Buying a Dehumidifier? Here's Some Key Advice

It's critical to follow our advice to buy a dehumidifier

Buying a dehumidifier for the first time can be confusing. There are many different types to choose from and you may not know which one is the most suitable for what you want for your home. Here we have some tips to advise you what to do when buying a dehumidifier.

1. Don’t buy one made in China

Today most dehumidifiers are made in China and are made to a specification that suits all European countries. However, the British Island climate is very different to any other European country and you really need a dehumidifier that’s designed for the UK conditions. Ebac was the pioneer of the domestic dehumidifier over 30 years ago. They adapted an idea from the USA to suit British conditions.

The UK has a wet, temperate climate – not suffering from extremes of heat or cold. Our weather means that we suffer from condensation and dampness in the winter, while in warmer climates the problem is more about high humidity at high temperatures.

Our homes and style of construction are also a major factor. These days, our homes are like sealed boxes. Double glazing, cavity wall insulation, roof insulation – all act to prevent air entering or leaving the home. This is good for energy efficiency but not so good for allowing control of excess moisture.

Ebac dehumidifiers are configured differently to work in UK homes to control condensation compared to working in tropical conditions. Our 35 years of extensive experience, expert knowledge and on-going research allow us to ensure Ebac dehumidifiers are the most effective within the UK.

You simply won’t find a more suitable dehumidifier.

2. Don’t buy a Desiccant Dehumidifier

There are two main types of dehumidifier – Compressor and Desiccant Dehumidifiers. Ebac manufacture both types, but only recommend Desiccant Dehumidifiers for large industrial applications. These are not appropriate for domestic uses as they use high amounts of energy. They have high extraction capacities at typical UK winter conditions. However, this high extracting capacity is often misused. A domestic desiccant dehumidifier removes around 3 times more moisture than is required for an average British home with 4 occupants.

Compressor dehumidifiers are designed to work well in UK homes. At normal UK home conditions, the best compressor dehumidifiers will only use half of the electricity compared to a desiccant dehumidifier for the same amount of water extracted. A compressor dehumidifier with Ebac’s Smart Control will use even less electricity.

3. Don’t buy one with Humidistat

The problem with adjustable humidistats is that they need to be reset several times a day otherwise there will be times that they are running when they don’t need to or off when they should be on. A humidistat that is set too low will keep running even though it has removed all the excess moisture and thereby wasting electricity. A humidistat which is set too high will not run enough and not control the moisture levels.

Some dehumidifiers can only be set in 5% steps and 5% difference is big, meaning it doesn’t run enough or runs too much. Ebac scientists have developed and patented a fully automatic intelligent humidistat that resets automatically and does so without wasting energy.

4. Don’t buy one with a poor water container

Another thing to take into consideration is that if your dehumidifier will have a water container that is easy to empty. You should empty the water container on a dehumidifier every day, so make sure it’s fully enclosed with a handle. Some dehumidifiers have open tanks where it is very easy to spill the water. All Ebac water containers are enclosed with a handle.

5. Check running costs of your machine

Buying a compressor dehumidifier will make sure that your energy bills will stay low as they need about half of the electricity to run compared to a desiccant dehumidifier. This is why compressor dehumidifiers are much more suitable to your home. Ebac dehumidifiers come with a control system that can save you over £50 per year.