A dehumidifier is an electrical appliance that is used to remove excess moisture from the air to make the environment comfortable and pleasant. You might have thought multiple times that should I use a dehumidifier in winter, so running a dehumidifier in winter depends on the indoor relative humidity level and room temperature at any place. So these two variables are needed to be taken into account to make the right decision regarding the use of a dehumidifier in winter. The following checklist will help you to make the decision.
Temperature Check
You should not run your dehumidifier in a room where the temperature is too low. At very low temperatures, the moisture removed from the surrounding air will freeze after it gets condensed on the coils. So your unit will stop working, and it can be damaged in this way. Most dehumidifiers work best at 600 F and above temperatures, Although some models are also capable of working normally at 40o F. If you want to dehumidify the air you should make sure that you should turn on the heaters to keep the temperature above 40o F.
Indications
- If the temperature is 40o F or lower: you should not use your dehumidifier.
- Temperature is higher than 40o F but lower than 60o F:
- You can use your dehumidifier but it may not perform much efficiently.
Relative Humidity Levels Check
You should remember that the safe levels of relative humidity range from 30% to 55%. although relative humidity level is mostly not so high in winter due to natural condensation, still there may be certain exceptional cases when you might need to use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture present in the air. A hygrometer can be used to check the relative humidity level in the air. Also, the condensation on your room windows is sometimes a good indicator of the presence of excess moisture in the air inside your room. If you find the relative humidity level being above 55% you should turn on the dehumidifier to prevent allergens from growing there. But you should also not allow relative humidity level to fall below 30% as it provides suitable conditions for the growth of various harmful microbes.
Indications
- A humidity level below 30%: don’t use a dehumidifier at all.
- Humidity level ranging from 30% to 55%: you can use the dehumidifier. Recent research suggests that mold begins growing when the relative humidity level is 45% or more than that.
- Humidity level being above 55%: you should use your dehumidifier.
The following chart combines the temperature and relative humidity to better describe that when to use a dehumidifier in your space.
Chart Combines The Temperature
| Relative humidity | Temp. being 40o F or less than that. | Temp. being 40o F or less than that. |
|---|---|---|
| 30% or less | Don’t operate your dehumidifier. | You should not operate your dehumidifier. |
| 35% to 55%. | You should increase you’re your room temp. to use your dehumidifier. | You can operate your dehumidifier to remove excess humidity. |
| Above 55% | You should increase your room temp. to operate your dehumidifier. | You should use your dehumidifier to remove excess humidity. |
People generally ask that, is a dehumidifier for winter or summer? but from the above discussion, we can conclude that although dehumidifiers are mostly used in summer, in certain cases you might need to use your dehumidifier in winter. You should keep the temperature and the humidity level into consideration before deciding to use your dehumidifier in your place.
Should A Dehumidifier Run All The Time?
Many people are of the point that, should a dehumidifier run all the time, but it is not certainly needed to run the dehumidifier all the time. Once you achieve the optimum relative humidity level in your place you can turn off your unit. Running a dehumidifier all the time can lead to certain other problems like overdried air providing suitable conditions for the growth of many harmful microbes, increased electricity bills, and wrecking of your unit. It is frequently asked that what is the best time to run a dehumidifier? Generally, 10 pm and 7 am is considered the best time to run your dehumidifier. Because energy companies particularly charge less as energy is being consumed by fewer people within these times.
It is generally asked that when to use a dehumidifier in the basement, so the need of using a dehumidifier in a basement depends on the level of relative humidity in the basement. In many warm humid climates, the basements are needed to be dehumidified during the summer months so that mold can be prevented to grow, and the air can be made comfortable. Another frequently asked question is that, when should I turn off my dehumidifier but it is all dependent on the humidity level in the air and the temperature. When the humidity level falls below 30% you should turn off your dehumidifier. Also when the temperature falls below 60o F or for some modern dehumidifiers below 40o F you should unplug your dehumidifier.
Conclusion
Dehumidifiers serve us by removing excess moisture from the air. Two main factors are needed to be kept in consideration to decide that whether you should use a dehumidifier or not. These factors are the temperature and the relative humidity in the air. In winter, the level of relative humidity is usually low, but there are some places where the humidity level is certainly high and you might need to use a dehumidifier to reduce the level. If the temperature is too low you should not run your dehumidifier as it can cause water being condensed on the coils to freeze thus leading to the damaging of the unit. If the temperature is too low and you necessarily want to use your dehumidifier to remove excess humidity then you should first raise the temperature using a heater so that your dehumidifier can run safely.
