June 26, 2021

What Level of Dehumidification Is Most Appropriate？

Dehumidifiers are a common good for many people. There are countless brands, each with their variety of models, available for buyers to choose from. It is also a fast-growing market. The only current factor that continues to be omitted is the minimum moisture level that a dehumidifier maintains, or if it maintains at all! 

This article assesses why this aspect is not looked at too much and stresses the importance of maintaining some minimum humidity levels. Because some Dehumidifiers are available cheap, the buying decision can be relatively less involved and buyers might just look for the brand name, price, and maybe just one or two technical factors. The energy ratings and level of humidity that a dehumidifier maintains, are two of the most important factors that matter for Dehumidifiers in the long term. When looking at the level of humidity that should be targeted by a dehumidifier, people commonly understand that high levels of humidity are bad and dry air is good. But if the air is too dry, it is bad as well.

The pros and cons of dry air are stated below:

Advantage 

First of all, it makes the body efficient at losing heat from the natural process of sweating. The sweat is easily evaporated, which lowers the temperature of the body.

Second of all, dry air is not a good place for dust mites, viruses, and bacteria to grow. This reduces indoor air pollutants. Mold and mildew are other problems that can be avoided by having a dry indoor environment. People with breathing problems can also suffer from high humidity. Dry air helps in maintaining the health and well being of people as well as increases the life of the property, including houses, clothing, and furniture.

Disadvantage

1.If the air is too dry, there are some problems with that too. Some problems associated with very dry air are dry skin, itchy eyes, and irritated sinuses.

2. In the case of continuous exposure to a very dry environment, the respiratory system’s mucous membrane lining can suffer inflammation, leading to illnesses and infections like cold and influenza.
3. Certain viruses can also actually survive better in low humidity. According to one study conducted in 2009, the flu viruses not only survive longer, but they also spread more easily in low humidity environments, increasing the risk of infections.
4. Very low levels of humidity also contribute to the evaporation of tears. This can disbalance the moisture needed to be maintained for the normal functioning of a healthy eye. The effects of this disbalance may occur as dry and irritated eyes.
5. If very dry air is combined with colder temperatures (e.g. In winter), it can also damage the skin. The skin can dry, scale or itch and even gets cracked. Cracked skin is particularly dangerous as it makes it difficult for the skin to defend the body against harmful external agents.

Since the ideal level of humidity is considered to be between 40 and 60 percent, that is what we should be looking for when buying Dehumidifiers too.  A dehumidifier should be capable of efficiently lowering the relative humidity levels of 60%, but not more than 40% as the lower humidity levels also cause health problems. It is a good choice to purchase a dehumidifier equipped with an automatic humidifier function. This function ensures that when the humidity drops to the set humidity level, the dehumidifier will shut down. If an increase in humidity level is detected, the dehumidifier will automatically turn on to dehumidify the space. A hygrometer can be used to confirm the level of relative humidity to make sure the dehumidifier is not lowering it to harmful levels. 

Good Dehumidifiers should decrease the moisture level efficiency, but not too much that it becomes a health hazard.