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Posts tagged air dehumidifiers

How To Select An Appropriate Dehumidifier For Your Needs

Dec21
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Dehumidifiers are your first port of call for preventing overly humid conditions in your work place or home. Humid conditions can create an ideal breading ground for all sorts of undesirable conditions such as mould, musty smells, rusting and so on. A home dehumidifier can overtime completely eliminate the need for the use of a home dehumidifier. Here is our short buyers guide to getting the best dehumidifier for you:

Firstly a short explanation: if how dehumidifiers work will enable you to gain some valuable insights to allow you to find the best dehumidifier for your needs:

Most dehumidifiers work by absorbing excess moisture and water vapour from the air. They suck in air through a vent, cool it down fast which means that the air condenses. A fan then aids the expulsion of the air. The water which has condensed inside then runs off into a water bucket or alternatively it is attached to a hose to drain off elsewhere. The best air dehumidifiers are not however only useful for lowering the humidity level, they are useful in order to:

Save energy– When the air around you is less humid you can feel cool regardless of whether the temperature is warmer, thus saving you on energy billing costs.

 

Supplement ACs To feel cool two things need to happen 1) cool enough air 2) dry enough air. Often people keep running their AC because the air is simply too must and they will never actually decrease the temperature of the air significantly. Whereas if you used a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity then the air conditioner would become more effective and it would reduce the need for you to leave it running for long periods of time.

Keeping out the effects of excessive moisture can in the long run negatively effect the structural integrity of your building. Buckling floor panels, rotting support beams can be costly to fix not to mention decreasing the value of your building.

These day there are many different types of dehumidifier on the market. They are most commonly categorised by their functionality. The categories usually are: residential, industrial and  commercial. When deciphering which is the best dehumidifier for you it is worthwhile considering the following elements:

Size: Dehumidifiers are designed in order to remove a  set amount of water out of a set amount of air per day. It is most easy to think about the size of the area you wish to be dehumidified as opposed to the volume of water you wish to have removed as this is far easier to estimate. Sometimes square foot measurements/guidelines are provided in shops for guidance but even these my not be accurate as your area depending on where you are located may have more or less than the average humidity level.

you may be better off purchasing the next dehumidifier size up if your room is at the top end of the scale. This will reduce the stress placed on your dehumidifer and hopefully ensure its longevity.

For areas of especially high humidity then a larger more industrial sized unit might be better. If a smaller dehumidifier is used then it will have to work for a good deal longer which in turn will affect its lifespan and the amount of breakdown costs it may incur. Some dehumidifiers are indeed designed particularly for troublesome areas such as basements, bathrooms and so on.

Lots of dehumidifiers are not meant to be operated in overly cold enviroments so once again you should take this into consideration whilst making your purchase, the best dehumidifiers are often fitted with anti-frost sensors so they will then switch themselves off if they are getting too cold therefore stopping themselves from breaking. These are particularly important for areas such as basements and outdoor buildings.

As there are both low end and high end dehumidifiers. The main differences are down to the features that are available on the machine and the amount of pints per hour they are able to suck out of what size area. What you ideally need to do is think about what exactly it is that you want and then match these features up with an existing product to find the best dehumidifier for you. Of course shopping around for a home dehumidifier is essential to make sure you are not paying over the odds and get the best dehumidifier (ebac dehumidifiers are highly recommended). Prices start from 0 to upwards of 00 so there will always be an adequate choice.

 

 

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Easy Ways To Elminate Household Mould

Dec21
2009 Leave a Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

So, you’ve just settled into your new home and are getting towards the last few boxes to unpack. You open the door to your cupboard to find the last of the boxes but are alarmed to discover a rather nasty and musty scent coming from somewhere. After some looking about you find it…mould.

There are tons of different types of mold but all of them will thrive in damp moist enviroments that may be moist due to damp surrounding materials, seeping walls, damp fabrics and such like. The area that you stay in is a big factor in your houses humidity level especially in particular seasons or extreme climates. Air dehumidifiers can help in all these cases

Mould may cause allergic reactions for some people and possibly set off lung irritability even in people who are not normally susceptible to this type of thing. It can damage whatever it is attached to and creates an unpleasant smell which can be persistent and difficult to get rid of. It could be the symptom of a air moisture problem or a drainage problem.

To confront mould arm yourself with a mask and eye shield so that you don’t expose yourself to potentially harmful mould spores. After getting off as much as you can, with soap and water then use a commercial mildew cleaner or alternatively a quater of a cup of chlorine bleach.

Obviously depending upon the level of damage any damaged materials will have to be replaced and unless you solve the original moisture problem it will most likely need replacing again from further damage.

It may be worth checking your humidity level by purchasing a humidity meter (), if it gives you a measurement og over 50 then you really should get a dehumidifier. On the market today there are a wide range of dehumidifiers for sale starting from the 0 price. Here are a few guidelines to follow when purchasing a dehumidifier for your home: If you need a dehumidifier in more than one room then you will likely be better off purchasing a whole house dehumidifier rather than one for each room. It will do the job more efficiently and last longer than running several smaller dehumidifiers continuously which will incur more maintenance costs.

Also don’t forget that if you will be running your home dehumidifier in particularly cold places that it has an auto-switch off when it starts to freeze. If it doesn’t have one then it will become damaged if you run it and it starts to freeze. Itis a good idea to check that the noise level is uncomfortably high before you make a purchase.

Further more it may well be worth getting a trusted builder/contractor to take a look at the area to check for possible causes and remedies of the moisture problem. Also get the advice of a family doctor about possible allergic symptoms and other risks that you may be exposed to so you are aware of all of the dangers.

Despite the cost of doing the above in the long run the value of your house and the health of your family should be your priority and taking a few simple steps such as buying a home dehumidifier (Comfort Aire dehumidifiers are particulary highly recommended) would be well worthwhile in the long run.

 

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How To Get Rid Of Musty Household Smells

Dec18
2009 1 Comment Written by or Edited by Rick Maselli

Musty odor is at the top of the list of undesireable qualities a house should not feature,it gives the impression of a place that is dirty and not looked after well. It may not be immediately noticeable for the residents there, but guests will certainly notice it. What is more musty odors may indicate the presence of mould which in turn can kick off allergic reactions.

The season of the year may well determine whether the odors are present or not. For example in the summer time, often the air conditioner is left on continuously which may well get rid of the musty smell yet the cause remains and the smell may comeback in the winter season. Home dehumidifiers can definetely help here.

Basements are often then source of such musty odors and the odor may have been caused by problems such as high humidity, cracks in walls allowing moisture in or merely from condensation. In order to prevent and stop the musty odor it is important to find the primary cause although bear in mind there may well be more than factor causing the problem. The following will enable you to track down the cause of the problem most quickly:

To prevent condensation on water pipes which can be a source of moisture particularly in winter months is to cover the water pipes with an insulated pipe wrap, these are relatively cheap and are an easy w3ay to prevent moisture dripping of the pipes and onto the floor.

Sometimes an entire house can be affected by an odor that has risen from the basement and into the entire house but was originally caused by a lack of air flow and high humidity in the basement. Installation of a basement dehumidifier can prevent this problem from occurring and remove excess moisture, just make sure you have a drain available in order to take away the excess water gathered by the air dehumidifier otherwise you may have to purchase an air dehumidifier with a hose pipe and pump.

Make sure that the suspected condenstion is not water that is not just coming out of pipes with really small holes. Problems like this can be solved by fixing on a pipe leak clamp, or if the hole is very small, purchasing an epoxy compound from your local building supplier.

Weeping walls is a more dangerous problem as water is gentley seeping through the walls from the outdoor environment. The following procedure will help restrict the water from seeping into the house through the walls
Make sure the weather is going to be clear.
Run home dehumidifiers and fans to dry the walls.
Find a brush with stronf firm bristles and scrub the weeping parts of the wall with trisodium phosphate, this is usually sold at most home improvement stores and will clean the wall for you just make sure you let it dry afterwards.
Use latex concrete sealer to completely seal the walls and obviously follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
This procedure on its own should prevent all future weeping, if not then you’d better bring in a professional.

Cracks in walls are a further possible source of moisture and these may even happen in new houses also. The cracks may be classed as active and likely to widen further or hopefully inactive and not likely to widen. Most cracks in walls are not difficult to repair with ready mixed concrete and a knife.

By following the above suggestions, focusing on your specific problems and with addition of a dehumidifier it is likely that you will be able to solve even the most persistent of household musty smells. Remember that home dehumidifiers and an air portable dehumidifier can help considerably

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