Types of Dehumidifiers: What Type for Basement, Home & Industrial?
The type of dehumidifier you need for your basement, home or industrial setting is based on the size and humidity level of the area.
The best way to determine which dehumidifier will work best is by looking at two things: the square footage of a room (in order to calculate how much moisture it’s producing) and its relative humidity.
Types of Dehumidifiers Available
1. Thermal Condensation Dehumidification
A thermal condensation dehumidifier is similar to the regular models, but it removes moisture and releases the heat, making it suitable for industrial settings.
A good example of an industrial setting where you may need a thermal condensation dehumidifier is in a warehouse. Regular dehumidifiers are not designed to remove heat from their air.
2. Refrigeration (electric)
The refrigeration (electric) dehumidifier is generally used in offices and homes. The major goal of this model is to cool the air, reducing the temperature. The temperature reduction will help keep moisture levels down. When it comes to choosing a dehumidifier, it’s important to think about how much moisture your home produces per square foot and what space you’re trying to dehumidify.
Related Article: Refrigeration (electric) Dehumidifier
3. Conventional Air Conditioners
Conventional air conditioners are typically used in commercial environments such as a warehouse or factory. The main goal of the air conditioning is to cool the air, reducing the temperature. The temperature reduction will help keep moisture levels down, which is perfect for industrial settings that use large amounts of machines and equipment that generate substantial amounts of heat and humidity.
Related Article: How Does a Dehumidifier Compare to Conventional Air Conditioners?
4. Spray Dehumidifiers
Spray Dehumidifiers offer the best of both worlds: the ability to dehumidify in areas where humidity is already low, and the ability to humidify in places where it’s dry.
How it works: The spray dehumidifier pumps out a fine mist of water droplets into the air. These droplets contain molecules of water vapor, which are heavier than normal air molecules, so they sink to the ground or other surfaces and evaporate. This process naturally absorbs latent heat, lowering the temperature of the area. When more condensation collects, a continuous cycle converts liquid water back into water vapor and heat rises upward. This is why your basement windows will fog up if left closed during a summer rain shower.
Spray Dehumidifiers are limited in that they cannot work without outside humidity. In a dry area, spray dehumidifiers will not be able to produce enough moisture to make you feel comfortable. They especially don’t do well in desert climates. To use a spray dehumidifier correctly, it is recommended that you check the local weather report or contact the National Weather Service. An online tool can be very helpful for this purpose. This will give you a good idea of how much humidity your area contains on any given day, and whether or not you’ll have to humidify instead.
Related Article: What are Spray Dehumidifiers?
5. Makeshift Dehumidifiers
Makeshift dehumidifiers are a way to store water in buckets. This can be done for both home and industrial use.
Related Article: What are Makeshift Dehumidifiers?
6. Thermoelectric Dehumidifiers
Thermoelectric dehumidifiers are the most efficient and quietest type of home dehumidifier. They work simply by passing an electric current through a metal wire, which creates heat. This heat is then used to dry out the room air. There’s no need for water or condensation in this process.
Related Article: What are Thermoelectric Dehumidifiers?
7. Absorption / Desiccant Dehumidifiers (Desiccant Material)
Absorption/desiccant dehumidifiers works by taking in the humidity or heat into a material and then the desiccant dehumidifier releasing it when the vapor condenses back to water. Desiccant dehumidifiers use a process that requires you to use a filter frequently, like every two weeks for an industrial desiccant dehumidifiers setting.
Desiccant dehumidifiers come in various types, including silica gel beads.
Silica packets are commonly used and found in most snack foods. The packet contains a material called silicon dioxide, which can absorb the moisture from around 15-30 pounds of food before it needs to be replaced with new desiccant beads.
Desiccant dehumidifiers use a desiccant material, typically Zeolite, which absorbs water vapour from the air in a similar way to silica gel. A fan draws air into the dehumidifier and passes it through a section of a slowly rotating wheel which holds desiccant which dries the air.
How do absorption dehumidifiers work & why a house needs it => Related Article
Related Article: What is Absorption/Desiccant Dehumidification?
8. Ionic Membrane Dehumidification
Ionic membrane dehumidification, or IMD, is a type of dehumidifier that uses ion-exchange technology. Basically this means that it pre-filters the air to remove particles and large droplets before using the refrigerant dehumidifiers evaporation process to release moisture from smaller droplets. The ion-exchange process is conducted with an electrode material inside a semi-permeable membrane. This material lets smaller water molecules (hydrogen ions) pass through, while blocking larger compounds (cations). The result is a drier indoor environment that lasts longer than conventional options.
Related Article: What is Ionic membrane dehumidification?
9. Condensate
A condensate dehumidifier application is often in situations in which the humidity is already low. To work, a condensate dehumidifier must also be able to produce more moisture than is needed for the given space. This can allow for less expensive installation and better efficiency. Exceptional conditions are also needed to produce a good amount of moisture with a condensate dehumidifier. It’s most useful in places like warehouses or other larger commercial spaces where there’s plenty of unused space.
Related Article: What is a Condensate Dehumidifier?
10. Disposal
A disposal dehumidifier is a type of model that accepts water from the air, and then disposes of it. This type of model doesn’t need to have any water storage apparatus, and the water never has to leave your home or workspace. Since you won’t be using any kind of container for the water, a disposal dehumidifier will be more compact than other types. It can also work in spaces with no crawl space or basement such as a loft or upstairs bedroom. Disposal dehumidifiers are also often quieter because there’s no need for a fan.
Related Article: What are the Types of Disposal Dehumidifiers?
Potability
Since the water vapor is condensed from the air, you can use this dehumidifier to water your plants.
Related Article: Potability of Dehumidifier Water
Air Conditioning and Dehumidification
Air conditioning or dehumidification is the process of removing heat or water vapor from an enclosed area to regulate its temperature and humidity. It can be achieved mechanically, such as with a cooling tower, or through passive solar design.
Dehumidifier Types FAQ
What Do You Use for a Dehumidifier for Your Safe?
You can use a thermoelectric dehumidifier. The safe has a humidity sensor, so that you can know if the environment is too dry for your valuables. This way you can control the environment.
What Type of Dehumidifier for a Basement?
For a basement, you should use a dehumidifier with a compressor. This type of compressor dehumidifiers are the most powerful and can also control the basement humidity. They are more expensive than other types of dehumidifiers, but will be more durable in the long run. This type is the best dehumidifier option for basements and other damp environments.
What Type of Dehumidifier for a Industrial?
An industrial grade can have both compressor dehumidifiers and a thermoelectric type of drying unit. It is designed for heavy duty use in warehouses, manufacturing plants, or other work environments with high humidity and heat. These units are much more costly than consumer grade models. One advantage is they can be configured to extract the collected water in a number of different ways.
What Type of Dehumidifier for a Home?
For a home, you’ll need to find out how humid your home is. If the humidity is above 50%, then you should use a dehumidifier with a compressor. This type of unit has the best energy efficiency and can quickly reduce the humidity level. If you’d rather save money, then you can choose a lower-priced thermoelectric or ionic dehumidifier. They won’t be as effective as compressor dehumidifiers, but will also depend on the humidity of your home.
Are Two Dehumidifiers Better Than One?
A common question is: “should I use one or two dehumidifiers in my home?”. The answer to this is that it totally depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. If you are experiencing high humidity from a lack of ventilation, then the best solution would be to increase the ventilation and get a single dehumidifier. But if your dampness comes from leaks in your plumbing or leaks in your attic then it would be best to get two separate dehumidifiers to combat each problem.
What Type of Freon Does a Refrigerant Dehumidifier Use?
One of the most common types of refrigerant used in refrigerant dehumidifiers is R-22. This type of refrigerant is non-ozone depleting and allows for an efficient and effective cooling process. It is also extremely flammable and will quickly ignite with a spark. It should never be used for anything other than HVAC systems (refrigerant dehumidifier) because it can cause serious damage to people, animals, and the environment if released into the atmosphere.
