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Old 19-05-2017, 04:04 PM
sharpiel
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Electric Dehumidifers

I'm looking to buy a plug in electric dehumidifier for the room I keep my scopes and eyepieces etc in when not in use. What are the important criteria to look for when comparing the various units on the market?

What units do you guys use and why?
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Old 19-05-2017, 05:09 PM
glend (Glen)
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I bought one off ebay for the observatory, with the advantage of it being a 12V unit with an AC adaptor, i thought that gave me options for battery power. It could pull a litre of water out of the air in a couple of hours. The problem was it was not designed for long run times and eventually the power connector melted. Its rubbish now. So be careful with purchasing to ensure the 'duty cycle' is up to the job. Any of the pure AC ones might be fine. For a room inside the house, my scope room, i use those dehumidifier canisters that can be refilled.
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Old 19-05-2017, 06:52 PM
PhilTas (Phil)
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I ran a TECO dehumidifier in my scope room for a couple of years. I plumbed a drain hose through the outside wall. It meant that I didn't have to worry about emptying the built-in tank a couple of times a day. Here in Darwin in the wet season, the 5 litre tank filled in about 12 hours.
It works essentially as a reverse air conditioner. In order to extract the moisture from the air, it expels hot air. So to keep the room at 40% humidity, the room temperature would be about 33 degrees. If I spend time in this room (it doubles as my study/workroom), then I also run the room AC to keep the temp down a bit.
I ran it 24/7 during the wet. Unfortunately the fan motor died. When I contacted TECO I was told that they didn't keep spare parts as they considered these units not economical to repair.
I now have a DeLonghi DDS25 which will go down to 30%, and works beautifully.
They do add a bit to your power bill, but with expensive Astro and photo gear I reckon it's worth it.
I would recommend buying a model which will accept an external drain pipe. Easy to fit but you must keep the pipe lower than the drain exit of the machine.
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Old 19-05-2017, 11:40 PM
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Les, I run a small Finether (10-20m sq) unit continuously in a converted garden shed where I store my gear. The shed has an exhaust fan which actually pressurises the shed when temperatures exceed 28degC and this prevents heat buildup in the ceiling area. I also run the dehumidifier full time which consumes only 20W continuous, and has a 500ml catch tank. This needs emptying every few days, but it also ensures the shed is checked for integrity. If the unit is not emptied, there is a float switch which shuts the unit off till attended to. Thus far after 3 seasons, no sign of corrosion or mould. (app $35 delivered).
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Old 20-05-2017, 10:33 AM
sharpiel
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Thanks for your replies. Excellent information. I'll do some research too over the next week.

The tank filling -v- external drainage is something I'd not considered. A cut off switch also interesting. Little tips like these from peoples' experiences make all the difference.

👍
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Old 20-05-2017, 05:25 PM
sharpiel
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Having thought about this I think I'm looking for a "turn on and forget" type of device that constantly dehumidifies an indoor room (dedicated to storing my equipment) and then vents outside. Something that requires minimal maintenance other than filter changes if required etc...
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Old 20-05-2017, 06:32 PM
PhilTas (Phil)
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Les,
If you are able to run a drain pipe to the outside like I have done , then you can set the dehumidifier running 24/7. This is what I am doing because the humidity level has not dropped much here as yet. Once a month I clean the filter, same as an AC.
If your room is air conditioned, then see if it has a dry setting - this may do the job for you. Set up an independent humidity sensor or logger to see how it goes. I have a logger I can loan you for a while if you like. Set it up under a Windows program (supplied) and it measures temp and humidity. Let me know if you want to try it. It's a Jaycar Q6013.
They sell another one now for half the price which has an LED display.
Cheers Phil
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