Using dehumidifiers is the most effective way to control dust mites and mold growth resulting from high humidity. As you already know, these devices depend on turning water vapor into liquid water while extracting moisture from the air.
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Understanding the factors affecting the amount of water that should be collected by your machine on a daily basis will help you figure out if it’s working properly. So, without any further ado, let’s take a deeper look at how dehumidifiers operate and what affects the water volume that accumulates in the tanks.
The Short Answer
With the exception of desiccant dehumidifiers, the ability of the dehumidifier to collect water depends on its power, temperature, and relative humidity level. The majority of machines can extract around 2 to 5 gallons of water per day. However, with larger dehumidifiers, you can collect up to 13 gallons at 85% relative humidity and around 86° F.
Understanding The Typical Dehumidifier Performance
Before we get into a detailed answer, you should understand that even a powerful dehumidifier needs some time to achieve an ideal level of humidity. Most dehumidifier models can get the levels of moisture under control within 12 hours, but as expected, smaller size dehumidifiers take longer, and larger ones typically take less.
In this section, we’ll discuss the factors affecting the amount of water you find in the water tank.
1. Capacity of Dehumidifiers
Regardless of the type of dehumidifier you own, the capacity of the water collection tank will affect the amount you can extract. For instance, 10L dehumidifiers can extract up to 5 liters per day, so you wouldn’t have any issues with leaving them running all day long.
On the other hand, you’ll need to empty the water collection container from time to time if you use a smaller machine, especially with excess humidity levels. In other words, if you only need to extract minimal pints per day, there’s no need for a large-capacity dehumidifier and vice versa.
2. Average Humidity
The ideal humidity level is between 30% to 50%, which is what you should aim for while using a dehumidifier. That aside, you should always check indoor humidity using humidity detectors. This will help you figure out how many pints of moisture you need to remove per day.
In the case of excess moisture, the volume of water that’s extracted is larger, and hence, a large unit is needed to reach optimal levels of humidity.
Read more: How far does a dehumidifier reach?
3. Air Temperature
Dehumidifiers perform better at warmer temperatures. Nonetheless, a change of only a few degrees doesn’t cause a significant drop in terms of effectiveness. Accordingly, it’s normal to collect smaller amounts of water during cold weather and a larger amount when the indoor temperature is higher.
4. Living Space
Whole-House Dehumidifiers are large; thus, the amount of water vapor extracted is much more than that extracted by room or portable dehumidifiers.
Consequently, the amount that accumulates in the water collection bucket is more as you use larger units. Meanwhile, most room dehumidifiers can only remove around 40 to 50 pints of moisture per day from an average room around 2,000 square feet.
FAQs:
How Quickly Should My Dehumidifier Fill Up?
Despite the moisture levels and the humidity settings of the dehumidifier, the average time needed for 4-liter water containers to be entirely filled with water is about 12 to 13 hours.
Should I Open The Windows When Using a Dehumidifier?
In most cases, the windows should be closed while using a dehumidifier. Otherwise, excess moisture will get into the room, especially if the humidity is higher outside.
If you want to reduce the humidity, you can turn on the air conditioner with the windows closed, of course. If the humidity outside is lower than inside, however, opening the window will help reduce indoor humidity.
Do Large Dehumidifiers Use More Electricity?
Larger machines use more water per energy, which is why the dehumidifier costs can be a bit of a burden unless you choose an energy-saving dehumidifier. The good news is, the market is flooded with several brands of advanced dehumidifier models that are energy-efficient despite prolonged continuous operation.
Should I Run My Dehumidifier Non-Stop?
During high humidity seasons, you should keep it running all day. However, if the relative humidity is lower than 60%, use the dehumidifier during the day and turn it off at night.
Read more: How much should a dehumidifier run?
Final Thoughts
Always check the capacity of the dehumidifier to know how many pints of water it should collect per day. Also, make sure to turn to the user’s manual to find out the accepted parameters in relation to seasonal variations as humidity levels and temperature change.
It will also help if you know the ideal time needed to reach optimal humidity levels and alarming signs that your dehumidifier isn't working properly and needs to be fixed, so we think it's worth looking into, after all.
