Can you use a dehumidifier for condensation?

[SoRainbowRhythms]

We have issues in the winter in our bedroom with condensation, all over the window and on one wall. Only happens when it's really cold so we just get on with it and clean as we go.

I've started waking in the night coughing and feeling the damp in the air. Would a dehumidifer help with this? I've googled but I have no idea how they work!

Yes, they do work. We use one several times a week in our bedroom and it generally takes in 600ml to 900ml each time. Using it regularly has made a huge difference to the feeling of the room.

A dehumidifier pulls excess water out of the air, so yes it will help reduce condensation. However they don't all work when the room is too cold. Mine doesn't work if the temperature is too low.

Yes, a dehumidifier would help. You’d have to keep the door closed while it was on and put up with a bit of noise.

They work by sucking in the damp air then condensing the moisture out of that air (not sure how!) then blowing the dry air back out. The water collects in a tank that you have to empty, or, the ones I’ve had, you can attach a hosepipe so they run continuously. The size of the dehumidifier 10 litres/ 12litres etc. refers to how much water they can remove from the air per hour.

Meaco are a good brand - I’ve got a 10litre one in my bathroom.

A dehumidifier will help, but also opening the window in the day and cleaning the mould and moisture off the wall/window too. We were renovating and living in a caravan. The condensation was dreadful.
I bought a karcher window cleaner. It was fantastic to suck liquid off the windows and walls. Lidl/Aldi sometimes have a generic version.
If you get a dehumidifier, buy a larger capacity one than they recommend it covers. We got the older version of the one below. Its supposed to cover 3 rooms, and it was fine for 1 room. It too didn't work though when the room was too cold.
Also get a larger water collector. You don't want to have to empty it multiple times a day. Also check the dB level, otherwise it might keep you awake at night.

electriQ 12L Quiet Low-Energy Dehumidifier with Air Purifier CD12P | Appliances Direct

Oh the wall and windows are permanently wiped and we have a fan heater to dry the wall out each morning. Windows are open all day. It's just that one room as we have a bit of an issue with a small bit of rendering but it's only bad for a couple of months.

Thanks all, off to browse amazon!

Yes. I can run mine for 10 minutes in the morning if it's too cold / wet to open the windows and it will clear the condensation. And if you run it regularly there is less moisture in the air to form condensation.

Absolutely. It’s one of the best thinga I bought.
I did invest on it and spent 250£ on a Meaco one . It’s absolutely amazing. Bought it last year and the first day I empty over 8 litres!!! In one day! It can pull
out up to 12 litres a day, which is ok for a standard 3 bed house .
i used to dry a lot of clothes on the radiator too since the drier is a very old one which ruins a lot of the clothes .
now I just put the dehumidifier on laundry mode and the clothes dry in less than a day . Before I used to have to wash them
again sometimes, as they never dried , or had to have the heating on to dry them .
also we had A LOT of condensation. Puddles on the window seals at worst . Now we barely get any. If we do is during really cold snaps like right now , but it’ll be only a little line at the bottom of the window..no puddles. I wish I bought it earlier tbh . I did have a cheap one in the living room but it wasn’t even in the same universe , days to suck out 1 litre , when the Meaco one can get 1 litre in a few hours.

This is what I use mine for upstairs. Meaco is great as there's a night mode which is quieter.

Ours makes a huge difference, wouldn't be without one now.

It may help generally but air still contains moisture which will condense on the cold surface of the window. Still, it will improve the conditions of the room and I do think they are good for our damp climate.

Would a smaller one, 1l or so, be fine for a bedroom? It's the only room it's needed in.

@SoRainbowRhythms Make sure it's a mains-operated one as the other cheaper versions are useless.

Which Meaco one do you have? I have a Meaco and only ever need to empty it once a day max. And humidity doesn’t get below 60%. I wish it was going quicker and I had to empty it loads……or maybe mine has a bigger tank?

Yes, a dehumidifier sucks all the moisture from a room. It will suck up moisture on your windows and from the air.

This is the one I have. It says it can suck out 12ltrs a day…but it bloody doesn’t. Tank size is 2.5ltrs so it does maybe 2.5ltrs a day. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meaco-Dehumidifier-Purifier-Condensation-Exclusive/dp/B07XCWZ5J7/ref=sr_1_7?crid=6PFLD28CDNGC&keywords=meaco%2Bdehumidifier&qid=1701195590&refinements=p_89%3AMeaco&rnid=1632651031&s=kitchen-appliances&sprefix=Meaco%2Caps%2C122&sr=1-7&th=1

why does it not work better? It’s running constantly

Open the windows in the house fully for 10mins in the morning to blast it. Then shut the windows and decent size mains ported dehumidifier. Still use toilet roll or kitchen roll to wipe the excess off the windows as otherwise it still has to go into the air to be removed and makes the job harder

The small ones (1l) are low-energy but need to be in a warm room to work. Larger ones tend to work better in a wide range of temperatures!

@CormorantStrikesBack
its a 12 litre one . Think it was Meaco dry ABC. The tank is 2.5 L.
I have noticed when it’s cold it extracts less , but that’s normal because warm air has more humidity than cold . My humidity is also hovering around 60 ish , maybe 55 at lowest . But if I don’t have it on it’ll be easily 80% and more. So overall a big improvement for us.
Aldo I dry clothes so I’m sure that takes out more water than if I didn’t .

I have this one and it’s great. Keeps the house free of condensation and helps dry washing too.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/cd12p/electriq-12-litre-dehumidifier

Continue to dry your window every morning, i use a Karcher as it's more efficient than just kitchen roll/cloth.

Dehumidifiers can work when the air is cool but it works a lot better when the heating has been on/warmer air. Make sure the window and door is shut whilst using and move it from room to room. I tend to do 2 days per bedroom then move it to the next. Tip - open up your wardrobe doors when it's on.

I bought the cheaper Challenger dehumidifier from Argos and because it's cheap (but excellent), I bought another for downstairs. I keep it in the room where I have the laundry hanging up. In a divorce I'm claiming custody of both dehumidifiers and karcher 😂

I live in a very old, stone built cottage with stone floors laid on bare earth and no form of heating except a woodburner. High humidity, damp, cold air and condensation were always a problem until I invested in a dehumidifier. It has been a gamechanger. I went for the Meaco Zambezi DD8L which is a dessicant dehumidifier, as opposed to a refrigerant type, and works more efficiently at low ambient temperatures. Astonishing how much moisture it removes from the air and, as an added bonus, dessicant types also produce some heat. The Zambezi also has an air purifying ioniser which reduces mould spores and I have noticed a significant difference in the air quality. Not a cheap dehumidifier by any means, but, for me, it has been a worthwhile spend.

@CormorantStrikesBack I have the Meaco Arete 12L. I empty it every 24 hrs. It keeps my old cottage at 55%

Id also get the damaged render repaired - you're likely to have a bigger and more expensive job down the line if you dont.

We simply can't afford it. It's not our forever house and it's only when it's really, really cold so just have to live with it!

They make a huge difference. This is ours. It has a 5.5L tank, lots of modes.

Pro Breeze® 20L/Day Compressor... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C62J7S74?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare