Dehumidifiers can improve the comfort within your home substantially. This is especially so if you or someone in your family is suffering from allergies. By using a dehumidifier you remove the water from your home. By removing the water you make your house less hospitable for allergens such as mold, fungi, mildew, and dust mites.
The question is what size of dehumidifier should you get? If you look online you will see dozens of different brands, sizes, and choices. But, which one is best for you and your home?
Sizing Your Dehumidifier
Firstly, you need to determine what you intend to use the dehumidifier for. Are you going to be using it in a damp basement? Your master bedroom? Or, perhaps, in your kitchen/living room combination area? Knowing what room you will be using the appliance is key as you will have to purchase the right sized dehumidifier to ensure that the correct amount of moisture is removed from the air.
Once you have room chosen you now need to measure the square footage of said room. The square footage number will help you in determining just what size dehumidifier that you need. To find the square footage you need to measure the width and the length of the room. Let’s say for example you are measuring for a bedroom that measures ten feet long and twelve feet wide. Ten times twelve equals one-hundred and twenty square feet.
These square footage measurements will aid you in picking a portable dehumidifier. However, if you are looking to dehumidify your entire home then you may look at a whole home dehumidifier. These units can actually be attached to your central air conditioner and be routed through your central duct work. While the cost may be expensive at first you will end up seeing monthly savings on your energy bill and a longer life from your central air conditioner due to the dehumidifier taking some of the work off of the AC. These whole system dehumidifiers can work on homes up to three-thousand square feet.
Determining Dampness
Before you purchase you should keep in mind that once you determine the minimum capacity you need for your room that you should always go up slightly. By going up in capacity, say from a twelve pint to a sixteen pint, you are able to increase the overall efficiency of your dehumidifier. This is because the larger unit will not have to work as hard as a unit that was right at the minimum level.
When you have your square footage determined you next need to figure out how damp the room is that you are trying to dehumidify. There are a few different dampness ratings that we can assign to your room. Knowing these will allow us to guide you on what kind of dehumidifier to purchase.
Moderately Damp – When you enter the room you may notice that the air feels clammy or even damp. There may also be a musty odor when the weather is humid outside. This may be a lot of your basements. The recommend capacity for a moderately damp room is between ten to twenty-six pints, or between five to twelve liters.
- A five-hundred square feet area that is moderately damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of ten pints or four point seven liters.
- A one-thousand square foot area that is moderately damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of fourteen pints or six point six liters.
- A fifteen-hundred square foot area that is moderately damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of eighteen pints or eight point five liters.
- A two-thousand square foot area that is moderately damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-two pints or ten liters.
- A twenty-five-hundred square foot area that is moderately damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-six pints or twelve liters.
Very Damp – When you enter this room you may notice that it always smells musty and the air feels clammy or damp. You may even notice damp spots on the floor, walls, or windows. The recommend capacity for a very damp area is between twelve to thirty-two pints, or between five point seven to fifteen point one liters.
- A five-hundred square feet area that is very damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twelve pints or five point seven liters.
- A one-thousand square feet area that is very damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of seventeen pints or eight liters.
- A fifteen-hundred square feet area that is very damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-two pints or ten liters.
- A two-thousand square feet area that is very damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-seven pints or thirteen liters.
- A twenty-five-hundred square feet area that is very damp will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of thirty-two pints or fifteen liters.
Wet – When you enter this room you may notice that it always smells musty and the air feels clammy or damp. You will also notice water beading on the floors, walls, windows, or elsewhere. You may also see moisture seeping at the edges of the room. The recommend capacity for a wet area is between fourteen to thirty-eight pints, or between six point six to eighteen liters.
- A five-hundred square feet area that is wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of fourteen pints or six point six liters.
- A one-thousand square feet area that is wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty pints or nine point five liters.
- A fifteen-hundred square feet area that is wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-six pints or twelve liters.
- A two-thousand square feet area that is wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of thirty-two pints or fifteen liters.
- A twenty-five-hundred square feet area that is wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of thirty-eight pints or eighteen liters.
Very Wet – When you enter this room you may notice that it always smells musty and the air feels clammy or damp. You will also notice water beading on the floors, walls, windows, or elsewhere. You may also see moisture seeping at the edges of the room. The difference here though between wet and very wet is that with the very wet section you will notice actual standing water on the floor. The recommend capacity for a very wet area is between sixteen to forty-four pints, or between seven point six to twenty point eight liters.
- A five-hundred square feet area that is very wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of sixteen pints or seven point six liters.
- A one-thousand square feet area that is very wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of twenty-three pints or eleven liters.
- A fifteen-hundred square feet area that is very wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of thirty pints or fourteen liters.
- A two-thousand square feet area that is very wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of thirty-seven pints or eighteen liters.
- A twenty-five-hundred square feet area that is very wet will require a dehumidifier with a capacity of forty-four pints or twenty-one liters.
Now, you may have noticed that all of the products we mentioned above are NOT a central dehumidifier. These products we recommended above are strictly portable. If you are interested in a central system then it is best to schedule a consultation with your local HVAC contractor. It is always best to compare prices and quotes from various contractors to ensure you get the best price for your money. Also, you may also end up getting a deal if you purchase both an air conditioner and a central dehumidifier.
Conclusion
As you can see from the above sections there are numerous sizes of dehumidifiers to be considered. Rather you’re looking to just dehumidify your bedroom or your entire home the options are all there. If you are suffering from allergies, or even asthma, then adding a dehumidifier to your home is a very important step to help clean the air.
Along with dehumidifier another easy step to ensure your air is as clean as can be is regularly changing your furnace/air conditioner filters. You can also buy a higher quality filter based on it’s MERV rating. The higher the MERV rating the more containments your filter will catch. Check out our best filter guide for more details.