Dehumidifiers: What to know and how to choose one for your needs!

[Michael Hunter]

Most people know that dehumidifiers come in many shapes and sizes from a variety of manufacturers. What most people don't know is that there are multiple different categories of dehumidifiers. 

The first division is between those designed for commercial use and those designed for residential (homeowner) use. Differences here include the required electrical amperage for operation and efficiency. In general Residential units are designed to slowly reduce humidity levels or maintain them. Commercial units are designed to rapidly remove moisture from the air and building materials that are affected by water. 

Beyond this difference there are 3 main categories: Refrigerant, Low Grain Refrigerant, and Desiccant. 

Refrigerant: 

These dehumidifiers operate based on the principles of condensation which I will not address here. Most dehumidifiers that you can find in the aisles of your local hardware store, Home Depot or Lowes will fall in this first category. As a general rule those units that are stocked in the stores will have a 35-70   pint per day limit for removing water. These units are also limited in the Relative Humidity that they are capable of achieving, on average it is around 60% RH. 

Commercial Refrigerant dehumidifiers are capable on average of reducing Relative Humidity down near 35-40% RH, and their pint/day capacity will range from 50-150 pints per day.

Low Grain Refrigerant (LGR):

They use a more efficient variation of the same refrigerant technology as above and still operate based on the principles of condensation. LGR dehumidifiers are capable on average of reducing Relative Humidity down near 20% RH, and are capable on average of pint/day ranges from 70-200 pints per day.

Desiccant Dehumidifiers:

These Dehumidifiers operate based on the principles of chemical attraction which I will not discuss here. Desiccant dehumidifiers are capable on average of reducing Relative Humidity down near 1% RH, and are capable of the widest range of pint/day ranges from 15-1000+ pints per day.

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