MeacoDRY ABC Dehumidifier Explosion Fear

[Marilyn17]

My ds has just very kindly bought me a dehumidifier. It's a 12L MeacoDRY ABC model. I am a bit worried as I intended to situate it in my kitchen where my wet washing hangs on maidens. I've got it specifically for laundry drying purposes. However, I've just read on the leaflet that it shouldn't be placed in the same room as a gas hob or igniting flame. Obviously, my gas hob is situated in the kitchen along with my gas combi boiler and I'm now worried about possible explosions. I only live in a tiny house and putting wash maidens in another room isn't really an option. I'm so disappointed as I've wanted one for ages, does anyone have any advice?

I never knew this - I often put my dehumidifier on in the kitchen 😱

I didn't know it either, my son was reading the instructions and told me it couldn't be in the same room as the gas hob!

Oh goodness I have a Meaco dehumidifier in the kitchen and sometimes leave it on the timer overnight.

I'll stop doing that now!

I really don't want to scare anyone. I'm just very disappointed I can't use it in the same room as my gas hob.

Why is that? I also use mine in the kitchen!!!

According to the leaflet that came with it, it's because it contains some kind of fluid that is highly flammable and a spark from a gas hob when you ignite it, could cause an explosion if it comes into contact with the fluid in the dehumidifier. I did think that as long as I didn't ignite my hob whilst the dehumidifier was in the kitchen it would be OK but now I'm worried as I have a gas combi boiler in there that lights up every time we turn the hot water or heating on.

Let me help here, I am from Meaco.

Since January 1st 2020 all dehumidifiers, fridges, freezers, wine coolers and air conditioners have had the same environmentally friendly refridgerant called R290. It is much, much better for the environment, but it is a member of the propane family, and it is flammable.

So it has these legal warnings, as do your fridges and freezers, which are in your kitchens already.

The gas has been designed to be heavier than air, so IF your dehumidifier, fridges or freezer develop a leak, the R290 will fall to ground. Your gas hob, boiler (and any cigarette you might be smoking) will be much higher up.

Also in the manual it said not to use the appliance in a room smaller than 4m² your kitchens will be larger than that (2m x 2m).

So there is no danger in using your dehumidifier, fridge or freezer in your kitchens.

Hope this helps to put your minds at ease.

@CMichael thank you so much for your reply. Will the model of dehumidifier I own be made after 2020? It's the MeacoDRY ABC?

If you bought it after 2020 then yes it will be. If in doubt then please provide me with your serial number, and I can tell from that. The serial number is on the white label on the rear of the side of the machine. If the rating label has a triangle with a flame inside it, then it is R290.

But this should not be a concern.

@CMichael Thanks again for your reassuring replies. My kitchen is actually about 16ft by 11ft and the dehumidifier would be placed at the opposite end to the gas hob and boiler. I'm hoping this is still OK, I'm ancient so don't do meters in measurements!

@Marilyn17 100%, you have loads of room, 4m² is like a large cupboard!

(you are 5m x 3m, plenty of space)

can I jump in and ask a question please I have the same dehumidifier

I didn't know it shouldn't be used in a small room, I must have missed that in the manual. Can you tell me why that is please? I use mine in my small bathroom, is that a bad idea and should I stop? If it makes any difference I don't leave it running in there all the time just occasionally for an hour after showering

@InvisibleStrings Too different questions here - again your bathroom will be larger than 2 x 2m so you are fine from that point of view. The real issue is personal safety. We don't have plug sockets in a bathroom in the UK for a reason, wet people and electrical products are not a safe mix. So please make sure that you never have any electrical product in the bathroom whilst someone is in there using the bathroom.

Ooh this is interesting

I use mine in the teeny tiny en suite shower room which is actually smaller than 2 x 2 meters. I read the bit in the manual about not using it in small rooms, so I usually keep the door ajar, (to make it a bigger room) but then it doesn't work as well as it would if the door was closed.

What is the reasoning behind not using it in a small room? I actually rang meaco to ask them but they didn't really explain very - just said it was "because of gases".

But what is the problem exactly, is it a build of gas in a small room in the eventuality of a leak which would be a danger to breath in? I know you can't smell the gas or is it the risk of explosion?

I don't use the bathroom whilst the dehumidifier is in there.

But now I'm wondering if I shouldn't use it in the en-suite

@CMichael Thank you for replying. The plug and socket are outside the bathroom door, the cable and dehumidifier are in the bathroom with the door slightly ajar to allow the cable to pass through. The bathroom is not being used while the dehumidifer is in there, it usually lives in the hallway and is just wheeled through to the bathroom to remove all the steam and dry the bathroom for about an hour and then wheeled back out.

Just out of curiosity, how do we know @CMichael is really from Meaco and not just someone googling the answer to the questions? Anyone can say they're anyone on the internet. I recommend reading your manual and going by that.
(Sorry @CMichael if you really are from Meaco, doesn't hurt to be cautious)

@BlunderMifflin the founder and Managing Director of Meaco is named Chris Micheal. I'm guessing that this is the person who has been kind enough to answer all our questions in such an in depth way.

@Boriswentcamping the reason why the authorities set a limit on a 2 x 2m room is because IF you were to have a refridgerant leak from your appliance then the concentration of gas within the room's air volume would be too high. Larger rooms the concentration would not be high enough for it to be an issue.

Using it in a small room will not in itself cause a leak or damage the machine.

How do you know if you might have a leak? You will get a combination of two things, very little, or no water being collected AND a build up of ice (not frosting) on the coils at the rear of the machine, sometimes enough to push out of the rear of the machine.

So if your machine is working fine, then you have nothing to worry about.

@InvisibleStrings I had a similar issue in my old house. In our case it was because we had 4 children and the extractor fan in the bathroom could not keep up with all of the showers, especially as one daughter like to sit in the bottom of the shower and empty the hot water tank!

Our solution was to have the dehumidifier permanently set to 50%rh and position it right outside the shower room door (we were lucky enough to have a plug socket there), we 'trained' everyone to leave the shower room door wide open after they finished using it, and to open the window for ten minutes after use.

The combination of these things kept the room mould free.

@BlunderMifflin that is fine, it is me though! I like to educate as much as I can and I do worry about the amount of misinformation on the internet.

I hope that the detailed and full replies on here will help you all and others. Especially with the dramatic opening post on this thread, hopefully people won't be worrying about using their dehumidifier (and using it correctly), regardless of what make it is.

But do read your maunals if you still have them, they are a good source of information. But also feel free to ask whatever questions you like, happy to help.

@Marilyn17 yep its me! Happy to help.

@CMichael fair enough, welcome to Mumsnet!

@CMichael This is Mumsnet, if you don't put a dramatic heading or opening post, you don't get any replies! I'm pleased I guessed correctly and you are, indeed, the founder and Director of Meaco and I'm very impressed that you have taken the time and trouble to answer all our questions in such an in depth and patient manner (particularly mine). This says a lot about your company in a very positive way and inspires confidence in your products, thanks again!

Thank you @CMichael for your informative and helpful posts. I always wondered about the stipulation on size of room and now I know.
I find it better to know the reason behind a rule rather than just having to follow it!

@CMichael thank you for all your helpful replies, btw Meaco are the absolute best dehumidifiers and I recommend them to everyone I hear mention mould or condensation or humidity. I had tried a few different brands over the years before discovering meaco a few years ago and yours are by far the best!