How does a Delonghi dehumidifier work?
Delonghi Dehumidifiers are the only real answer to controlling condensation and damp atmospheres. Delonghi Dehumidifiers actually remove moisture which would otherwise be trapped in the air and condense on cold surfaces. It’s a fact that most of our homes suffer from condensation as a result of our cold wet climate in the UK. Delonghi Dehumidifiers are a simple solution to this problem; they can protect our homes, keeping them warm, dry and healthy. There is always moisture in the air, this is necessary for us to feel comfortable. However, most homes at one time or another suffer from excess moisture and, where there is insufficient ventilation in a house, moisture levels can build up to a point where damp becomes a problem.
Depending on the severity of the problem excess moisture may cause anything from water on the walls and pools on the window sills, to mould and peeling wallpaper.
Delonghi Dehumidifiers draws the excess moisture out of the air, thereby offering a practical solution to the control of dampness and condensation in the home.
During our daily routine we can be adding more than 11.5 lifters (20 pints) of moisture into the air in our homes, this comes from
- Cooking
- Bathing / showering
- Using washing machines and dishwashers
- drying clothes indoors
- open fires including gas flame heaters and
- breathing
If moisture can not escape it will build up and then find its way to cold spots in the house, for example a window, and condense (turn into water).
That’s when the problem starts.
How does moisture turn into damp?
Dampness is caused when moisture laden air comes into contact with a cold surface, such as a window or north facing wall or even inside a wardrobe in an unheated room. The air coming into contact with these cold surfaces will deposit its moisture on the cold surfaces.
The first visible stage of damp is condensation, forming initially on the windows and then in other areas. The condensation then starts turning into damp resulting in mould and a host of other problems including:
- Condensation puddles on window ledges
- Mould formation on walls
- peeling wallpaper and paint (mould likes to fed on the ingredients in wall paper paste)
- Unpleasant odors
- deterioration of furniture and wooden window and door frames
- Unpleasant physical side-effects, particularly if people suffer from respiratory disorders or rheumatic pains.
How does moisture find its way around the house?
Moisture does not stay for long in a room where it is produced. from being formed in the kitchen or bathroom it will circulate around the house until it finds a cold area where it will condense (e.g. unheated room or cupboard), leaving its moisture which turns to condensation and damp.
It is possible to have one area of the house with high humidity and another connected area with low humidity. The low humidity area will always absorb the moisture from the damper areas balancing the level throughout.
When do you most need a dehumidifier?
Problems are at their worst in the winter when ventilation is at a minimum and outside surfaces are at their coldest.
Will a Delonghi dehumidifier stop condensation?
On a very cold day you will always get a small amount of mist on the windows. If you didn’t it would mean the air is too dry. But a Delonghi Dehumidifier will control condensation to correct levels making sure moisture levels never build up to give you a problem.
The amount of moisture in the air is commonly known as relative humidity. As the air warms us, more moisture can be held, so the level of moisture is relative to the temperature. This is why people talk about relative humidity - expressed as a percentage. Some climates are very hot and wet and relative humidity at 30 deg C can be perhaps 85%, yet on a cold foggy day in this country the air can be perhaps 5 deg C, again with a relative humidity of 85 %. In both cases it is possible to think of the air being 85% full of water vapor, near to saturation in both cases.
Where should a dehumidifier be positioned?
At first we would suggest to position near the dampest spot in the home. Then your Delonghi dehumidifier can be sited anywhere, and if the doors are left open they will control the atmosphere throughout the house.
A central position in the home, such as a hallway or landing is ideal as long as there is no barrier to the areas where the moisture is generated.
What temperatures will they work in?
Dehumidifiers will happily work in a wide range of temperatures. There is no real upper limit, but watch out for lower temperatures.Built in heaters are particularly useful for conservatories and garages, or if you want to leave it in a normally unheated holiday home or boat. They are also ideal for drying laundry.
How does a Delonghi dehumidifier work?
Essentially air is drawn into the machine from all over the house (providing there is free air flow i.e. doors open), water is removed from the air passing over a refrigerated evaporator and then the warm fry air is returned to the atmosphere.
A fan sucks in moisture laden air and draws it first through a filter, removing house dust particles which helps to ease allergies.
The air is then carried along to the evaporator which runs very cold. At this cold temperature moisture is not able stay in the air and condenses into water droplets which collect in a container below.
The cool, dried (dehumidified) air is then passed to the condenser (which runs hot) to warm the air before returning it to the room, resulting in warm, dry and filtered air in the atmosphere of your home.
Watch out for a humidistat (all Delonghi models have them, they allow you to set the degree of relative humidity that you require, and feel most comfortable with. The humidistat will switch the machine on and off accordingly to maintain the desired humidity level. Humidistats also help save on running costs, as you do not need to have it running on full power all the time.
Key features of Delonghi dehumidifiers
Humidistat.
This is vital to the successful operation of a Delonghi dehumidifier. It allows customers to set the air moisture level that’s comfortable for them. The humidistat saves energy by working to set levels and automatically switching itself on and off.
Handle/Castors
Delonghi dehumidifiers are easily moved from room to room thanks to the carry handles and/or easy to push castors.
Air Filters
Can remove house dust particles helping to ease allergies.
Quiet Running
Dehumidifiers do make some background noise. Delonghi products are designed to engineer out noise. Quieter running means minimum disturbance, especially at night.
Lower temperature running
The Delonghi range can be used in lower temperatures i.e. conservatories, garages and basements.
Heater
Some models have thermostatically controlled built-in heaters.
How much do they cost to run?
There are two phases of operation of a dehumidifier:
1. It starts tackling the problem of excess water in the air, and may have to run continuously for two to three days to reduce the moisture levels. At this stage it will cost you approximately a couple of pence per hour.
2. The humidistat then ensures the Delongh dehumidifier only comes on when needed. On going costs are low - probably less than 1p per hour.
Which size dehumidifier do I need for my home?
A domestic dehumidifier will usually control condensation in homes up to 3 bedrooms.
The higher the dehumidifiers quoted extraction rate. the quicker it will take to reduce the moisture levels or the larger area it can deal with.
How often do I need to empty the tank?
In the initial stages a dehumidifier with a high extraction rate can be around twice a day. Smaller machines with lower tank capacities prove to be troublesome to empty ,more frequently.
In the second stage of operation when you are maintaining the moisture levels you will become more likely to empty the tank 1 or 2 times per week (this is obviously dependent on weather and inside humidity levels).
All Delonghi dehumidifiers can be plumed-in to drain constantly, which makes life much easier and is necessary particularly if leaving a machine in an empty property.
Are there any other / cheaper ways of controlling damp and condensation other than a dehumidifier?
You could turn up your heating (the warmer the air, the more moisture is able to be held in the air) and open your windows or have an extractor fan running, this would mean that you could get rid of excess moisture, however you would also be letting expensively heated air escape, thereby giving you very high heating bills.
A Delonghi dehumidifier is really the only effective answer.
After running a dehumidifier for some time people find that can reduce there fuel bills, as they do not need to keep the house so warm to control condensation.
How does a dehumidifier help with drying laundry?
Delonghi Dehumidifiers all aid laundry drying, particularly suitable are the models having a DRY boost function or models with built in heaters as they warm up the air and dry the laundry even quicker.
A dehumidifier is a good all year round alternative to a tumble drying plus you do not have to worry about finding you clothes shrunk to half their size.
Did you know?
Experts advise us that the best environmental conditions both for our bodies and for our belongings, can be found when the relative humidity is between 45% and 55%.
- Below 45% the atmosphere becomes unpleasant, our skin becomes dry and can irritate, difficulties in breathing can occur and we become aware of annoying electric shocks caused by static energy.
- Above 55% the air becomes damp, and tends to lose its capacity to absorb more moisture, our body perspiration has trouble escaping and clings to our skin. Many respiratory illnesses can be exacerbated by this damp and dust mites and bed bugs which aggravate these respiratory conditions flourish. Rheumatic pains may also be aggravated in cold climates, and our homes start to suffer from damp.
- Dehumidifiers control the levels of humidity to give you the best environment in your home.
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