Remove Musty Odors With the Best Dehumidifiers for Basement

Buying dehumidifiers can be daunting after seeing their price tags in the market. However, if you’re willing to spend a buck or two for this appliance we would suggest carrying out some research as well in order to not get ripped off at the store. To help you out, we’ve gathered below all the information you’ll need before buying the perfect dehumidifier for your home!

Signs Indicating You Need a Dehumidifier

Are you unsure whether a dehumidifier will solve your basement crisis? Well, if you’re basement or room has poor ventilation, it’s quite possible to contain high moisture content in the air. If you don’t have a humidity reader on you, you can always judge excessive moisture if there are water stains and mold on the walls. Another red flag can be musty and rotten smells as they often arise due to hidden mildew in the room. If you’re experiencing such conditions, it’s quite likely that you’re in dire need of a dehumidifier. 

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Dehumidifier

Stats and features can sound confusing sometimes. Here’s what you should be primarily looking for when selecting a dehumidifier for your basements: 

Energy-Star certified

An appliance made to run 24/7 is bound to consume a huge chunk of energy and produce a sizeable electricity bill. However, an Energy-Star certified dehumidifier is guaranteed to save you a ton of energy and keep the electricity bill under control. Further, the certification also makes sure that your appliance manufacturers produce the dehumidifier without releasing harmful emissions from their factories, keeping the environment safe. So if you’re one to care for the environment, this certification should be considered before making your purchase. 

Water storage tank

While searching for the best dehumidifier for your basement, you should make sure that the water capacity of the dehumidifier is fairly high. We believe that a capacity above 1.5 gallons is ideal as you won’t be continuously bugged to clear out the water tank time and time again. Even though the storage tank won’t matter if you’re using a hose to drain out the water, it’s always better to be prepared for anything!

Hose connection

While a large water storage tank can be great, a hose connection for emptying water can save up a good deal of your time. If you’re paying around 300 bucks the least you should expect is a decent-sized hose connection along with a hosepipe to connect with your drain.

Moisture removal rate

You should find a dehumidifier that can remove at least 40 pints of water from an average 1200 ft² room in a day. A slower removal rate would mean that your desired humidity level will take longer to achieve and your dehumidifier will end up costing more electricity. If you live in highly humid environments, we would further advise finding a dehumidifier that can remove 70 pints of water daily. 

Convenience

Many people may overlook this aspect, but a dehumidifier with built-in wheels and handles can make all the difference. You often need to move your dehumidifier from different rooms and built-in wheels can help out a lot. With the weight these appliances are hosting, it’s essential to focus on portability and convenience unless you’re keen on breaking your back. 

Side Effects of a Dehumidifier

If you’re planning to purchase a dehumidifier for your place, you need to look into the cons as well. A dehumidifier can potentially make the air drier than needed, giving rise to skin allergies like eczema or making conditions like pneumonia even worse. To prevent such side effects, we recommend purchasing a dehumidifier with an adjustable humidity level. Ideally, your basement’s humidity should be somewhere between 30-50%. 

How Does Temperature Affect the Dehumidifier? 

Places with a temperature lower than 65 degrees can give a hard time to your dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers work by removing moisture from the air and condensing them to their inner coils. However, for this procedure to work efficiently, the inner temperature of the condenser should be colder than the surrounding air. In case the temperatures are misbalanced, ice and frost can build up inside your dehumidifier, causing it to lose its efficiency. If you live in colder climates, we recommend finding something like the Waykar dehumidifier which features an auto-defrost system to remove any ice inside the appliance. 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Dehumidifier?

Many people complain that their dehumidifiers lose their efficiency after a couple of months of use. However, mostly this performance reduction is owed to dusty air filters inside the dehumidifier. To avoid any such troubles, we recommend regularly cleaning out the air filters at least once a month. For maximum efficiency, you can also make sure that the vents of the dehumidifier aren’t blocked off, restricting the airflow of the fans. 

Desiccant Dehumidifiers

A desiccant dehumidifier tends to be smaller and lighter than the usual compressor variants but consumes more energy per hour. However, the desiccant dehumidifier is definitely more effective at extracting moisture, even in colder environments, as it doesn’t face the usual frosting issue present in compressor dehumidifiers. Moreover, the desiccant materials inside the dehumidifier have no expiry, allowing you to use the appliance without worrying about replacing individual parts. However, desiccant dehumidifiers can be relatively costlier and may consume more energy in warmer climates than their compressor counterparts.