Dehumidifier, sticky doors?

[Bryan Williams]

Like a lot of people we're trying to save money on heating bills but are experiencing the usual problems.
We just have the two rads on in the front room now, it's a 70s semi, one long room front room and diner style. It's working OK, heating on half hour in the morning, the room sits at the set temp 18 all day and night usually, so no real problem there, we have really thick full length curtains on the conservatory doors one end and the same on the front windows, two dogs and two people seem to throw out enough heat to keep us warm, the missus has a cracking electric throw type blanket as well,but drying clothes lately has been a problem.
They sit on the airer rack either in the conservatory or the front room, whichever is warmer when it's raining.
But it's not drying for days..

Also all the doors in the house are sticking now, the wooden porch on the front is the worst but the sapaline doors throughout the house are also getting bad.
Doesn't help that I recently painted them.
We had a dehumidifier but it packed up a couple of years ago,I think it would probably sort it.. any tips on a decent one at the cheaper price range would be appreciated as I did find that our last one was good for drying clothes and throwing a bit of heat out.
Also any thoughts on if it's the right way to go anyway or if there's any better way to dry out a house and clothes?

 

[Morrisman]

I recently bought a small electric plug in radiator for my daughter to use to dry clothes. She has a washing machine, but no space for a tumble dryer. Just hanging them on the clothes horse was taking days.

The rad fits neatly inside her clothes horse, so it is literally surrounded by clothes. I also gave her one of those small dehumidifier bottle things, with the blue donut inside, told her to keep an eye on it and empty it and replace the donut as required.

 

[Shox Dr]

If money is tight. Have a mooch around your local council tip. I've had 4 dehumidifiers from ours, all working.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

also gave her one of those small dehumidifier bottle things,

I use three of those, one in the bedroom + living room + kitchen and they're remarkably effective at removing condensation from the windows at this time of year.

 

[Gareth J]

Consider fitting an mvhr unit if you can find space. There are ones that'll live in a cupboard, a loft or even ones like a through wall extractor.

More expensive to buy than a dehumidifier but much cheaper to run. Ours in the lean to dries all washing with no condensation. It's lazy, but even on a good drying day, we only bother to hang out sheets.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

We bought a dehumidifier a year ago from B&Q for about £120 and dry our washing in this room when its wet outside. To dry a normal load takes about 1kWh, things like towels more like 1.5kWh. The dryer next to the washing machine has never been used as it came with the house and is a basic energy hungry type. When the price of the new recirculating condensing ones comes down I'll think about getting one.

 

[Craig-SM]

We use a dehumidifier for drying clothes when then weather is naff. Even heavy towels are dried within 12 hours and the heat from it keeps the room warm.

Had a few second hand ones that have been used in the garage and never last long due to the dust and dirt. In the house for drying we bought one of these although it was much cheaper when we got it

Blyss WDH-316DB 16Ltr Dehumidifier - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Ideal for removing excess moisture and controlling damp and condensation. Features automatic shut down, carry handle, LED display and reusable air filter. Suitable for rooms from 30 to 35m³. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[J1nx]

Two types I think, I bought one of each and they each have plus/minus.

Condenser is more modern looking with digital controls, however it requires manual turn on so useless with smart plug if that’s a consideration. It also pulls slightly less moisture in the same time, however it use’s literally half the power (checked by smart plug). It pumps out just very slightly warmed air. It’s heavier.

Desiccant, looks older/more basic. Uses double the power but that’s given out as heat so may be worth it. Pulls more moisture but my particular model flows more air I think, so slightly noisier. Bit smaller, fair bit lighter. Works with smart plug.

Both models I have are ecoair and several years old without issue, not heavily used. I believe desiccant will work at lower temps whilst condenser will not, both mine used at 16-20deg. I use the condenser more simply due to power draw and the fact I try to only use excess solar to power it.

 

[minimutly]

We use a dehumidifier for drying clothes when then weather is naff. Even heavy towels are dried within 12 hours and the heat from it keeps the room warm.

Had a few second hand ones that have been used in the garage and never last long due to the dust and dirt. In the house for drying we bought one of these although it was much cheaper when we got it

Blyss WDH-316DB 16Ltr Dehumidifier - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Ideal for removing excess moisture and controlling damp and condensation. Features automatic shut down, carry handle, LED display and reusable air filter. Suitable for rooms from 30 to 35m³. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

The hotpoint dehumidifier in my workshop is 25 yrs old, was used indoors for the first 5 years. I have to give it a blow with an air gun every now and again, and the fan bearing (oilite) dried up once. Excellent bit of kit.

 

[Craig-SM]

The hotpoint dehumidifier in my workshop is 25 yrs old, was used indoors for the first 5 years. I have to give it a blow with an air gun every now and again, and the fan bearing (oilite) dried up once. Excellent bit of kit.

I now have one of these in the garage. Bought as faulty but just needed a good clean and a new pump for £60. Removes a ridiculous amounts of moisture from the air and even pumps water out and uphill so I can run the outlet along the underside of the garage roof and into the guttering.

 

[Gareth J]

Just to add, an MVHR unit won't add any significant heat to the room. They're pretty low power ~30-50W. So if you need to heat the space via expensive electric anyway, you might as well let a dehumidifier (~300W?) Add it's heat to the room and use that. But if you can heat with (relatively) cheaper gas or a heat pump, the MVHR will be cheaper to run.

 

[MattF]

Dehumidifier & a ceiling rack is the method of clothes drying I've been using for a good while now. I have a Meaco unit.

 

[bricol]

Hang in bathroom, leave windows open, close bathroom door . . . dry in a day.

Keeps visits to bathroom to short ones too

 

[not done it yet]

My workshop is dehumidified by a meacco desiccant 8 litres per day thingy. Works well and warms the workshop. I use it only for a couple of hours a night at the lower power setting (~375W). They actually work at lower temperatures whereas the compressor type are fairly useless below about 10 Celsius. Note:- most dehumidifiers are specified for about 90% humidity at about 35 degrees Celsius, so pretty well irrelevant to your operational conditions!

The model I have are not the most reliable (but I always have a spare and can fix them relatively easily).

Too expensive, now, on the current leccy rates (mine is only run on E7).

I’m currently considering using a chinese diesel fuelled air heater for some background warming this winter. I am thinking of siting the machine outside - so no risks of CO or diesel odours indoors. I have both 2kW and supposed 5kW versions - 8kW chinese air heaters of this type simply do not exist - and am thinkink that the 2kW one might be adequate. The 4+kW (claimed 5) is usually only run for a short time on anything more than minimum, for my smallish (but well insulated and draught-proofed) workshop.

I am lucky, in that I have a reasonable supply of fuel, from about thirty years ago, that really needs using up. I can also likely source (cheaper) oil from people, I know, that purchase in bulk.

I would think that clothes-drying, with a dehumidifier in an enclosed space would be good. I have a heat-pump tumble drier that is far more efficient than the more-usual types. That is much equivalent to a dehumidifier in an enclosed space.

 

[gaz1]

best way is to bring back the old airing cupboard reference but people wont want to do this

easiest way is to build it i with the new insulation stuff within a wooden frame plastic will go brittle

 

[brightspark]

im flogging an andrews building drier in good working order .i dont think your missus would like it mind its big

 

[tigdlo]

Make sure your doors are well hung... They often aren't.

The edge with the catch should be slightly tapered, if not the gap closes up as the door opens.

 

[Tom O]

Hang in bathroom, leave windows open, close bathroom door . . . dry in a day.

Keeps visits to bathroom to short ones too

That kind of defeats the use of the bounce sheets to keep your clothes springtime fresh doesn’t it?

 

[minimutly]

My workshop is dehumidified by a meacco desiccant 8 litres per day thingy. Works well and warms the workshop. I use it only for a couple of hours a night at the lower power setting (~375W). They actually work at lower temperatures whereas the compressor type are fairly useless below about 10 Celsius. Note:- most dehumidifiers are specified for about 90% humidity at about 35 degrees Celsius, so pretty well irrelevant to your operational conditions!

The model I have are not the most reliable (but I always have a spare and can fix them relatively easily).

Too expensive, now, on the current leccy rates (mine is only run on E7).

I’m currently considering using a chinese diesel fuelled air heater for some background warming this winter. I am thinking of siting the machine outside - so no risks of CO or diesel odours indoors. I have both 2kW and supposed 5kW versions - 8kW chinese air heaters of this type simply do not exist - and am thinkink that the 2kW one might be adequate. The 4+kW (claimed 5) is usually only run for a short time on anything more than minimum, for my smallish (but well insulated and draught-proofed) workshop.

I am lucky, in that I have a reasonable supply of fuel, from about thirty years ago, that really needs using up. I can also likely source (cheaper) oil from people, I know, that purchase in bulk.

I would think that clothes-drying, with a dehumidifier in an enclosed space would be good. I have a heat-pump tumble drier that is far more efficient than the more-usual types. That is much equivalent to a dehumidifier in an enclosed space.

Yes but in my workshop I get very little issues with humid air when the ambient is low. And contrary to popular belief, it still does pull moisture out of the air down to the point at which I don’t have issues. Does that make sense?
What I’m saying is - it works.

 

[Trevorleach]

Meaco DD8L are quite good, not a single issue so far.
Bought on the strength of reading some canal boat forums where they reckoned it was a good machine.
First one bought to keep boat dry, 5/6 yrs later 2nd one to dry clothes at home.