Dehumidifiers are appliances that can be placed in every room of your home to remove moisture from the air. When choosing a dehumidifier, it is very important to choose the correct size of the device, since it depends on the efficiency of its operation in a particular room or place. For example, large basements with high moisture levels require large or multiple dehumidifiers. In rooms like the bathroom, there is only a need for one small dehumidifier. Keep reading to find out how to choose a dehumidifier based on your needs.
Steps
Step 1. Use a hygrometer to get an accurate reading of the moisture level in the room or area you want to dry
A hygrometer can be purchased at any hardware store. It will give you a percentage of the humidity in a particular room
Step 2. If you do not have a hygrometer and have nowhere to buy one, use the specific characteristics of the room to determine the humidity level
- If the room is very humid and has standing water or puddles of water, the moisture level will be in the region of 90-100%, or an “extremely humid environment”.
- If moisture is felt and felt in the room, and you notice traces of mold, mildew, smudges, water stains, then the humidity level is in the range of 80% to 90%, which is classified as a "humid environment".
- If the room is very damp and you can clearly smell mold and mildew, the humidity level will be between 70% and 80%, which is known as a “very damp environment”. The room may or may not have water stains on the walls and floor.
- If a room has a musty smell only in humid and damp weather, the relative humidity will be 60-70%, which is considered a “moderately humid environment”.
Step 3. Determine the air change per hour (microwave) rate to calculate the airflow needed to properly dehumidify your room
- If the humidity level is between 90 and 100%, which is an "extremely humid environment", your microwave will have a value of "6".
- If the humidity level is between 80 and 90%, which is referred to as a "humid environment", your microwave will have a value of "5".
- When the humidity level is between 70 and 80%, which is a "very damp environment", your microwave will be set to "4".
- A “moderately humid” reading between 60 and 70% will have a microwave value of “3”.
Step 4. Calculate the area of the room that needs to be drained, in square meters
- Measure the length and width of the room with a ruler or measuring tape.
- Multiply the length by the width, and you get the value of the area of the room in square meters.
- For example, if a room is 2.43 meters wide and 2.74 meters long, it will have an area of 6.68 square meters.
Step 5. Calculate the volume of the room you want to dry in cubic meters by multiplying the area of the room by its height
For example, if the area of the room is 6, 68 square meters, and its height is 2, 43 meters, the volume of the room will be 16, 31 cubic meters
6 Determine the volume of airflow, or cubic meters per minute (CMM), that you need to dehumidify the room, using your microwave values,
- Multiply the volume of the room by the microwave, and divide the result by 60.
- For example, if your room has a volume of 16.31 cubic meters and your room has an Extremely Humid Environment, multiply 16.31 by 6 to get 97.86. Divide 97.86 by 60 to get an airflow volume of 1. 63 cubic meters per minute.
Step 7. Calculate the amount of moisture that you must remove from the air daily in order to properly dry the room
- In moderate humidity conditions, you will need a dehumidifier that can remove 4.73 liters of water in 46.45 square meters. For each additional 46.45 square meters, increase the volume by 1.89 liters. For example, a room with an area of 139, 35 square meters needs a dehumidifier that can remove 8, 51 liters of water from the air per day.
- As for the conditions of high humidity, in this case, buy a dehumidifier that is capable of removing 5.67 liters of water from the air in a room with an area of 46.45 meters. For every additional 46.45 square meters, increase the volume by 2.36 liters of water.
- For wet environments, choose a dehumidifier that can collect 6.62 liters of water in a 46.45 square meter room. Increase the volume by 2.83 liters for every additional 46.45 square meters.
- As for the conditions of extreme dampness, here you should buy a dehumidifier capable of removing 7.57 liters of water from the air in a room with an area of 46.45 square meters. Increase the volume by 3.31 liters for every additional 46.45 square meters.
Step 8. Purchase a desiccant that meets the requirements for the volume of water extracted and the MPC
- Read the desiccant packaging label to determine the correct desiccant size you need to buy.
- If your MFR values are much higher than the supported values of your chosen dehumidifier, then you may need to buy several units to dry the room properly.
- If your MPV is in the range supported by the dehumidifier, buy a machine with a larger MPV than you need and turn it on much less frequently.