Top 5 unavoidable disadvantages of a dehumidifier

Are you thinking about buying a dehumidifier to reduce humidity in your room/house? or perhaps you are tired of the moisture that you have in your room/house, and you’ve been told that a dehumidifier can easily help you in solving your humid problems?

Well, it’s true that a dehumidifier is a kind of home appliance that decreases the room’s excess moisture or humidity levels and makes it better.

Having a dehumidifier can not only helps you to reduce humidity in your home but also has some other benefits. However, do you know “what are the disadvantages of dehumidifiers?” Well, I do believe that knowing only the advantages can cause you some trouble in the future because every electronic device has its own disadvantages and a dehumidifier is also one of those.

So now the question is what are the disadvantages of dehumidifiers? Are they as helpful as they seem, or do they cause more harm than good?

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Disadvantages of a dehumidifier

Even though a dehumidifier brings more advantages than disadvantages in daily life, but the disadvantages are not worth ignoring. The main disadvantages of having a dehumidifier are the electrical consumption due to its continuous use, the continuous noise output, and the need for maintenance.

There are some other disadvantages of a dehumidifier too such as dry throat, nose, and skin irritation due to dry air, hot room temperature, etc.

Even Some dehumidifiers can be even more expensive each month than the purchase price due to their electrical consumption. Not only just this but there are some other issues too as I said earlier.

So now the question is is a dehumidifier worth it or it’s just a waste of money? Umm, Let’s find out after reading this post 😉

1. Cost of Electricity due to electrical consumption:

Well, you can say that the cost of electricity is one of the most significant drawbacks of having a dehumidifier. After all, we all run a dehumidifier 24/7 without any break. Though you can resolve this issue by having an energy-efficient air dehumidifier than any normal dehumidifier.

However, it also depends on the quality of the dehumidifier because the cheaper dehumidifier you have the more electricity it consumes, and can cause high electricity bills. For example, a 12L energy-efficient dehumidifier consumes as little as 150 Watts, but on the other hand, a cheaper one can consume up to 300 Watts.

Well, I understand that purchasing an energy-efficient dehumidifier can be a little difficult for some people because of their tight budgets, but don’t worry cause you can decide whether it will be worth it to buy a dehumidifier or not after knowing all the other disadvantages.

Note: It’s not true that only a dehumidifier can help you to get rid of moisture in a room because there are some other natural ways too that can help you. In case you wanna know about it then take a look at this article to know more. [How to reduce humidity in house without dehumidifier]

2. A Temporary Solution:

You all know that the main purpose of a dehumidifier is to reduce excess humidity in the room but you should also know the fact that the humidity in your room will not be completely removed with a single use unless you use it continuously. Now this will lead you to a high electricity bill issue again.

For example, the effect of an air conditioner will remain in the room for some time until a window or door is opened. Likewise, the effect of a dehumidifier will also stay in the room for some time as long as you run it continuously.

In other words, you get a temporary solution because it doesn’t solve the real problem. So if you already have mold in your room and has a musty smell, a dehumidifier will only prevent the smell but it won’t be able to get rid of the mold completely.

3. Noise:

Every electronic device has its own unique sound, and a dehumidifier is also on this list. You can consider it as another drawback because the noise of a dehumidifier can be a bit annoying for some people during nighttime. It’s not unusual to have noise because most devices make background noises while running.

Most dehumidifiers can produce noise anywhere from 20 dB(whisper-quiet) to 50 dB(Normal conversation). However, there are some people who think that such sounds help them sleep faster and more peacefully, but on the other hand, there are some people who think just the opposite.

Note: The bigger the dehumidifier, the more noise it is likely to produce so take a proper look at the dehumidifiers before buying one to see how much noise the dehumidifier produces.

3. Heating problem:

One of the most common problems of having a dehumidifier is the heat problem. However, you should also know the fact that a certain types of dehumidifiers produce more noise and heat. These are also known as a compressor-based dehumidifiers.

Basically, a compressor-based dehumidifier can be more useful for home environments, because of its function that is usually more energy-efficient. However, Desiccant dehumidifiers typically produce warmer air than usual. You can feel the warm air up to 50 °F warmer than the air that went in.

The reason is understandable though… after all desiccant dehumidifiers work by using a moisture-absorbing material to suck moisture into the air before it is dried by a heat fan. This can be helpful for those who has relatively a cold house and don’t have a heater to make them warmer.

But on the other hand, this can be a big disadvantage for those who have a well-insulated home and are happy with their home temperature.

4. Maintainance problem:

Just like other electronic devices such as AC units, refrigerators, or coolers, your dehumidifier will also require some regular maintenance. This can be a hassle at times for you since there are two different types of regular maintenance.

First, you need to empty the water tank from time to time so that you can run the dehumidifier longer with more efficiency. Well, the hassle is you have to empty the tanks anywhere from once a week to twice a day, depending on the model and its runtime.

Note: You can avoid this hassle by purchasing a dehumidifier with a continuous drain hose.

Second, you need to clean the filter to ensure it works effectively over time. However, it can be a hassle for those who are extremely busy with work or study and may not have enough time to check in the dehumidifier regularly.

The benefits of cleaning and replacing filters at regular intervals are essential to avoid mold and bacterial growth, so it is something that you must have to do on regular basis. In case you don’t know how to clean a dehumidifier filter properly then you can go through the manufacturer’s instructions.

Video Overview

5. Dry Air:

Not gonna lie but yeah as always it is true that dehumidifiers can remove excess moisture from the air but unfortunately while they are processing it also makes the air drier, especially in winter when the humidity level is already relatively low.

Unfortunately, this is not a problem that can be avoided as it can worsen conditions such as pneumonia and eczema, so having a dehumidifier at home may not be the best idea. Dry air can also negatively affect your skin and hair. You may also feel some eye irritation because of the dry air.

So make sure to use it when it will be needed otherwise there’s no reason to use it unconditionally.

So I hope that you read this article yet but now the question is “Buying a dehumidifier is really worth it or not?”

Don’t worry let’s find out together 😉

What Should You Do Before Buying a Dehumidifier?

How to overcome these dehumidifier issues?

Before buying any dehumidifier you must not only consider the positives or just the negatives. A dehumidifier based on your needs can certainly play a huge part in reducing humidity in a very short period of time.

So let me help you to get the maximum benefit from it, outweighing the disadvantages seen above.

Size:

Based on my experience I believe that having a medium to small size dehumidifier can be a perfect choice for any kind of house. Larger dehumidifiers, on the other hand, can be a bit of a hassle to maintain over time. Also, these dehumidifier units take up more space than small or medium-sized ones.

Noise:

I already told you about this but in case you missed it, just know that before buying any dehumidifier you should always run the dehumidifier to check how much sound it is producing. As not everyone likes to sleep soundly.

Maintenance:

Every dehumidifier has its own crucial time for maintenance so you must check whether it takes regular maintenance or not. Some dehumidifier companies offer free monthly services for the next two or three months after buying so you can use it since it will be your first.

FAQs

Q: Can a dehumidifier make you sick?

According to experts- “If the water in the dehumidifier bucket is left for a long time and you are still using it for a long time then it can cause the issue of mold growth, and which can trigger some allergic reaction, or, even if you don’t have allergies then it can cause some serious health issues.“

Q: How do I figure out what size dehumidifier I’ll need?

It will always be depending on the size of your room. For example, if you have a small room then you will obviously need a small dehumidifier so that you can place it properly. On the other hand, if you have a bigger house than usual then you can simply go with the medium-sized one.

A medium-sized dehumidifier can fit into any home/room as it is always recommended by experts for its balance.

Q: Is it okay if I use the water in the bucket?

If you are thinking about drinking the bucket of water then I highly recommended you to not do that because it contains impureness. However, you can use it for other purposes such as washing dishes or watering plants.