Best place to put dehumidifier in 2 story house

The placement of the dehumidifier in a large house is one of the main factors that will affect its performance, and if you are thinking of buying a dehumidifier for each room/floor then I don’t think it will be a good idea when one dehumidifier will give you the exact same result.

Though it’s true that during the cold season around the world, the humidity level becomes higher than at any other time, and to prevent this you will need to reduce air moisture in areas. In this case, a dehumidifier will take a big role during this time.

Now the question is where should you put the dehumidifier in a 2-story house? will it be better to place the dehumidifier upstairs or just place it downstairs to get higher performance?

Well, the answer to this question is not that simple since there are many other factors that you will have to keep in mind while placing it. (Such as moisture source, floor temperature, the nearest power outlet, and your preference.)

However, you don’t have to worry about it since I am here to just answer that question with valid points so that you can decide the right choice by yourself as per your house.

Before you decide where to place your dehumidifier, you must know that a dehumidifier is an electrical appliance which works like a vacuum cleaner. Its one and only job are to suck moist air to eliminate water in the air, which maintain and decrease the level of humidity.

There are many other benefits that you can see as a result of having a dehumidifier (Such as Preventing Asthma attacks, pest-related problems, allergies, and most of all it can reduce mold growth). If you wanna know more about the topic then you can click here.

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Things you must consider while placing a dehumidifier in 2 story house

When placing a dehumidifier in your house you must consider some certain factors that will help you get high efficient results from your dehumidifier.

Here are the factors…

Personal Preferences:

The first factor that you have to consider is your own personal opinion. The reason I said that is because of your own comfort since you bought a dehumidifier to get rid of moisture from the air and get relief from it. so everything is up to you where you wanna place it, and reduce the moisture most.

Temperature:

In my opinion, you should place the dehumidifier where you feel the least temperature in the house (the coldest floor), whether upstairs or downstairs. Because if you keep your dehumidifier in a hot environment then it will work harder and use more energy than usual.

This is why the best place to place a dehumidifier is in a cool area where the dehumidifier can work at its fullest without having any energy issues. Just like that, you can also select a floor to place by measuring the temperature of each floor. Depending on the temperature or humidity level you can move your dehumidifier to any place you want.

 Most Moisture air-filled areas:

According to experts, humidity levels are extremely high on the ground floor as compared to the upper floor. since the heat rises to the upper floor and makes it warmer so placing the dehumidifier downstairs would be the most ideal choice for you. After all this way your dehumidifier can absorb most of the moisture easily.

However, there is one thing you must have to consider before placing it, and that is the source of moisture. It can be ground floor or top floor so make sure to place it there.

For example, if you have kitchens, laundry rooms, bathrooms, and areas filled with high humidity (high humidity areas) then you should place your dehumidifier near to those places to prevent moisture from spreading throughout the house.

In most cases, the most humid area in a house is the basement and if you are unable to identify the high-humidity areas upstairs then you should just place it downstairs in the basement without any second thought.

Area with the best airflow:

If you still weren’t able to decide the place to place the dehumidifier yet then I think you should just consider it placing somewhere with good airflow. A place with good airflow can help your dehumidifier to work more effectively and quickly by drawing air and expelling hot dry air easily without any obstacles that could obstruct good airflow.

Note: In case you trying to increase any area’s airflow to place a dehumidifier you should just let the windows or doors open. On the other hand, if your room has no openings then just use a fan for better circulation within your home.

Accessibility to Electric Sources:

You can place it in an area from where you can easily access electricity or from where you can easily access any electrical source. After all, it’s a bit irritating to move it near the plug every time you want to turn on or turn off your dehumidifier. For example, you can place your dehumidifier near an outlet.

Note: Do not place it too near to any electronic source since it can cause electrocution which will later lead to something big issue.

Farness to Air, Dust, and Particles:

Placing your dehumidifier in a clean area will surprisingly increase your dehumidifier’s effectiveness compared to placing it in a dirty area. Because a dehumidifier works by absorbing moist air from where you put it and replacing it with fresh air. So if you put it in a dirty dusty place, the dust source can put a lot of stress on the dehumidifier filter and cause it to be damaged in a short period of time.

Where to place a Dehumidifier in 2 story building (upstairs or downstairs)

Well if you read the points that I talked about earlier in this article then you already know the answer. However, if you are still struggling to choose a place to decide then let me help you with a brief conclusion.

Can I use a dehumidifier upstairs?

Well, before taking any decision you should decide this after measuring the humidity level of each floor, and based on the result you can choose whether it’s upstairs or downstairs. For some people, it can be upstairs so if you are the one you should place it there without any second thought.

If your bedroom is upstairs along with a bathroom/laundry room nearby then you can place the dehumidifier in your room for better sleep and a humidity-free room.

Can I use a dehumidifier downstairs?

In most cases, the most humid area of a house is downstairs, especially the basement and this is one of the reasons I mentioned earlier for putting your dehumidifier in the basement if you are still undecided.

Note: You have to place it near an outlet, and the place of that outlet has to be somewhere open and far for stagnant water to reach.

What room should you place your dehumidifier in?

As always you should always place it where you feel the most moisture or where you want it most based on your personal preferences. Although bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and crawl spaces are all places that can have excess moisture, and you can choose any nearby room to place your dehumidifier.

Note: In case you are still unsure about the humidity levels of your rooms then a humid level detector (Such as a hygrometer) will be very helpful for you.

After locating the source of moisture in your home the first thing you need to do is isolate it, otherwise, the moisture may spread throughout the home and cause further damage to other items.

Make sure to close all windows as well – you don’t need extra humidity coming in from outside.

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FAQs

Q: Where is the best place to put a whole-house dehumidifier?

As I said earlier you have to place your dehumidifier in the location that is closest to the source of the moisture, and in most multi-level homes the source of the moisture is the basement. So that means that dehumidifiers should be placed in basements or upstairs close to the stairs to your basement.

Q: Should you have dehumidifier at every floor?

For some people the answer is Yes, on the other hand it’s a no too, that’s why you have to decide whether one dehumidifier will be enough for your every floor or not. Though I don’t prefer to have more than one in a house no matter how big it is since you can reduce humidity so easily by doing some methods that allow you to reduce humidity without a dehumidifier.

You also can read our article for more info (How to reduce humidity in house without dehumidifier)

Q: Does humidity rise in a two-story house?

Indoor air that’s warm and moist (humid) is less dense than dry air, which makes it rise…so it doesn’t matter in which floor you are in right now. Though in most cases the downstairs/basement is the one that is more humid than any other.