If your basement is damp due to high humidity, it can cause many problems. Mold is one problem that can cause health problems for the individuals living in the home. When there is mold present and it is disturbed, mold spores will travel through the air. For those people who are healthy, it may not cause any issues at all. However, if you are one that suffers from any type of allergies or asthma, mold spores can cause several different problems. Because the mold is caused by excessive moisture, a basement dehumidifier can help you with this problem.

Moisture in the basement can cause other problems, as well. If not taken care of, your home may be damaged as the moisture can cause the structure to decay very quickly. If not taken care of, the cost to repair such problems can be extremely high. Not only will the moisture cause damage to the structure, it will ruin almost anything you have chosen to store in it. By putting in a basement dehumidifier, you can help lessen the risk of losing valuable items that may be stored in this area.

The basement dehumidifier works by simply removing excess moisture from the air. What the machine does is draw in the air from the room and it cools it off. When air is cooled, moisture forms and this moisture will then drip into a holding tank in the dehumidifier. The now dry air will then go through another area in which it is heated to the original temperature that it was and it is blown back into the room. The basement dehumidifier works well in keeping the humidity in basements down enough so that you will not have any problems with moisture, mold, or mildew.

A basement dehumidifier can be purchased for under $200 at almost any home improvement store. You’ll find they come in a variety of sizes and you’ll want to make sure you purchase one that is adequate to remove the moisture from the size you have. Many come with features such as an automatic shut off, where the machine will turn itself off when the holding tank is full. With most of them, you will also be able to choose the humidity level you wish to have in the basement.

Having a basement dehumidifier can not only save your home from destruction, it can also save you and your family’s health. Don’t let mold build up in your basement. Purchase your basement dehumidifier today and you’ll never have to worry about health problems caused by a damp basement again.

Ideal relative humidity levels are between 30% and 50%. Very high humidity levels can cause condensation and can make it hard to dry laundry or sleep. Higher humidity levels are also an ideal environment for most insects, including clothes moths, fleas and cockroaches. As well as household uses, dehumidifiers are also used in industrial climatic chambers for keeping certain level of humidity.

Different Types of Dehumidifiers

Mechanical / Refrigerative Dehumidifiers

Mechanical/refrigerative dehumidifiers, the most common type available. They generally work by drawing moist air over a refrigerated coil with a small fan. Since the saturation vapor pressure of water decreases with decreasing temperature, the water in the air condenses, and drips into a collecting bucket. The air is then reheated by the warmer side of the refrigeration coil. This process works most effectively with higher ambient temperatures with a high dew point temperature. In cold climates, the process is less effective They are most effective at over 45% relative humidity, higher if the air is cold.

Desiccant Type Dehumidifiers

Desiccant materials (such as silica gel) have a high affinity for adsorbing water vapour. Today, most desiccant dehumidifier manufacturers use the desiccant material in a ‘rotor’ form. Rotors are manufactured from alternate layers of flat and corrugated sheets impregnated with the active component (desiccant). This forms a vast number of axial air channels running parallel through the rotor structure. As air passes through these channels, moisture is transferred between the air and the desiccant.

As they do not rely on cooling the air to produce condensation, they perform exceptionally well when used in cooler climates or when lower dew points are required. As there is no water produced during the drying process, these units work effectively at sub-zero temperatures. When dehumidifying humid air for industrial processes, it is quite common to employ both pre-cooling (moisture removed as condensation) and a desiccant rotor (moisture removed by absorption) in the same air system.

Typically their moisture content is a function of the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Exposed to low relative humidities desiccant materials come to equilibrium at low moisture contents and exposure to high relative humidities results in equilibrium at high moisture contents. The process involves exposing the desiccant material to a high relative humidity air stream, allowing it to attract and retain some of the water vapor and then exposing the same desiccants to a lower relative humidity air stream (heated) which has the effect of drawing the retained moisture from the desiccant. The first air stream is the air that is being dehumidified while the second air stream is used only to regenerate the desiccant material so that it is ready to begin another cycle. Note that the first air stream’s water vapor content is reduced while the second air stream’s water vapor content is increased. Typically the low relative humidity air stream is air taken from any available source and heated to reduce its relative humidity. Hence desiccant dehumidifiers consume heat energy to produce a dehumidifying effect.

Generally a desiccant dehumidifier comprises five major components:

• The component that contains the desiccant material (desiccant rotor), of which there are several types.
• A fan to move the air to be dehumidified (process air) through the desiccant rotor or material.
• A fan to move hot air (reactivation air) through the desiccant rotor or material.
• A heater to heat the air that is used to regenerate the desiccant material.
• A mechanical device to slowly rotate the desiccant rotor or material bed.

Electronic Dehumidifiers

Electronic dehumidifiers use a peltier heat pump to generate a cool surface for condensing the water vapour from the air. This type of dehumidifier has the benefit of being very quiet when in use as there is no mechanical compressor. This design is mainly used for very small dehumidifiers due to the simple design and low cost of parts.

Air Conditioners as Dehumidifiers

Air conditioners automatically act as dehumidifiers when they chill the air and thus need to handle the accumulated water as well. Newer window units use the condensing coil and fan to evaporate the accumulated water into the outdoor air, while older units simply allow the water to drip outside. Central air conditioning units need to be connected to a drain.

An air conditioner is very similar to a dehumidifier. Air in a dehumidifier passes over a series of cooling coils (the evaporator) and then over a set of heating coils (the condenser). It then goes back into the room as dryer air with its temperature elevated.

However in an air conditioner, air passes over the cooling coils (the evaporator) and then directly into the room. The heated freon then goes through a tube outside the house and into the heating coils (the condenser) and outside air passes over it and then stays outside. The water which condenses on the evaporator in a dehumidifier is caught in the drain pan or drain hose. The water that condenses on the evaporator in an air conditioner runs thorough a duct to the outside of the window.