• Mildew Abatement
• Domestic Dehumidifiers
• Commercial Dehumidifiers

• Carpet Driers
• Flood Damage 
• Damp Cellars
• Laundry Rooms

Damp Problems

Whist we may associate high indoor humidity levels with flood damage and periods of heavy rain, high humidity can quietly damage buildings on a more or less continuous basis from Autumn to the end of Spring.  You may have noticed spots of black mould on walls, particularly around windows or ground floor shirting boards. This type of mould thrives where there has been condensation and is a reliable indicator of high ambient humidity. High humidity is a particular problem in basement, cellars and in traditional construction homes without a damp proof course. Damp and high humidity can easily lead to structural damage and will most certainly cause damage to house contents and furnishings as well as respiratory health issues with the buildings occupants.

Our Solution

We offer a comprehensive range of portable dehumidifiers, which can make a big reduction to the symptoms of damp. Whist they cannot prevent the structural and weather related causes of damp, they do bring welcome relief from its' effects.  

How Dehumidifiers Work

There are two generic types of dehumidifier. The most common type uses a piped refrigerant circuit and a compressor to cool metal fins through which air passes. The passing air is dehumidified because the moisture collects in the form of condensation on the fins which then drips into a drain pan. The air, having been cooled to get the condensation, is then reheated with a second set of metal fins before being passed back into the room. The second type uses a moisture absorbent material, usually silica based, through which the damp air is passed. The air is dried, whilst in a separate part of the machines cycle the water is desorbed (usually with heat) as liquid from the absorbent material. In both cases the collected water is piped to an on board reservoir, which in some machines can in turn be connected to a drain for continuous drainage. Some dehumidifiers can be continuously drained direct from the drain pan. 

Dehumidifier Availability

Dehumidifiers come in various sizes from small domestic to large heavy weight industrial style units. The ones for domestic use typically have a plastic body, whist the industrial ones are build to take rather harsher treatment and are metal cased. Dehumidifiers are rated according to their water removal rate; domestic models will remove up from about 0.5 litre per day up to around 25 litres per day and industrial models tend to be in the range 25 to 150 litres per day.

Comparison between dehumidifier models.

It is difficult to gauge just how much moisture you need to remove per day to keep on top of your particular damp problem, but the main point of comparison is that of removal rate.  Beyond the build and the removal rate, we add where the specifications allow, a further measure that enables some further comparison, which is the water removal rate per kilowatt hour. This is a rudimentary measure of dehumidifier efficiency takes the power rating for the particular model converts it to the quantity of kilowatt hours in a 24 hour period and uses this figure to divide through the maximum stated removal rate.  The result is a measure in litres/kwh, for the particular model. Obviously the higher the value the better. In general terms the larger the machine the higher its efficiency. Or to put it another way, there may be false economy in buying a small cheap dehumidifier, because it is more likely to use more power to extract a litre of moisture from air than a larger unit.

Application of Dehumidifiers.

One of the more common uses of dehumidifiers is in the utility room in houses. In this application and particularly where they are set up with continuous drainage, they enable laundry to dry easily without having to resort to a tumble dryer. Other applications for dehumidifiers  are to combat mould and damp in older homes, where they can ensure that damp smells are reduced and mould growth is inhibited. In commercial use dehumidifiers can be used for process air drying, cellars, stock storage area, and and as an aid to reducing heating bills.