Why a Whole-House Dehumidifier Is a Better Option Than a Portable One

Proper dehumidification for a home is often vital during the humid summers here in Virginia. If the humidity is balanced between 30% and 50%, it makes a significant difference in indoor comfort: the air can feel as much as 10°F cooler, and that often means you won’t need to rely on the air conditioner. Not only will you enjoy better comfort in summer, you’ll have reduced energy bills as well.

But should you purchase a portable dehumidifier through a retailer, or call on indoor air quality specialists to install a whole-house dehumidifier in your HVAC system?

Don’t choose a portable dehumidifier—and here’s why

Although portable dehumidifiers are less expensive than arrange for the install of a whole-house unit, and they’re easy to just plug in and turn on, they are by far the inferior option. The most obvious drawback is that portable units affect only one room at a time, and that’s not convenient or effective for household comfort. But there are other problems with using portable dehumidifiders:

• They are often unsafe. Many portable dehumidifier models have been recalled because they create fire hazards in homes.
• They add heat to a room. As a portable dehumidifier runs, it must exhaust heat from the unit, which means it ends up raising the room’s temperature. This might be fine in winter—but you need your dehumidifier to work mostly in the summer. The last thing you want it to do is make a room hotter!
• Noise. Dehumidifiers can be quite noisy, making the same amount of sound as an air conditioner. You don’t want one of these things operating in your bedroom throughout the night.
• Inefficiency. Portable dehumidifiers costs less than whole-house ones, but they are energy drainers that will cost you plenty in electrical bills.
• Longevity. Whole-house dehumidifiers can last for many years, needing only regular maintenance scheduled the same time as the air conditioner. A portable unit will only last a couple of years before you need to purchase a new one.

To find out more about installing a whole-house dehumidifier for your home, call on Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration in Springfield, VA.

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Wednesday, April 8th, 2020 at 11:00 am | Categories: Indoor Air Quality |