[jubjub]

OK, we are going to get one, as we have noticed damp feeling in the house starting to build now the weather is getting a little chillier.

Not got a clue what to look for, or what brand is maybe the best. Does anyone use one they would recommend?

The budget around $400 tops though.

[veronica]

When we came over here on a visit I couldn't understand why so many Kiwis raved about their dehumidifiers, not something we had ever needed at home with double glazing and central heating. it has all become understandable since we have lived here......

[driver]

i've used a dehumidifier in the UK it was brilliant. If you are like me and always have washing on airers things dry a lot quicker.

If you are in NZ how about trade-me?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Heating-cooling/Dehumidifiers/mcat-0004-0370-0559-.htm

I'll definitely be getting one. Check what size of house it can cope with though.

[mossum]

Hi

Our 1st home here in the UK had no central heating & was a bit kiwiish(cold & tending to damp) lol !

we used a dehumidifier & it was fab - sucked out incredible ammounts of water a day & then blew out the dry & warm air - thus acting like a heater - DH & I have already been pricing them up here ( well hoping they go on sale in summer actually )

thanks this thread has reminded me again

vic x

[jess]

The Delonghi brand is supposed to be good. I know them from their espresso machines sold in the US. Anyway they have a 6 litre dehumidifier near the top end of your range (it's $380) at Noel Leeming.
Here's the page. (http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=66240&crumb=10007-10230-10233)

J

[Tia Maria]

Jess,

Funnily enough, we just ordered this exact one yesterday. I'll let you know if its any good!

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

Thats actually our favourite choice at the mo, although its way cheaper in Hill Stewart (100%), its only $299 out of there...

[jubjub]

Having got the "Consumer" out the library with its article on dehumidifiers, we got an
Evantair brand (from Warehouse) it came out tops in their review, the only downside is that it was one of the noisiest (its not that loud at all) and cost a little more to run, but it was the best/most efficient at pulling water out of the air, and at the lowest temps. Although have to say its a bit noisy to have on overnight in your bedroom.

It was closely followed by a Goldair brand in the tests.

We paid $299 for a 16L model, and its chugging away quite happily at the mo, and the tank is half full already (think its a 4 litre capacity).

http://www.consumer.org.nz/Default.asp?bhcp=1, find the review you want, check out that date it was written and get that months mag from the library, saves you the membership fee :)

[Park City Partner]

I wondered about the Eventair as there are a bunch of demo units (5 mo old) on Trademe right now for $120.

The whole concept is so opposite my last home in the US. It was in Utah where there is absolutley no humidity. In fact, we used humidifiers there just to ge a little moisture in the room....funny change of circumstances, huh.

I also was told about a site called AuctionCity.com that has some good but limited deals on things.

[Thylacine]

We just bought a fairly expensive one ($200. US) And are debating bringing it with us. My daughter and I are horribly allergic to mold. Perfect allergy for an insurance adsuster in Florida. i wonder though at how many transformers we will need? Is it really worth it? Is the quality that much less than in the US?

[bob_the_engineer]

I’d never used one until we came to NZ. I thought that the litre rating was how much water it could hold before you had to empty it :o

They really are wonderful things, we bought a 20 litre one from Pack n Save, I think it was around $250 nz.

I’m thinking about getting another for the sleep out too. They also seem to make the house much easier to heat.

Bob

[zardell]

I’d never used one until we came to NZ. I thought that the litre rating was how much water it could hold before you had to empty it :o Bob


Ditto Bob.....so whats the litre rating mean then ?? :confused:

Julie

xx

[jubjub]

its the amount of air intake

[wilson182]

Bought one from Bunnings today. 10ltr, $169. Tried it out tonight and have noticed an improvement already.

[Carol]

Couldn't be wihout ours.

We were lucky - we got it for nowt off a mate who has just had a DVS system installed.


They are essential.
If you have one - bring it.
If you have just arrived - buy one.

ANY of them is better than none.

[jonSE]

The "Litre" capability is normally the performance of the dehum. Our evantair says on the back 30L/24hours at 30degC and 80% Relative Humidity.

80% Humidity is pretty common in spring and Autumn 30 degC less so.
Performance will be less in cooler temps, as IIRC the air actually holds less moisture for the same RH.

Our Evanantair was about $350 at The Warehouse - it is too noisy to have on while asleep in the same room, but ok otherwise. It's been great. You do need to clean the filter out regularly to maintain top performace.

[Tia Maria]

As promised, I can say we've been more than happy with our:

Delonghi Dehumidifier CFO5M

I think we must have got use to the damp to a certain extent, but it definitely makes the air feel fresher, and towels etc are drying quicker.

Ours is a mid-price model, but I suspect, as has been suggested, most models are OK, just the more you pay, the quieter they are, the more slimline they are, and the more water they can hold before they need emptying.

How often do you run yours?

Where do you keep it in the house, for maximum efffect?

We live in a villa on one level, and wondered if there was a particularly good place to site it, so we don't have to move it around all the time? Also is there a good time of the day to run it? Does it matter if you have doors and windows open?

I guess that's my one criticism of our model, not enough guidelines on how to use it! (apart from saying don't put it next to a shower or bath).

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

We tend to wheel ours about, we have a T shaped one level house, and the "hummy" tends to stay just at the top of the downstroke of the letter T (if that makes any sense!)

However if we notice any condensation anywhere in particular, thats where we put it.

We dont run it every day, more alternate days, and it does get moved from room to room, so one of the lighter models would be handy! I have had it one for about three hours today, and have got 3-4 litres of water already.... but it has been raining and I am drying washing indoors...

I think ours said not to have doors/windows open, probably cos it would then be trying to dehumidy the outdoors instead of the house...

[captnron]

Welcome to NZ and yes these things work real well but are a stopgap solution at best and not cheap to operate. I definitely recommend you run each one you are thinking about buying and pay particular attention to the noise it makes.

Its not unusual to get over a litre+ per day in a family environment so capacity before changing is also important.

Recommend you run each one you want to buy and pay particular attention to the noise it makes. Also, Its not unusual to get over a litre+ per day in a family environment so capacity before changing is also important.

I have one, set it to mid range auto but be sure to allow for temp variations. Am renting right now so options are limited.

If you own your house, IF it has any or decent insulation, IF you have insulated (ie uPVC) framed double glazing, you have another option: Warm the house: If you take damp cold house and simply raise its temperature to say 20c (Typical house temp NZ Gov says house should not drop below 16c in winter – obviously 90% of NZ’rs haven’t heard) the dampness will “evaporate” as relative humidity at say 5c is awful but fine at higher temps.

The down side is that the heating cost are NAFF. You typically are indirectly heating the outside as insulation is only now gaining real acceptance.

Best bet is an inverter heat pump, best of these is a zoned central unit for the whole house

A cheaper alternative is a power vent system that will blow warm dry attic air into your house during the warm days. The balance of the time you need to heat by other means. The overall effect is a great reduction in moisture, lower heating costs and low COA (Cost of Operation) as it’s just a thermally controlled fan. You can get them with nominal heating element as well. Attic temp is a bit hit or miss in winter.

Hint: Renters can use them too if you have an access hatch in your hallway, get a cheapy from Bunnings or wherever ($599 still way over priced for what they are), buy a new MDF cover for the hole, (store the old one) and build the diffuser into the MDF – You can take it with you when you move. Won’t work in walk in wardrobe obviously.

NOTE: When you actually see the mould and mildew its already too late, the pathogens they generate are already prevalent airborne and take a lot of getting rid of to become hypoallergenic.

What this boils down to is keep your house & home above 16c to stay healthy.

[Park City Partner]

We bought 2 Eventair 16L off of trade me for a total of $285. They are great. Admittedly, I run them all the time. I set it to "Normal" (50-60
%) and it will turn itself off if it ever gets there. We empty at least once a day. We have one upstairs in our hallway as most of our house is upstairs and then I have another downstairs where I am storing important docs and where I hang laundry. It helps a great deal in drying the laundry. Great buy overall!