| What is humidity? Well, water comes in three | | | | climates. An example of this is silica gel. |
| forms: liquid, vapor, and ice. Humidity is the | | | | Theres' also a heat pump dehumidifier. These |
| amount of water vapor in the air, known as | | | | machines usually have two sets of coils, a motor |
| relative humidity (RH). If humidity exceeds 100%, | | | | fan that moves air through it, a control panel and |
| moisture will begin to condense from the air. So if | | | | a water bucket or drain system. These types of |
| the air contains only half the water it can hold at | | | | the humidifiers are very efficient, but can be fairly |
| a certain temperature, the relative humidity would | | | | expensive, use a fair amount of electricity, and |
| be 50%. | | | | may be noisy. |
| We can measure the RH with a hygrometer. If | | | | One thing to look for is a high efficiency factor |
| you keep your air conditioning unit on all summer | | | | rating. The Energy Star ratings can save you |
| and the windows and doors closed, check the | | | | some money in the long run. A Look for a |
| relative humidity in various rooms throughout your | | | | dehumidifier with frost free option. Also, the |
| house with a hygrometer. A good rule of thumb | | | | better dehumidifiers have a built-in humidistat and |
| is, if your relative humidity reads above 50%, you | | | | shut off feature. |
| really should have a dehumidifier to take away | | | | Having casters on your dehumidifier can turn out |
| excess moisture. | | | | to be very handy when you want to move the |
| Choosing the type of dehumidifier you need | | | | unit to a different room or a different spot in the |
| depends on your environment. Lets look at the | | | | basement. A dehumidifier that has a capacity of |
| more popular types of dehumidifiers on the | | | | around 60 pints would weigh almost 55 pounds, so |
| market for home use. | | | | rolling it instead of carrying it to a new location is |
| A dehumidifying ventilator works with an exhaust | | | | highly desirable. |
| fan and sensor controller. The sensor controller is | | | | There are several manufacturers of home |
| adjusted to turn on when humidity rises to a | | | | dehumidifiers. Popular manufacturer names are |
| predetermined level. This can be very effective in | | | | Kenmore, Santa Fe, Home Comforts, Soleus, |
| a basement or crawlspace. | | | | Fridgidaire, and others. |
| Another type of dehumidifier is the chemical | | | | Expect to pay anywhere from around $140 for a |
| absorbent, which is best suited for hot and human | | | | 25 pint dehumidifier to $250 for a 60 pint model. |