When running a dehumidifier with a drain hose....

When running a dehumidifier with a drain hose....

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Discussion

zed4

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

228 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
...can the hose run uphill?

Apologies if this is a daft question, there's nothing about it in the instruction manual.

The boot in my tvr is wet, due to a faulty boot catch (now fixed) and I'd like to dry it out. I've just bought a decent dehumidifier and it's done a good job of drying the car and the garage out overnight.

Now I'd like to put the dehumidifier in the boot (with the boot lid open) and run the hose out the boot and out the garage door, as the water tank on the dehumidifier fills up too quickly. So, will it matter if the drain hose runs out from the bottom of the dehumidifier, up to the boot opening and then back down, outside the car and out under the garage door?

Obviously water can't flow uphill, but will it condense at the top of the hose and run out down the downhill section of the hose, or is that wishful thinking?!

Also, is there a maximum length of hose dehumidifier work with? I'd like to rig it up in my garage permenantly with a drain hose, this may involve dipping the hose down under the door and bringing it back up again slightly too.

Thanks,

Dan

Simpo Two

86,774 posts

271 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
I don't see how that would work. However, the amount of water in your boot is finite - so is the drop tray really too small?

NB I'd run it with boot shut otherwise it will try to dehumidify your garage again.

Rickyy

6,618 posts

225 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
I'm sure I've seen a series of dehumidifiers with their hoses running uphill into a sink.

If it's a small diameter hose, capillary action should take place and allow the water to "run" up hill.

Rickyy

6,618 posts

225 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
I'm sure I've seen a series of dehumidifiers with their hoses running uphill into a sink.

If it's a small diameter hose, capillary action should take place and allow the water to "run" up hill.

Spare tyre

10,191 posts

136 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
Does the unit have a built in tank with the hose use being optional, if so as long as the hose doesn't go higher than the top of the tank then it should work.

What you could do is put the unit in the boot and then pour water down the tube and observe what happens, this is just recreating what will happen if the u it was left to run for a while


What I'm trying to explain is very hard to write!

jeff m2

2,060 posts

157 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
If the highest point of the drain hose is higher than the collection tray in the dehumidifier from which it drains it will overflow.

My house dehumidifier drain hose does go way higher than the unit but IT HAS A PUMP.

For the trunk use the crystals, much easier, just empty the it after the first day when it will collect most moisture, then you can probably leave it unattended for an extended period.

Super Slo Mo

5,368 posts

204 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
Is there any reason why you can't put the dehumidifier on a box or piece of wood so it'd higher than the lip of the boot, or have I misunderstood something?

zed4

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

228 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
I tried it for a while and it seemed to back feed and fill up the tank, as suggested above. I've decided to use the integral tank whilst it's in the boot.

Ps. I can't shut the boot as the vent would be restricted by the boot lid.

Wozy68

5,416 posts

176 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
It won't work, all it will do is draw the moisture out of the area, not reduce any water or dry out the carpets.

I had one inside my 911 for two weeks with the doors shut after a broken sunroof drain pipe filled the front and rear footwells on the passenger side.

Though it stopped the inside of the car steaming up and the tank got the moisture out of the air. The water in the wells was still the same.

Ventilation and lots of towels was the only way to get the water out and the inside dry. .... It took weeks in a heated garage to sort it.



Edited by Wozy68 on Sunday 26th January 19:00

Spare tyre

10,191 posts

136 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
Would air flow be better in this situ? Desk fan to get the air moving over the problem area?

Wozy68

5,416 posts

176 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
Spare tyre said:
Would air flow be better in this situ? Desk fan to get the air moving over the problem area?
Most probs is, IMO ventilation and patience is the answer.

zed4

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

228 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
The car is going to be sat in a heated and dehumidifier garage Monday to Friday anyway. I leave the boot and doors open to air it out.

Rickyy

6,618 posts

225 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
jeff m2 said:
My house dehumidifier drain hose does go way higher than the unit but IT HAS A PUMP.

The ones I saw must have been pumped then. Big industrial looking things, being used to dry out a freshly plastered house.

V8A*ndy

3,695 posts

197 months

Sunday 26th January 2014
quotequote all
The dried air from the appliance getting in and around the boot area is really all you need.

It's the heat generated from the appliance itself that speeds up the drying process if it was in the boot.

Make sure the garage itself is fairly air tight and warm and allow the appliance to circulate the air.

Wouldn't be without one myself.




zed4

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

228 months

Monday 27th January 2014
quotequote all
I ran it overnight on the internal tank. It was just about full when I checked on it this morning, and the boot was very nearly dry. There was a wet patch just behind the dehumidifier.

Now I just need to sort out a longer drain hose so I can rig it up permanently in the corner of the garage.

Wozy68

5,416 posts

176 months

Monday 27th January 2014
quotequote all
zed4 said:
I ran it overnight on the internal tank. It was just about full when I checked on it this morning, and the boot was very nearly dry. There was a wet patch just behind the dehumidifier.

Now I just need to sort out a longer drain hose so I can rig it up permanently in the corner of the garage.
Wow, well done, I'm amazed.

Didn't work for me at all. Saying that I had a hell of alot of water in my car.