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.

[Pixiedust1234]

@Miss03852

All the people who are having great results with your dehumidifier, can you let me know what brand you use?

I have two of these, one up, one downstairs.

www.argos.co.uk/product/8499493

[Blowyourowntrumpet]

In case it helps, I bought my Meaco from Currys and then realised it was £20 cheaper in John Lewis

[Miss03852]

Does a humidifier work without heating on?

[BorgQueen]

They don’t work in less than 15 degrees, it’s the same with a heat pump dryer.

[Wishawisha]

@Miss03852

Does a humidifier work without heating on?

Yes.

I have my de-humidifier on most of the day. It’s fantastic and essential in this old house (single glazed) for keeping mould at bay.

Only pop the heating an hour or less every now and then.

[Wishawisha]

About to investigate the filter though! 😬

[MarshaBradyo]

Wondering whether to get one. I assume running cost is pretty low

[skilpadde]

@Miss03852

Does a humidifier work without heating on?

Compressor dehumidifiers will only work in warm rooms. Dessicant dehumidifiers also work in cold rooms.

[BorgQueen]

My small, pro breeze 1500ml one costs 57p to run for 24 hours.
A bigger one, 10-12 litres is probably 200 watts, so £1.60 for 24 hours (at 33p per kwh).
Cheaper than running a 300w heated airer for the same period too.

[JennyMumsnet]

Hi @SirSamVimesCityWatch thanks for posting! We can see you've already had some great suggestions here but also wanted to flag up our page for the best dehumidifiers as recommended by Mumsnet users in case it's of any help to you (or any other poster!) Hope it's useful, please feel free to let us know if you've any feedback

[amicissimma]

I have two. I have a very damp cellar - things were going mouldy. Humidity on a cheap battery meter about 85 - 90%.

I got a small Gocheer one with a 4 litre tank. Its wattage is 60w/hr and it is roughly the size of a microwave. It is very quiet and fills the tank in about 10-12 days. It cost about £60/70.

It wasn't really having a massive impact on the cellar. So I got another, a Klarstein dryfry. It consumes 750w per hour. It removes much more water - about 5 litres in about 3-4 hours. It's bigger than the Gocheer - weighs 18kg and is about 2ft tall (on little wheels). It cost about £230 but seems to have gone up to around £300 now. But it does make a difference. I put it on for about half an hour twice a day and it reduces the humidity to around 60%. The little Gocheer does help maintain the levels in between to an extent.

As you can imagine, the Gocheer costs considerably less to run than the Klarstein. So it's a matter of achieving a balance between purchase price, electricity consumption and acceptable humidity levels.

For reference, I have a humidity meter with a sensor meauring outside levels which is reading about 55-65% at the moment.

[fussychica]

Can't get a Meaco 1 Arete for love nor money. Everyone including the manufacturer is out of stock and saying 5 weeks until in stock again. Infact pretty much all Meaco models are unavailable. If you live in Ireland there is a site with stock but they won't deliver to England, unfortunately.

[Ilovemyshoes]

@fussychica If it helps I have just bought 2 Meaco desiccant dehumidifiers from Appliances direct, recommended in an article I found online. They have a variety of Meaco ones in stock plus other makes, but I can't remember if it's the one you're looking for. Everywhere else seemed to be out of stock. This is the one I got Link to dehumidifier

[Miss03852]

@Wishawisha

Yes.

I have my de-humidifier on most of the day. It’s fantastic and essential in this old house (single glazed) for keeping mould at bay.

Only pop the heating an hour or less every now and then.

That’s useful to know thank you!

[fussychica]

Thanks Ilovemyshoes, I'll take a look. The one I was after is their newest model which is supposed to be very cheap to run which is obviously appealing in the current climate. However, I can't see me getting it this side of Christmas.

[Suzysuz]

Karcher window vac and a dehumidifier here, am actually relieved to see others in same boat as was wondering if it was just me having to do inside windows most days this week!
I don't have a tumble dryer but dehumidifier on laundry setting works well, and have a separate monitor thingie which shows humidity levels so I can see it helping.