MattF
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I've gone with Meaco's. Had an Ebac Powetdri first, but that developed a fault. Gave that to my niece when it came back repaired.
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I've gone with Meaco's. Had an Ebac Powetdri first, but that developed a fault. Gave that to my niece when it came back repaired.
MattF
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That's why I have a heater in the workshop now. The fins iced up on mine last year. A small heater simply keeps it at a tolerable temperature for the dehumidifier, in there.
Guineafowl
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In my old stone-built workshop, condensation was terrible. The best non-powered defence I found was to drape an old cotton bedsheet over the lathe and mill.
dobbslc
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That's what I had on mine this morning.
MetalMonkey
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Mine today - the workshop area where the bulk of the machinery is located is dry as a bone, but in the vehicle servicing area you can see the floor has been soaked and the tyre machine, jacks, axle stands and press are all wet to the touch.
I think the difference is the doors don't seal as tightly in that part and they are facing the prevailing wind, so there has been a lot of air and moisture blown in. Thankfully the inner door has kept the warmth in the other area and I presume stopped it condensing.
Looks like I've got off quite lightly compared to some!
I think the difference is the doors don't seal as tightly in that part and they are facing the prevailing wind, so there has been a lot of air and moisture blown in. Thankfully the inner door has kept the warmth in the other area and I presume stopped it condensing.
Looks like I've got off quite lightly compared to some!
brightspark
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just spent half a day wiping down 2 lathes 2 millers a pillar drill 5 machine vices a chopsaw table saw and 2 hand held leccy saws aww and me motorbike then sprayed the lot with ac50 .one lathe was covered with a cloth but it still copped it 
brightspark
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its pretty obvious the outcome after a hard few days frost. it gonna thaw and soak everything it will probably happen again shortly unfortunately. might stick a lightbulb under my myford lathe with a cover over it to stop it as its in mint condition and i got it from new 52 years ago the others are covered but it will still happen
it will probably happen again shortly unfortunately. might stick a lightbulb under my myford lathe with a cover over it to stop it as its in mint condition and i got it from new 52 years ago the others are covered but it will still happen
Craig-SM
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It has a built in heater to defrost the fins but the weak point is the pump for removing the collected water from the sump through outlet pipe that can freeze up and then it shuts down as it detects a blockage.
I think I’ll need to invest in one of these diesel heaters too just to keep it above freezing
The Ebac dehumidifier here, relies on the compressor working to a time cycle lasting a good few minutes (maybe 10 or 20 mins), then shutting down for a few minutes, but with the fan continuing to run, to allow the air at ambient temperature to thaw the ice from the fins (or coiled tube in this case). Needless to say, it doesn't operate at sub zero temperatures, prevented from doing so by a built in temperature sensor.
In freezing conditions, extra heat input can make a huge difference. Take as an example, a workshop with ambient air at 0degC and 100% relative humidity, and a modest dry heat input capable of raising the air temp, and ultimately the workshop equipment temperature, by 5degC will reduce the relative humidity to 70%.
In freezing conditions, extra heat input can make a huge difference. Take as an example, a workshop with ambient air at 0degC and 100% relative humidity, and a modest dry heat input capable of raising the air temp, and ultimately the workshop equipment temperature, by 5degC will reduce the relative humidity to 70%.
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Theblackbox
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Following this thread with interest. I have a commercial fabrication shop (roughly 9x12mtrs with high roof) that’s really suffering 
with condensation there’s no heating in there.
I've recently moved workshop and this one is more insulated and better sealed than previous and it seems to be worse for condensation (I guess because of no through draft)
Looking at dehumidifier options either I could go with a large unit such as this
www.costway.co.uk
Or I could go with a couple of smaller units dotted around the place.
with condensation there’s no heating in there.I've recently moved workshop and this one is more insulated and better sealed than previous and it seems to be worse for condensation (I guess because of no through draft)
Looking at dehumidifier options either I could go with a large unit such as this
Shopping Cart - Costway
www.costway.co.uk
Or I could go with a couple of smaller units dotted around the place.
brightspark
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i have a large andrews 110 v building dryer dehumidifier might flog it for 100 quid
A through draught can be a bad thing, as it will bring a constant supply of moisture-laden air into contact with cold machinery, during weather patterns similar to those experienced over the last few days. The machinery will end up warming faster in a through draught, but not before it becomes dripping wet with condensation.
The link in @Theblackbox 's posting doesn't work.
The link in @Theblackbox 's posting doesn't work.
Smouser
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It does make me feel a little better
Misery loves company
Judging from the thread, many people are suffering from the condensation monster!
I have a lidl plastic motorbike cover over my myford and it stops the moisture condensing on it.its pretty obvious the outcome after a hard few days frost. it gonna thaw and soak everything
Of course that only works when you remember to recover it after use.
Theblackbox
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That’s very true! I can’t think what else it could be. I’ve only noticed this happening within the last 3/4yrs I’d say
Link should be this
63L Commercial Dehumidifier with 24H Timer and Auto Defrost
This high-grade dehumidifier is perfect for industrial and commercial use.
www.costway.co.uk
I was also considering putting several of these type of units around
The Costway commercial dehumidifier in the link won't remove 63 litres/day under uk winter conditions. A more realistic figure will probably be 10-20litres/day, but that's still 10 or 20 litres that won't be condensing on machinery, tools, or stock, plus the exhaust air will be somewhat warmer than that in the workshop, so the benefits are twofold.
The smaller Neo units in the eBay link aren't supplied with much detail, so it's difficult to make an informed comment.
The smaller Neo units in the eBay link aren't supplied with much detail, so it's difficult to make an informed comment.
not done it yet
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Dunno how they rate dehumidifiers these days. The standard rating used to be made in conditions which were ridiculous - like 35 Celsius and 85% humidity. Great for good results, but useless in real scenarios. Compressor machines become more inefficient as the temperature drops - and close to zero (or zero) at zero (freezing point)!
Desiccant machines work OK all the way down to freezing point, but are more expensive on leccy.
I don’t care about the running costs as the heating is generally sufficient (and needed) to maintain a decent temperature in the workshop, with only a limited night-time run-time, on cheap power. I expect some condensation will occur on machines at 0 Celsius, whatever the dew point might be.
