Hardwired Dehumidifier
Discussion
Afternoon,
I'm looking for some recommendations on a new loft mounted / permanent dehumidifier.
We have a small 3-bed detached property built in the late 80s - during the winter months, say from November to March we use a dehumidifier for a few hours per day.
Typically after the shower has been used in the morning it leaves a lot of condensate - all bathroom walls are tiled, so moisture lingers.
The house is kept around 20C during the day, ideally we try and keep the windows closed to save heat - although we do leave some of the weep vents open.
To combat moisture / condensation we have typically used a floor standing mobile unit on the upstairs landing for around 3/4 hours per day, this will tend to condense around 1L of water and clears things up quite nicely.
Im not sure if its bad luck, but each one of these units has lasted around two winters before going pop / developing faults, typically spending around £200 on each unit. The third unit has now failed in around 5 years, so thinking now may be the time to invest in a better solution.
My thoughts at the moment are to try and find a unit that could be mounted in the loft whereby I can plumb in a water drain to the soil stack then run ducting from the bathroom extractor fan and recirculate back into the hallway.
Issue is, I have no idea where to start, or even if these things even exist - will be taking a look online, but would rather trust the opinions of those that may have been in a similar situation or have a similar system.
I'm looking for some recommendations on a new loft mounted / permanent dehumidifier.
We have a small 3-bed detached property built in the late 80s - during the winter months, say from November to March we use a dehumidifier for a few hours per day.
Typically after the shower has been used in the morning it leaves a lot of condensate - all bathroom walls are tiled, so moisture lingers.
The house is kept around 20C during the day, ideally we try and keep the windows closed to save heat - although we do leave some of the weep vents open.
To combat moisture / condensation we have typically used a floor standing mobile unit on the upstairs landing for around 3/4 hours per day, this will tend to condense around 1L of water and clears things up quite nicely.
Im not sure if its bad luck, but each one of these units has lasted around two winters before going pop / developing faults, typically spending around £200 on each unit. The third unit has now failed in around 5 years, so thinking now may be the time to invest in a better solution.
My thoughts at the moment are to try and find a unit that could be mounted in the loft whereby I can plumb in a water drain to the soil stack then run ducting from the bathroom extractor fan and recirculate back into the hallway.
Issue is, I have no idea where to start, or even if these things even exist - will be taking a look online, but would rather trust the opinions of those that may have been in a similar situation or have a similar system.
I'm not a builder so feel free to ignore my reply.
Firstly, leave the bathroom window open for an hour and close the door so the rest of the house maintains the heat, and in fact, always keep the bathroom door closed so the dampness stays in there.
2. Not all units are the same. I'd like to say to buy British but Ebacs are s
te. Poorly built. Had a dehumidifier go within months and know someone else whose dehumidifier went, he sent it back 2 or 3 times before requesting a refund. That said, you CAN buy British by buying Meaco. I have owned two Meacos for about 10 years and they're still fine (one leaks a bit, mind, so I put a tray down). It's at the point where I'm wondering if they will die.
Thirdly, is your proposed idea not going to fail if you've already had 3 units in 5 years? What's stopping a built-in unit from failing? Sure, you can buy a Meaco, but then just buy a Meaco and sit it wherever you normally put it.
Firstly, leave the bathroom window open for an hour and close the door so the rest of the house maintains the heat, and in fact, always keep the bathroom door closed so the dampness stays in there.
2. Not all units are the same. I'd like to say to buy British but Ebacs are s
te. Poorly built. Had a dehumidifier go within months and know someone else whose dehumidifier went, he sent it back 2 or 3 times before requesting a refund. That said, you CAN buy British by buying Meaco. I have owned two Meacos for about 10 years and they're still fine (one leaks a bit, mind, so I put a tray down). It's at the point where I'm wondering if they will die.Thirdly, is your proposed idea not going to fail if you've already had 3 units in 5 years? What's stopping a built-in unit from failing? Sure, you can buy a Meaco, but then just buy a Meaco and sit it wherever you normally put it.
Yes, leave that bathroom window open, especially after showering. I do the German 'lüften' thing where I leave all the windows in the house wide open for ten minutes each morning after showering. The house warms up again very quickly, and you lose all of the stale, moist air.
For a more technical solution, PIV is supposed to be very good, but even a much beefier bathroom extractor (an inline fan in your loft space) would probably be a better solution than running a dehumidifier in my view.
For a more technical solution, PIV is supposed to be very good, but even a much beefier bathroom extractor (an inline fan in your loft space) would probably be a better solution than running a dehumidifier in my view.
Bathroom window open is best, it doesn't even need to be for that long - just when you're showering or for a short while afterwards will remove the vast majority of the water.
Otherwise a split air con unit will dehumidify as well as heating/cooling. Not cheap, but probably the best solution if you want to keep the house sealed.
Otherwise a split air con unit will dehumidify as well as heating/cooling. Not cheap, but probably the best solution if you want to keep the house sealed.
Simplest thing is a decent extractor fan over the shower.
Improved by a 'run on' timer so it keeps going for a while, which should dry the bathroom.
It also stops the moist air spreading to the rest of the home.
You can make its life easier with a squeegee to remove a lot of water from the tiles after showering.
A more advanced answer is a heat recovery unit, to extract warm damp air from the bathroom and put its heat into fresh air blown in elsewhere.
Opening windows is a fine plan, but doesn't work for everyone, like people who shower, grab breakfast and go to work.
Dehumidifiers are great, I've got 3, but, they only remove water. Stale air also contains CO2, smells, farts and sometimes radon.
Extractor fan is maybe 25watts for 20 minutes compared with a dehumidifier 300w for hours at a time.
Proper aircon is also an answer.
Improved by a 'run on' timer so it keeps going for a while, which should dry the bathroom.
It also stops the moist air spreading to the rest of the home.
You can make its life easier with a squeegee to remove a lot of water from the tiles after showering.
A more advanced answer is a heat recovery unit, to extract warm damp air from the bathroom and put its heat into fresh air blown in elsewhere.
Opening windows is a fine plan, but doesn't work for everyone, like people who shower, grab breakfast and go to work.
Dehumidifiers are great, I've got 3, but, they only remove water. Stale air also contains CO2, smells, farts and sometimes radon.
Extractor fan is maybe 25watts for 20 minutes compared with a dehumidifier 300w for hours at a time.
Proper aircon is also an answer.
Hoofy said:
I'm not a builder so feel free to ignore my reply.
Firstly, leave the bathroom window open for an hour and close the door so the rest of the house maintains the heat, and in fact, always keep the bathroom door closed so the dampness stays in there.
2. Not all units are the same. I'd like to say to buy British but Ebacs are ste. Poorly built. Had a dehumidifier go within months and know someone else whose dehumidifier went, he sent it back 2 or 3 times before requesting a refund. That said, you CAN buy British by buying Meaco. I have owned two Meacos for about 10 years and they're still fine (one leaks a bit, mind, so I put a tray down). It's at the point where I'm wondering if they will die.
Thirdly, is your proposed idea not going to fail if you've already had 3 units in 5 years? What's stopping a built-in unit from failing? Sure, you can buy a Meaco, but then just buy a Meaco and sit it wherever you normally put it.
My Ebac has been fine. Must be 6 or 7 years old now. I just leave it on smart all the time.Firstly, leave the bathroom window open for an hour and close the door so the rest of the house maintains the heat, and in fact, always keep the bathroom door closed so the dampness stays in there.
2. Not all units are the same. I'd like to say to buy British but Ebacs are s
te. Poorly built. Had a dehumidifier go within months and know someone else whose dehumidifier went, he sent it back 2 or 3 times before requesting a refund. That said, you CAN buy British by buying Meaco. I have owned two Meacos for about 10 years and they're still fine (one leaks a bit, mind, so I put a tray down). It's at the point where I'm wondering if they will die.Thirdly, is your proposed idea not going to fail if you've already had 3 units in 5 years? What's stopping a built-in unit from failing? Sure, you can buy a Meaco, but then just buy a Meaco and sit it wherever you normally put it.
AlexGSi2000 said:
My thoughts at the moment are to try and find a unit that could be mounted in the loft whereby I can plumb in a water drain to the soil stack then run ducting from the bathroom extractor fan and recirculate back into the hallway.
In that case you could skip the dehumidifier just duct the humid air straight out.I have a Meaco in my garage plumbed to the outside with a short length of tubing. It works fine.
It’s worth fitting a very powerful extractor fan that will also draw air in from the rest of the house as it expels the moisture. Fit as close to the shower as possible, use the 12VDC ones if it’s within the splash zone. Not sure if you can fit a mains one in a bathroom in tandem away from splash zones anymore as well for double points.
If you have good loft access as you mention, add one of these: https://www.fastlec.co.uk/nuaire-dri-eco-lc-piv-un...
A dehumidifier is mechanically fighting to take moisture out of the air via either refrigeration or desiccant, both of which are relatively complex, whereas if you suck the air out completely out of the building it might solve the problem better long term.
You can always still use a dehumidifier round the house and it will always draw out some moisture but blasting 99% of the humid air out of the bathroom in the first place and replacing it with drier air from higher up would be my starting point…
If you have good loft access as you mention, add one of these: https://www.fastlec.co.uk/nuaire-dri-eco-lc-piv-un...
A dehumidifier is mechanically fighting to take moisture out of the air via either refrigeration or desiccant, both of which are relatively complex, whereas if you suck the air out completely out of the building it might solve the problem better long term.
You can always still use a dehumidifier round the house and it will always draw out some moisture but blasting 99% of the humid air out of the bathroom in the first place and replacing it with drier air from higher up would be my starting point…
Similar issues here compounded by the bathroom / shower being downstairs. Washing drying, wet coats, cooking etc... my house sounds like Gatwick at rush hour with all the fans and extractors that run.
However, dehumidifier wise... I've had a Blyss stand alone unit, got it from Screwfix about 7yrs ago and it runs about 6hrs a day through the colder months. Genuinely surprised that it's still going strong to be fair!
However, dehumidifier wise... I've had a Blyss stand alone unit, got it from Screwfix about 7yrs ago and it runs about 6hrs a day through the colder months. Genuinely surprised that it's still going strong to be fair!
I echo what Hoofy said about opening a window and dehumidifiers. I had two Ebacs and both failed within three years. ste. Bought two Meaco units as replacements which have lasted 7-8 years already and still going strong. To clarify, they are a British company but the products are made in China.
te. Bought two Meaco units as replacements which have lasted 7-8 years already and still going strong. To clarify, they are a British company but the products are made in China. Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff