High level of humidity is not just very irritating, but also not very good for health. Heat and humidity combined is the best condition for termites and fungus to grow. Apart from termites and fungi, high humidity levels can result in increased condensation on mirrors and windows, stains on walls and ceiling, increase in allergic outbursts etc. humidity might affect the inhabitants like they are in a steam room, making it almost impossible to do any work. That is where a dehumidifier comes to the rescue.
A dehumidifier is equipment that can be used to bring down the humidity level in a room. The optimum level of humidity should be maintained between 30 and 50%. Above this the moisture content in the air will be so high that the body will not be able to produce sweat. This in turn will result in the heat not being let out of the body.
At high temperature areas, a mechanical dehumidifier with a refrigerated coil can be used to reduce the temperature and condense the moisture into water. Then the air outside is heated to cool down the coil again. A very good example is the air conditioner. In cases of low temperature areas, a dehumidifier with a desiccant is used. The substance used has affinity for moisture and thus removes moisture from the atmosphere. Exposing the material to a very low moisture air stream helps to recycle the desiccant material. But the equipment is highly energy consuming. Some of the other types of dehumidifiers are spray humidifier, electronic humidifier, thermally activated humidifier etc.
While choosing a dehumidifier for your home, it is good to keep some simple facts in mind to lay your hands on the best deal. Size of the dehumidifier and its capacity are the main factors to be taken into consideration. It is better to go for a dehumidifier with a slightly larger capacity so that it has to be operated only for shorter periods of time, giving ample rest to the equipment. But if it is not to be permanently fixed in a room, then the better choice will be a compact and portable one. A dehumidifier with a humidistat will switch on and off on its own, once the required level is fed into the system. Since the equipments have an air filter, make sure they can be cleaned or replaced. Also there should be facility to remove the moisture that is drawn out by the dehumidifier in the form of water. If all this is taken care of, you can rest assured that you have the best dehumidifier .