Do you live in a place where the climate or atmosphere is very humid? Do you have excessive humidity in your house that is damaging your walls, paint, and ceiling? Do you suffer from allergies and they seem to get worse when you are in the house? Then this all points towards one direction and that is: ‘You Need a Dehumidifier in Your House’.
But this suggestion (solution actually) begs the question of ‘What size dehumidifier do I need for my home?’ A valid and sensible question if you are keen on getting rid of that excessive humidity that brings a pile of trouble with it. Here, we will be presenting a proper guide that will help you in choosing the right size dehumidifier for your house; but before we begin, we need to know a bit about how humidifiers are sized and what additional measure you need to consider before you decide on a humidifier.
Why Own a Dehumidifier Unit?
Excellent question, there are a lot of benefits to owning a dehumidifier besides getting rid of the excessive moisture from your house. Some of them include:
- Dehumidifiers remove excess moisture which is required by allergens (mould, dust mites, mildew, etc) to flourish.
- They also remove the musty and rotting odour generated from mildew and mould.
- If your house is susceptible to mould growth, then a dehumidifier can greatly help.
- It also cleans the air and removes dust from it, making it better and allergens free.
- By removing moisture from the environment, it lowers the burden from the air conditioning system which results in low consumption of electricity.
There are plenty of additional benefits for having a humidifier aside from its intended use. But it is better to decide upon the right humidifier that fits your needs before making haste and purchasing one that may underperform as per your need. to find out more read through the entire piece so you can make the right choice.
Sizing Dehumidifiers:
Humidifiers are classified in sizes as per their moisture removing capability. This capability is measured in ‘pints of moisture removed per day (24 hours)’. So, if a humidifier is sized as a 30 pint-dehumidifier, then at testing conditions (60% humidity and 65◦F) it can remove 30 pints of moisture from the environment. The size is also an indirect indicator of the area it will be covering (in Sq. feet). So based on that, you can make an assumption on the size of the dehumidifier you’ll need.
If you still have some confusion as to how do you classify dehumidifiers on the basis of ‘pints removed per day’ against ‘the area’ and ‘moisture conditions’, consider the provided chart. The testing is carried out in colder environments that lower their moisture removing capabilities.
Along with considering the size of room and moisture removing capability of a dehumidifier, you also need to consider the condition of space where you need the dehumidifier to perform. Consider the level of dampness in the affected area. If it’s not that extensive, then you can go with the standards explained in the given chart. But if the moisture is significantly high and the damage caused is excessive, then you will definitely need a dehumidifier with a larger capacity.
Additionally, make compensation to the number of pints to be removed that you may have calculated from your area size and room conditions. If you live in an area with humid atmosphere, the room has multiple doors or windows, a dishwasher or laundry room is nearby, 5 or more people spend a lot of time in that room; under the said conditions add 5-10 pints for moisture to be removed and make your choice accordingly. The main factors to be considered here are the moisture content of the room (dampness) and the pint capacity of the dehumidifier.
Follow the below-stated steps in order to correctly to work out the right size of dehumidifier needed by your household.
Step # 1
Calculate the area effected in cubic feet. You can do that by multiplying the length, breadth/width, and height of the affected area. You may use the given equation.
Affected Area (cubic feet) = (Length x Width) of the floor x Height (of the ceiling from the floor).
Step # 2
This is the most important step. Here you have to analyse the class of water damage which are as following:
• Class 1: Slow rate of evaporation.
• Class 2: Quick Rate of evaporation.
• Class 3: Fastest rate of evaporation.
• Class 4: Speciality drying situation.
Step # 3
Use the worksheet provided to calculate the proper division factor. It is calculated between the class of water damage and the type of dehumidifier used.
Step # 4
The next step involves calculating the pints of dehumidification needed on a daily basis. Use the given equation to calculate this:
Pints to be removed per day = Cubic Feet of effected area calculated from step 1
Division factor calculated from step 3
Step # 5
Determine the rated performance of your preferred dehumidifier at standard testing conditions or AHAM conditions (60% RH, 80◦F).
Check whether one dehumidifier will suffice or do you need more. Use the equation stated below:
Number of dehumidifiers needed = Pints to be removed per day (Step 4)
Rated Performance of preferred/selected dehumidifier
Following the above-stated method (as per IICRC guidelines), you will be able to determine the right size of dehumidifier needed as per your exact requirements. If you haven’t selected the right kind of dehumidifier, you may not be able to properly get rid of the excessive moisture content in your household. We hope this guide has been useful and if you are having any issues making calculations, feel free to contact us where our experts will guide you through the entire process carefully.
Need More Help?
AGILE Equipment Hire stock a range of dehumidifiers for hire in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Our dehumidifier rental fleet has a range of home dehumidifiers as well as water damage dehumidifiers for hire ready to go for any emergency flood damage or wet carpet drying. Call our friendly customer service staff if you need help deciding which dehumidifier to choose.