Who's got a dehumidifier?

[SirSamVimesCityWatch]

I think I need one.

The windows in my house are crap - they're double glazed but old, the seals have gone, and they are running with water daily. Add in showering, cooking, drying clothes, four people and a dog breathing overnight and trying to keep the heating bills down and the house is getting more and more damp and mouldy.

Does anyone have one? Does it make a decent difference?

Any recommendations for type, size, usage etc would be much appreciated!

I'm also thinking of getting a window vac to do all the windows on a morning, as wiping them with a cloth isn't cutting it.

[Saz12]

I have a Karcher window vac and a dehumidifier!

The window vac is pretty good - quicker, easier, and more effective than using cloths. It depends on whether you want to spend
the ££ though - it’s a perfectly avoidable expense, not some amazing ground-braking gadget. FIL gave it us one Christmas, I probably wouldn’t have bought it myself.

The dehumidifier is great, it makes an appreciable difference to general chill & damp feeling. Ours is probably about 10 years old now. It doesn’t seem to cost much to run.

[WhirlyTwirly]

Yes I have one and yes it does make a big difference - the amount of water it has collected lately is scary. It’s a DeLonghi

I also have the same problem with my upstairs windows. The double glazing seal is fine, there’s no water in between the window panes but my windows are soaked with condensation every morning. I don’t understand how it gets in but I’m wondering if mastic around the join between window and upvc would help - I can’t afford to replace them but even if I could, it’d be a waste as the double glazing units are still perfectly ok.

[TwoMonthsOff]

Yes I have a Meaco 12 Litre and it is sucking out two litres overnight and during the day ATM, one of the best things I have ever bought, definitely makes a difference to your atmosphere but at first you need to keep it ruining full time. Its a Low Energy model and also has the option of HEPA filter if you want to use one. It is also excellent for getting laundry dry if you use one room to a=hang the laundry up and keep the door shut, will dry cotton bedding, jeans and towels overnight.
There have been lots of dehumidifier threads recently OP with lots of recommendations !

[Pixiedust1234]

Yes, I have two. One upstairs and one downstairs. Its the challenger brand from argos. They make a huge difference.

[Dippydonky]

No but thinking about one!

My parents have one, and have had one since I was in my mid teens …. I can remember them getting all excited when they got it (teenage me found it weird. Adult me, not so much!)

[TwoMonthsOff]

I have noticed when its raining outside the humidity level reader goes up, its very clever and i love emptying it - all that water is coming form somewhere, its very satisfying 🌂

[PrtScn]

Yes, definitely get one. I have a Meaco, well worth the outlay. I also have a DeLonghi in the kitchen, it's great as well, but Meaco definitely wins.

[TwoMonthsOff]

@SirSamVimesCityWatch
At bottom of page OP there are 'similar threads' the previous threads are there with the recommendations.

[TwoMonthsOff]

@PrtScn
My sis has just bought a Meaco same as mine form Appliances Direct, she was pleased with the delivery and the price as well, they seem to be sold out on a lot of sites ATM.

[Theoldwrinkley]

They make a huge difference. To say 'I couldn't be without one' is a bit extreme, but I use it instead of the dryer which I refuse to use unless 'in extremis'. It makes the conservatory less chilly as well, so can use as living space in winter.

[Alexandra2001]

Plus 1 for the Maeco... got it for my previous house, solid stone barn conversion but i'm in an old timber frame house now and it rarely needs it.

Get the Desiccant type, work loads better than compressor style and quieter.

[clockapp]

Do you have to put the dehumidifier in the room you want to be moistured? As in both rooms upstairs we've got condensation issues can I put it on the landing?

[AlwaysFoldingWashing]

I have one, it's made a huge difference getting washing dried when it's too cold outside (we're in Scotland) and also with the condensation. Cheap to run

[BamBamBilla]

I've had mine for about 8 years. Wouldn't be without it. It's not only good for drying washing and condensation in the winter but it's also good on those really hot and muggy days in the summer. Pulls the moisture out of the air to make it feel a bit cooler on those hot sticky nights when it's hard to get to sleep.

[smooththecat]

I also have the Medco 12l eco that someone else mentioned. There are normally discounts for Black Friday. Really happy with it. I bought it because I have a small flat and a windowless bathroom (it does have a vent). I don’t have mould or condensation but I can tell that previous owners did as there was still black mould on the windows the first time I cleaned them.

They are good for helping to dry washing, especially if you have a small and warm room you can shut off or a heated airier. There are loads of threads on that. It’s obviously not going to be as quick as a tumble dryer and some people don’t like that.

FYI I recently had four double glazed panels replaced and it was not super expensive. If they have condensation you’ve lost any thermal efficiency from them being double glazed.

[TwoMonthsOff]

@clockapp
I leave mine in a central location with all the room doors open but if drying laundry i keep in one room with the door shut so mine is either upstairs on landing or downstairs in the hallway if its not being used for drying laundry

[SirSamVimesCityWatch]

This is so helpful, thank you!

[Decafflatteplease]

We have two. One upstairs one downstairs

[Cantseethewindows]

Definitely get one! Ours is 7 years old and not maintained very well but it makes a huge difference in terms of drying laundry. Yesterday I put it on in DC1's bedroom for about 5-6 hours (appr. 6sqm). There was about a litre in there at the end, which definitely wasn't just condensation!

PSA: dehumidifiers have a filter, which needs cleaning regularly! Learn from my mistake folks 😂

[thismeansnothing]

Yup we got one when we moved into.our home 18 month ago cos it's a new build. It's a 12l one by Electriq. Never heard of them but it doesn't cos much to run and does the job

[slowquickstep]

We have a Vax dehumidifier, it is fantastic, it is scary how much water it removes from the room. We have a karcher window vac, great for the windows in the morning.

[Clarice99]

I have two Meaco dehumidifiers. One for the garage and the other for the house. It's on upstairs at the moment. The amount of water collected over the past few days is phenomenal.

I also have a Karcher window vac. It's brilliant for clearing condensation and also for cleaning the windows.

[RagzRebooted]

@Cantseethewindows

Definitely get one! Ours is 7 years old and not maintained very well but it makes a huge difference in terms of drying laundry. Yesterday I put it on in DC1's bedroom for about 5-6 hours (appr. 6sqm). There was about a litre in there at the end, which definitely wasn't just condensation!

PSA: dehumidifiers have a filter, which needs cleaning regularly! Learn from my mistake folks 😂

Hmm, off to find the filter and clean it!
Have just set ours up in the DS' room as their bedroom windows are dripping in the morning, I can't really get to them before I leave for work to wipe them though I could ask DS2 to do it but he would forget.

[BorgQueen]

I find my window vac is ok until you get to the bottom 6 inches of the window, I can’t turn it horizontal without it leaking. I use a sports towel to wipe down our bedroom window in a morning then hang it in the airing cupboard to dry.
I have a small 1.5l dehumidifier in the spare room, I emptied 500mls out yesterday (from washing on the airer).
To a pp, water isn’t getting in from outside making your windows wet, it’s breathing / drying washing etc. - the moisture settles on the cold glass and if you have a blind or curtains next to the glass it makes it even worse.

[defi]

Recently bought one. It's great I have it next to wet clothes. Helps them dry quickly and warms the too