When you need serious moisture control, whether in your home or business, the answer is a dehumidifier. But there are a lot of types and sizes to sift through, which can be confusing at best. First, which type of dehumidifier is best for my circumstances, and what’s the difference between a refrigerant (compressor) and a desiccant dehumidifier?
We’ll explore the pros and cons of both types of dehumidifiers and include a comparison chart for easy reference.
- How Desiccant Dehumidifiers Work
- Benefits of Desiccant Dehumidifiers
- Top Desiccant Dehumidifier Brands
- How Refrigerant Dehumidifiers Work
- Benefits of Compressor Dehumidifiers
- Top Compressor Dehumidifiers
- Desiccant Vs. Compressor Side-By-Side Comparison Chart
How Desiccant Dehumidifiers Work
These dehumidifiers work similarly to sponges. The core of a desiccant dehumidifier is the desiccant wheel, which is coated with silica gel and rotates slowly while moist air passes over it. The gel adsorbs moisture, and drier air is expelled into the space. Desiccants are ruggedly designed to withstand harsh environments, making them ideal for marine and industrial spaces.
These units include a heating element that warms a small percentage of the intake air to dry out the silica gel wheel, exhausting this slightly damp air along with the dry air. While this may seem odd, desiccant dehumidifiers continually dry out the air the longer they run and can achieve very low RH levels—lower than any refrigerant dehumidifier. Read more details about how desiccant dehumidifiers work.
Benefits Of Desiccant Dehumidifiers
When choosing between dehumidifier types, it's important to know your needs and which humidifier is going to best meet them.
- Low-Temperature Operation: Because they have no compressor or refrigerant, these units can be used in temperatures as low as -4 degrees F, making them ideal for use in unheated spaces, including boats, unheated storage areas, warehouses, basements, garages, and more.
- No Draining Required: Since no condensate (moisture removed from the air) is collected, they do not have to be drained or emptied, so they’re great for remote areas where oversight is impractical.
- Easy Set-Up: An additional benefit is that they’re very easy to place and set up. You don’t have to worry about setting up drainage. Just plug in and start.
- Optional Ducting: Some larger models can be set up in an adjacent or remote space and ducted to the area or room requiring dehumidification.
- Quiet Operation: Desiccant dehumidifiers function more quietly without a compressor running—generally less than about 40 dB.
Additional answers to questions about desiccant dehumidifiers can be found in our FAQ article.
Top Desiccant Dehumidifier Brands
Ebac: Ebac features a wide variety of models, from compact units to some of the most powerful models on the market. These models include mobile units and large, ducted units for an array of applications.
Ecor Pro: Offering solutions for both industrial and residential environments, Ecor Pro desiccant dehumidifiers are lightweight, compact units featuring durable stainless-steel construction. They can be wall-mounted and/or ducted as necessary and have simple dial controls.
How Refrigerant Dehumidifiers Work
Instead of a desiccant wheel and adsorption, refrigerant dehumidifiers use a compressor and a refrigerant coil to remove moisture. Humid air is drawn into the dehumidifier, passing over a refrigerated coil to lower the temperature to its dew point. As condensation occurs, moisture is removed, and water is collected in a container or drained away. Dry air is warmed using a hot condenser coil before being released back into the space.
Most refrigerant dehumidifiers include an on-board humidistat, which can be set to a desired relative humidity (RH) level. This allows the unit to run the compressor only when the RH rises above the desired setting.
Benefits of Refrigerant Dehumidifiers
These dehumidifiers have their own unique features that set them apart from other options.
- Maintains Level Temperature: Refrigerant dehumidifiers don’t cause a big increase in the room temperature, adding only about 3 degrees. This is ideal for rooms where an even temperature level is critical. Desiccant models can increase ambient temperatures by 10 to 15 degrees.
- Cost-Effective: When used in high temperatures, such as in the Southeast US, these dehumidifiers use less electricity to run, especially above 68 degrees F.
- Works Quickly: Compressor dehumidifiers will dehumidify a space more quickly than a desiccant model and then run to maintain a set RH.
- Optional Ducting: Larger commercial or industrial units can be ducted to reach water-damaged areas or small, hard-to-access spaces.
- Attractive Residential Designs: Unlike desiccant or their industrial counterparts, residential compressor dehumidifiers are available in a variety of designs, including in-wall models, for use almost anywhere in your home.
Discover more benefits of refrigerant dehumidifiers.
Top Refrigerant Dehumidifiers
You'll have many options depending on whether you're looking to dehumidify a single room, your entire house, an office, a warehouse, or another large space.
Danby: Danby produces user-friendly portable dehumidifiers that perform hassle-free dehumidification in rooms, basements, and other areas susceptible to excess humidity.
Friedrich: A leading American brand, Friedrich dehumidifiers effectively remove excess moisture in basements, storage areas, laundry rooms, and other humid residential areas.
AlorAir: These sturdy units are affordable options for residential use in crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and storage areas. They feature internal condensate pumps and can operate in temperatures as low as 33.8 degrees F.
Quest: For powerful options that are used in warehouses, greenhouses, grow rooms, and various other commercial spaces, check out Quest's line of commercial and industrial dehumidifiers.
Santa Fe: Regarded by many as the industry leader in moisture removal, Santa Fe offers freestanding dehumidifiers for basements and crawl spaces and HVAC ventilating dehumidifiers for whole-house moisture control.
Desiccant Or Refrigerant: Which One To Choose?
Not quite sure which dehumidifier type is right for you? Use the chart below to narrow it down.
| Desiccant or Refrigerant Dehumidifier? | ||
|---|---|---|
Desiccant Dehumidifier |
Refrigerant Dehumidifier |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
✔ |
|
Energy Efficient |
|
✔ |
Quieter Operation |
✔ |
|
Low Maintenance |
✔ |
|
Longest Lifespan |
✔ |
|
Optional Ducting |
✔ |
✔ |
Less Heat Added to Space |
|
✔ |
Easy to Set Up |
✔ |
|
In Summary
The top consideration is location when choosing between a desiccant or refrigerant dehumidifier. For extreme temperatures (hot or cold) or a remote location, with easy installation, a desiccant is the way to go. For more moderate temperatures (above freezing to about 95 degrees F), cost-effective operation, and where maintaining a level temperature is important, a refrigerant dehumidifier is your best option.
Still have questions?
Contact us at 1-800-934-9194 or email us at [email protected] if you have any additional questions about how to choose the right compressor or desiccant dehumidifier for you.
