniser/dp/B008BZVCVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421904987&sr=8-1&keywords=dd122

breathn · 14-02-2015 2:06pm

cormie wrote: »

Just to note, I just ordered the DD122 MK from "Warehouse deals" for £131 (£135 when Irish VAT added). I think I got the last warehouse deal one, but the "NEW" price has just decreased from £159 to £149. I know it's getting warmer these days, but I need this to dry out some vehicles as there's condensation building up on the inside windows a lot.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoAir-Desiccant-Classic-Dehumidifier-Ioniser/dp/B008BZVCVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421904987&sr=8-1&keywords=dd122

I have this model, it's EXCELLENT. I bought it on recommendation from another thread here

GaGa21 · 14-02-2015 4:47pm

A couple of dehumidifiers reduced in Argos today. Sorry, I can't put up link but worth looking at their website.

cormie · 23-02-2015 10:51am

I got delivery of the DD122 and actually, haven't even used it yet because at the same time, I got delivery of a hygrometer and I'm a little confused, it says that the ideal humidity is around 50% and even with my other dehumidifier off completely (so no dehumidifiers running in my place at all) it's reading 34% right now, which according to the blurb, isn't too healthy or good for the house either, just as anything above 60% isn't either. So is my place now too dry, or is it just because the cold weather at the moment that the humidity is low?

I have a heater on constantly but set on a thermostat to 18 degrees and it must be working pretty well as the hygrometer is always reading the temp as 18 degrees too, but 18 degrees isn't too hot so I'm thinking it can't be the temp of the heater that's drying the place out?

Anyone have any ideas?

TBi · 23-02-2015 10:53am

It's been very dry recently. We've our dehumidifier set with the humidistat and it hasn't come on in weeks, unless we are drying clothes.

cormie · 23-02-2015 11:09am

That's interesting. This is all new to me, actually I think hardly anyone knows about dehumidifiers, so many people I know with mould and damp problems where they live and when I tell them about dehumidifiers they have never heard about them, I was the same until recently.

So if it's ambient dryness, it's probably not as bad as drying out somewhere too much, I mean I don't need to re-humidify it now or anything? It actually gets up to about 50% after a shower or when drying clothes recently and I'll have the dehumidifier on, but just low to keep it around 50%, just as long as moisture isn't getting into the walls and creating a mould thriving atmosphere.

vagazzled · 10-10-2015 2:20am

The ALDI Dehumidifier is back in stock at 149.99 since yesterday (thurs 8th oct) There were still lots left in my local shop.
Tonight it took nearly 2ltrs out of the atmosphere - small 3 bed semi.
I got it especially for my room as it was prone to dampness before the walls were redone 2 years ago and i've noticed a lot of condensation on my window now that its Oct. The air fell from high 60's to low 50's with it.
Has several settings, temp & humidity display, and a huge water tank. Really happy with it, and aldi are good with their guarantees. (3 yrs)

crabbypaddy · 10-10-2015 1:27pm

vagazzled wrote: »

The ALDI Dehumidifier is back in stock at 149.99 since yesterday (thurs 8th oct) There were still lots left in my local shop.
Tonight it took nearly 2ltrs out of the atmosphere - small 3 bed semi.
I got it especially for my room as it was prone to dampness before the walls were redone 2 years ago and i've noticed a lot of condensation on my window now that its Oct. The air fell from high 60's to low 50's with it.
Has several settings, temp & humidity display, and a huge water tank. Really happy with it, and aldi are good with their guarantees. (3 yrs)

Is this a compressor one again?

vagazzled · 10-10-2015 3:12pm

Yeah, just checked the box. I believe they don't perform so well under 15 degrees?
I'm happy with it, and my house is a pretty small 3 bed with dual heating for rads so i think it will be ok.

crabbypaddy · 10-10-2015 3:21pm

vagazzled wrote: »

Yeah, just checked the box. I believe they don't perform so well under 15 degrees?
I'm happy with it, and my house is a pretty small 3 bed with dual heating for rads so i think it will be ok.

Yeah they're fine once you have the heating on in winter, no good for the vacant property, garage, boat, camper, caravan, car etc. in winter.

mrcheez · 10-10-2015 5:54pm

crabbypaddy wrote: »

Yeah they're fine once you have the heating on in winter, no good for the vacant property, garage, boat, camper, caravan, car etc. in winter.

Aye it works out superb for bathrooms though, especially if you don't want to leave the bathroom window open after a shower in winter.

Dries up the bathroom in an hour or less and no mould problems any more.

ALDI dehumdifier

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