How to Choose the Right Dehumidifier?
Things to Consider When Buying a Commercial or Industrial Dehumidifier
To choose the right size dehumidifier for your industrial or commercial application will depend on a few variables. Each Dehumidifier has a different capacity of humidity removal.
Industrial Dehumidifier Selection
Indoor temperature
Current indoor humidity
Target humidity level
Dimensions of the space needing climate control
What the space is being used for?
What is the door activity (how often does the door get opened/closed, left open)?
Is there fresh air being added (fan) or removed (extract fan)?
How many occupants in the room?
Temperature and Humidity
To choose the right size dehumidifier, it’s also important to note that depending on your specific requirements, outdoor temperature and relative humidity could also be a consideration. For example, if the outdoor temperature and humidity is higher than the indoor requirement and fresh air is being added to the space, then we also need to factor this load.
An interesting explanation I heard recently is to imagine water entering and exiting. So a room filled with air but water completely surrounding the room outside. If you extract some of the air from the room (for example using an extractor fan) then water will be pulled in to replace it. An interesting visual that helped me see that if air is sucked out of a space, then it will be replaced from somewhere. So outdoor temperature and humidity will be a consideration.
The Ideal Temperature and Humidity
When talking of humidity in these instances, we are talking about Relative Humidity (RH). Take a look at our ‘What is Humidity’ article to find out the different measures of humidity and what they all mean.
Interesting note: while humans are more sensitive to temperature than relative humidity (RH) it is the opposite for inanimate objects. For example, when raw and unfinished materials are stored, temperatures can fluctuate boundlessly so long as the RH is always kept steady at approximately 50%. This stops corrosion, degradation and/or warping.
How Choose the Right Dehumidifier
Examples - choosing the right dehumidifier
If a bakery is storing dry goods, a refrigerant dehumidifier would be chosen and the ideal temperature set to and remain at 21° C with an RH level between 55 and 65%.
A Pharmaceutical Laboratory storing hygroscopic powdered substances prior to transformation will use a desiccant dehumidifier and should have the space’s temperature sitting between 21-27° C and the RH between 30 and 35%
Electrical goods – in a room containing electrical devices and machines, a desiccant dehumidifier would be used and the temperature should remain between 20 and 22° C with an RH of only 30 to 40%
Please visit the links below to see our range of Desiccant Dehumidifiers and Refrigerant (mechanical) Dehumidifiers.
Want to know the difference between the two main dehumidifiers? Check out our blog ‘The Difference Between Refrigerant and Desiccant Dehumidifiers’
BENEFITS OF A DEHUMIDIFIER
Precise humidity control
Reduces mould and bacterial growth
Improves indoor air quality
Reduces energy consumption
Reduces operating costs
Increases productivity
Eliminates equipment corrosion
Please read our ‘Benefits of a Dehumidifier’ article giving a more in-depth explanation of the dot points above and detailing the different industries that have benefited from dehumidification technology - why and how.
THINGS TO CHECK BEFORE INVESTING IN A COMMERCIAL DEHUMIDIFER
With over 30 years in the industry and working with dehumidifiers in a variety of brands, we have come up with a check list of questions to ask and things you should consider when deciding to invest in a commercial dehumidifier.
Is the Commercial Dehumidifier Unit You Are Buying Up for the Challenge