Recommendation for a self-starting dehumidifier?

JumbleDuck

JumbleDuck

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Can anyone suggest a good dehumidifier which can be set up to start when the mains comes one? I have a brute of a Mitsubishi at the moment, but I want one I can control remotely with a smart home socket.

Disclaimer: It's actually for my house, but I am sure the question could apply to boats as well.
 
Greatings...

Try the Ecoair DD122 Simple, available on Amazon (£135) we have been running one for the past 4 years, make sure it’s the simple version as there is an upgraded version with ioniser and bells and whistles, you don’t want that one. It starts on power and you can set the required humidity, it also has a boost for fast drying, useful in Scotland
 
JumbleDuck said:
Can anyone suggest a good dehumidifier which can be set up to start when the mains comes one? I have a brute of a Mitsubishi at the moment, but I want one I can control remotely with a smart home socket. Disclaimer: It's actually for my house, but I am sure the question could apply to boats as well.
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Would it not be better to repair the leak in the roof?
 
If you intend to actively control it via a smart socket, avoid dessicant dehumidifiers like the Meacos - they don't like having the power ripped out from under them in normal operation. You can get away with it occasionally and the Meaco range will auto-start when the power is applied if they were running when the power was cut, but that is more a mechanism to recover from a power failure than an intentional control feature. In normal operation, you press the stop button on the dehumidifier control panel and it goes through a power-down sequence that is designed to cool the element in a controlled manner.
 
Any reason to interrupt the mains supply in a house? I have used an Ebac machine for many years. It runs on auto in the hall and makes the house feel much warmer in the winter and keeps my old grade 2 listed coach house (no damp course) from getting musty. It’s the modern “ventilation” alternative to having open fires and windows cracked open since we now close up and run central heating in the winters.

On auto low, it’s very quiet and comes on at a preset humidity level.

https://www.ebac.com/dehumidifiers
 
I had an old dehumidifier set on a time switch that worked fine but some of the new ones have these new-fangled power switches that don't switch on again after a power outage. As well as avoid a desiccant, you may need to avoid this kind of switch or contrive to override it.
 
Maeco Junior is the way to go and the usual choice for boats after a PBO review of the market a few years ago. It has multiple settings for required humidity and fan speed and crucially will restart on the last settings after a mains outage. Our experience over 4 years with many unattended power outages from 2 minutes to a couple of weeks are that it does the job perfectly with minimum electricity use on our 42 footer.
 
+1 for the Eco Air DD122FW:-

http://www.dehumidifiersuk.com/eco-...e-low-temperature-desiccant-dehumidifier.html

No fancy electronics with a simple humidistat. Restarts after power interruption and due to the simple humidistat is quite happy to have the power switched off mid cycle. Have been using for the last 5 years on the boat without fault. Can also be set up for continuous drain. Also has high power laundry mode.
 
Meaco DD8L. I entirely disagree with earlier posts about dessicsnt dehumidifiers. The Meaco will start up again exactly where it left off if there’s a break in power and will also switch off when it reaches the pre-set humidity level. It is an excellent machine which has worked faultlessly since we bought it several years ago. Our family owns 4 between us and they have all been brilliant. Totally recommended.
 
KAL said:
Meaco DD8L. I entirely disagree with earlier posts about dessicsnt dehumidifiers. The Meaco will start up again exactly where it left off if there’s a break in power and will also switch off when it reaches the pre-set humidity level. It is an excellent machine which has worked faultlessly since we bought it several years ago. Our family owns 4 between us and they have all been brilliant. Totally recommended.
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Yes, the Meaco DD8L will restart following a power failure, but the manufacturers do warn against cutting the power unnecessarily with it in operation. Dessicant dehumidifiers heat the dessicating disk up to a relatively high temperature and they are supposed to go through a controlled power-down when you switch them off. They certainly will survive the occasional power failure, but the manufacturer's advice is that frequent power failures will reduce the life expectancy.
 
maby said:
Yes, the Meaco DD8L will restart following a power failure, but the manufacturers do warn against cutting the power unnecessarily with it in operation. Dessicant dehumidifiers heat the dessicating disk up to a relatively high temperature and they are supposed to go through a controlled power-down when you switch them off. They certainly will survive the occasional power failure, but the manufacturer's advice is that frequent power failures will reduce the life expectancy.
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Fortunately the manufacturer is being very cautious about their product which actually can cope many many times with a power outage. The chances are very strong that the dehumidifier will be off anyway as it spends most of it's time with the power down once the required humidity level is reached. If the humidifier is on much at all after the first 24 hours then the chances are that the area is too big, or more likely that something in the area is open to the elements instead of sealed.
 
Many thanks, all. I would rather avoid a desiccant one as I worry about fires ... there do seem to be regular reports of dehumidifiers setting boats on fire and I can't help feeling that that is more likely to happen in something containing an electric heater. I'd have no qualms if I was going to be about, but this is for unattended operation. The better low-temperature performance of desiccant models isn't an issue, because I already have remotely controllable central heating.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Many thanks, all. I would rather avoid a desiccant one as I worry about fires ... there do seem to be regular reports of dehumidifiers setting boats on fire and I can't help feeling that that is more likely to happen in something containing an electric heater. I'd have no qualms if I was going to be about, but this is for unattended operation. The better low-temperature performance of desiccant models isn't an issue, because I already have remotely controllable central heating.
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As somebody who leaves their desiccant dehumidifier on the boat unattended for 4 to 5 months each winter (it's a flight away) then please can you link me to these reports of boat fires, as that is news to me. It sounds very serious.
 
RupertW said:
As somebody who leaves their desiccant dehumidifier on the boat unattended for 4 to 5 months each winter (it's a flight away) then please can you link me to these reports of boat fires, as that is news to me. It sounds very serious.
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From 2011 (a compressor one!):

The fire risk of dehumidifiers left unattended on yachts has been highlighted following a blaze that destroyed a £300,000 Moody 54 laid up for the winter. Insurers have urged owners to be vigilant after the fire and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Nigel Dean, who runs a yacht management company in Göcek, Turkey, was alerted to smoke coming from the dorade vents of a yacht in his boatyard. The dehumidifier, a compressor type, had been placed on the galley work surface,’ he said. ‘It was turned on in the mornings and ran all day.’ The blaze was extinguished without damage to other yachts, but the Moody’s insurers declared her a total loss. With yachtsmen enjoying increased access to shore power, and a plethora of cheap dehumidifiers, more are being used on boats. But some insurance companies insist that a dehumidifier has to be rated as suitable for marine use, otherwise the policy is invalidated.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/news/dehumidifier-advice-after-fire-on-laid-up-yacht-5544​

From 2014:

A fellow marina customer noticed that the boat's windows had taken on a tinted effect, whereupon it was discovered that the dehumidifier had suffered a melt down. Fortunately there was no conflagration other than local charring and the fire self-extinguished. However the net result was very severe smoke damage to the vessel's interior throughout. Given the quantity of chlorides etc. involved in these units, hence the potentially acidic nature of the smoke, I expect that the resultant damage to all aspects of the boat including the engine and wiring will be very significant such that the vessel may prove a write-off.

It transpires that there have been recent product recalls on over 2 million dehumidifier units in the States on the basis of potential fire risk, affecting a number of different manufacturing brands (although there is much badge engineering evident). Also, in August, B&Q in the UK issued an urgent recall notice for all units of a particular type sold in the last seven years, and again there may be other badge engineered versions of that unit out there.

http://barges.org/forum/barges/8949-dehumidifiers-warning​

From 2014:

Hampshire firefighters were called to a blazing 38ft yacht last Friday morning and spent two-and-a-half hours tackling the flames. Crews from Hythe, Beaulieu and Hardley fire stations attended, after being called out at around 5.37am. No one was aboard at the time and there were no injuries but the cruiser was completely destroyed. A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘The most likely cause of the fire is due to the overheating or an electrical fault within a dehumidifier which was on board the boat.

https://www.pbo.co.uk/news/warning-to-boat-owners-following-spate-of-fires-1126​

Nasty fire in 2015: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?442642-Nasty-boat-fire-dehumidifier

Which? news item from 2016:

Argos has recalled some of its 10 litre dehumidifiers as certain models could overheat and catch fire. The recall affects models sold between June 2006 and December 2008 which look like the one pictured (right). If you think you own this dehumidifier you should stop using it immediately.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2016/05/safety-warning-argos-dehumidifier-fire-risk-443496/​

Another from 2017:

Dimplex has recalled five of its portable dehumidifiers after finding that one of the components could overheat and cause the product to catch fire. The issue affects the DXDH10N, DXDH16N, FTE10, FTE16 and FTE20 models, manufactured between January and June 2015. Dimplex is advising owners of these models to stop using them immediately, by switching them off at the power socket and unplugging them.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/07/product-recall-five-dimplex-dehumidifiers-pose-fire-risk/​

Discussion in 2017: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...ce-Cover-Dehumidifiers-For-Fire-Risk-on-Boats

The Mitsubishi MJ-E20BG is specifically sold for long-term unattended operation, but at £400 it jolly well ought to be properly made. My bias against desiccant ones may not be supported by the evidence.
 
KAL said:
AFAIK, Meaco is something to do with Mitsubishi. I am not aware of any instances of a DD8L going up in smoke.
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Thanks. I've had a look at their web site, which is very unclear. It says that

In 1999 Meaco were approached by Mitsubishi Electric to become their sole distributor for their range of portable dehumidifiers in the U.K. This was the start of a successful relationship that continues to this day. The current range of Mitsubishi Electric dehumidifiers can be found here.​

but the link ("here") goes to their current range, none of which is branded Mitsubishi and some of which they claim to have designed themselves. This is the sort of obfuscation which puts me off a company.
 
I can't see in the references in #15 that the fires occurred in desiccant types; the first being referred to as a compressor. I suppose that there is a risk with almost any electrical equipment being left on, but in view of the low risk level I think I shall continue to use my desiccant model. With my old compressor one I used to leave it on a timer to work at night but with the Meaco I find that setting it at a higher humidity setting and low fan rate the result is very good. It gets through a few quid in the first weeks and then almost nothing.
 
Seen the results of a dehumidifier catching fire, but it was a compressor type. Anywhere likely to be cold at times, dessicant much better. I have several dessicant Meacos, one Ebac compressor type, and one unbranded compressor type, spread round various places.

Once you stop having open fires and draughty windows in very old thick cob walled houses, dehumidifiers are the best thing to avoid damp. Don't use Meacos on timers, just use the humidity setting and it will auto shut off when dry.
 
Since many people gave good advice, I thought I would report back to say that I was poised to buy a Meaco when the God of Aldi smiled on me and offered one of their "Easy Home" compressor models. They get very good reviews, and I got the last one which was reduced from £120 (which is a good price) to £60 (which is unbeatable).

I've had it in use for two months now, and it seems very nice, and starts automatically with the supply so I have it hanging off a Hive smart socket, running on a timer but going off when the ambient temperature is too low for it to do much good. It fills a nice big tank every two days (can also be plumbed in) and my house is nice and dry.

So ... many thanks to those who offered advice and a recommendation to consider Aldi too. I'd buy one at £120.
 
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