How Long Should a Dehumidifier Run Per Day?

A dehumidifier plays one of the most important roles in improving indoor air quality by removing unwanted moisture from the room. While doing the process, a dehumidifier also helps you to get rid of mold growths, asthma attacks, and different kinds of allergies.

A dehumidifier can also be helpful for you to maintain the room temperature and relative humidity at an ideal level by constantly draining water from the place. So if you decided to buy a dehumidifier or already bought a dehumidifier then I would say it’s a good decision since there’s nothing to regret about.

Now the question is how long Should a Dehumidifier Run Per Day? and will it be okay if you run your dehumidifier constantly?

Well, you don’t have to worry about it since I am here to just answer that question along with some other important points/details that you should keep in mind. Just make sure that you will be reading the whole article completely without skipping any points.

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What is a Dehumidifier? and What Does it Do?

A dehumidifier is a home appliance that reduces moisture in the air from your home by absorbing the humid air and releasing fresh dry air. Having a dehumidifier is also very beneficial to those who have asthma or allergies… since a dehumidifier purifies the air by absorbing bad air from the house/room. A dehumidifier can also prevent mold growth and odors by extracting extra water from the air to restore humidity levels.

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What is Relative Humidity (RH)?

Relative humidity (RH) is a measure of water vapor that contains in the air at a given temperature. In other words, it is the percentage of water vapor in the air that is expressed as a percentage (%RH) of the amount needed to achieve saturation at the same temperature.

Basically, RH always depends on the temperature in your room, so the more stable the temperature you have the more stable RH you will have.

The ideal RH is between 30-50%, where you breathe comfortably with fewer microorganisms like mold and mildew in the atmosphere. RH is not the same as humidity since Humidity is the amount of vaporized water in the air.

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How Long Should a Dehumidifier Run Per Day?

In a Nutshell:

According to experts, you should not run your dehumidifier for more than 10 to 12 hours a day. Since a dehumidifier is capable of reducing the humidity level in a home in that short period of time.

However, you can determine the time by measuring the humidity level from time to time with a hygrometer/or any other equipment you have. Though the runtime of a dehumidifier also depends on the capacity of your dehumidifier so make sure to keep this in mind.

On the other hand, if you have a low-capacity dehumidifier then you may have to run your dehumidifier longer and more frequently. So the main key point of this dehumidifier capacity is the one that defines how long you have to run your dehumidifier and how frequently.

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Explanation

Should a Dehumidifier Run Constantly?

Yes, you can run your dehumidifier as long as you need it but there’s no reason for you to run it constantly. It will be enough for you to run your dehumidifier when the humidity level is 50% or higher than usual since running a dehumidifier for a long time can remove an excessive amount of humidity from the air leaving your air dry.

So in other words it is important to understand the humidity level of your room/house to ensure that you are not running your dehumidifier for an unnecessarily long time. However, if you are not very good at understanding humidity levels then you can always use a hygrometer or humidistat on your dehumidifier to check the humidity levels in your home.

Also if you will run your dehumidifier more than usual then you will end up filling your tank fast and in the end, your dehumidifier will either have an auto shut-off feature or a pump to drain the water automatically.

We recommend you to run your dehumidifier for at least 12 hours a day to get an effective result based on your room’s dehumidifier level. Although the runtime will also depend on the capacity of your unit and its built-in features.

For high-humidity places, you will basically need a dehumidifier that has an automatic shut-off feature when the reservoir is full or the ability to automatically shut off when a certain humidity level is reached. However, it would be even better if your dehumidifier supports a continuous pump and connects it to a floor drain so that you don’t have to worry about emptying the water tank.

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Disadvantages Of Constant Use

Although there is nothing wrong with leaving your dehumidifier on all the time, but still it’s also true that if you leave any electrical device constantly without any rest then it can cause some damage/reduce the life of your device. Apart from this continuous use of dehumidifiers can also lead to some health problems like dry skin and eyes.

Speaking of health, it can even induce a dry respiratory tract, increasing the risk of infection. Furthermore, if your machine runs continuously (24/7) after being set to a relative humidity level of 50% or less, then you have to consider that something is wrong.

There are many other disadvantages you can face from your dehumidifier, and to know all of them just click here.

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Is it Safe to Leave a Dehumidifier on All Night?

Yes, it is completely fine to leave your dehumidifier on overnight since it is not harmful to your health. Even experts recommend using it for those people who suffer from allergies or anything like hay fever, sneezing, itchy eyes, sinusitis, cough, and asthma.

Now the question why do experts recommend people to sleep with the dehumidifier on?

Well with a dehumidifier you can easily say goodbye to your asthma and allergy issues since allergy triggers such as mold and dust mites thrive in humidity and a dehumidifier is a perfect solution for this. So overall this could help you to breathe more easily at night and help you to get a better start every day.

Things to consider before running your dehumidifier overnight

Noise:

Well, the first drawback that you will have to face is its noise. Yes, you may have to face some noticeable wind noise from the compressor since it makes a sound while taking in and exhausting air, and this can disturb your sleep sometimes. So if you are planning on using the device all night then you should check the noise of your dehumidifier first.

On/off feature:

If your dehumidifier doesn’t have any auto turn on/off feature then I suggest you to not use your device at night, since you won’t be touching the dehumidifier while you are asleep. However, you can turn on your device, before going to sleep. Kindly wait for it to freshen the air and make it comfortable, then you can turn it off and simply go to bed without a worry

Tank Capacity:

As I said earlier, a dehumidifier should have enough tank capacity for continuous use or at least the feature of an auto shut-off switch to ensure that you won’t have to face a room full of water.

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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dehumidifier 24 Hours a Day?

You may be wondering about the cost of running a dehumidifier 24 hours a day but I think there’s nothing to worry about since most of the latest dehumidifier models have a humidistat, which allows the device to automatically shut off after reaching a decent humid level.

So in other words you don’t have to run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day. In case, if you are still worried about it then let me give you an honest answer…

The average cost of running a dehumidifier is between $0.03 and $0.16 per hour, while the price of running it 24 hours a day is around $0.72 to $3.84. 

However, the entire cost depends on the average price of electricity which is 10.42 cents per kilowatt-hour in the United States. But if you are from another country then the result can be lower or even higher which completely depends on the electricity price.

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How To Reduce Dehumidifier Runtime?

What is humidistat? & What are the benefits of it:

A humidistat is a device that reads the humidity in a space and automatically turns a humidifier or dehumidifier on or off depending on whether the room is meeting the desired humidity setting. Fortunately, in the newer versions of dehumidifiers, you will get a built-in humidistat with the dehumidifier.

This is also one of the reasons I said earlier to not worry about since your dehumidifier does not need to run for 24 hours a day since it can save you some money through its auto turn-on-off feature. 

Other than humidistat there are some other ways to prevent unnecessary straining of the dehumidifier. such as…

Keep The Dehumidifier In a Well-Ventilated Spot:

Placing your dehumidifier in a well-ventilated area can improve its performance much more than placing it in an area with less airflow, and as you know that the more efficiently your device works, the less time you’ll need to run it.

Do Not Use Heating Appliances When Dehumidifiers Are In Use:

There are many heaters that use natural gas or kerosene which only contribute to the room’s moisture, and also responsible for keeping the unit longer. That’s why if you want to prevent it then I suggest you to replace it with alternative electric heating equipment.

Empty Reservoir:

A dehumidifier can’t work at its fullest with having a full water tank, also there are some other risks such as water damage in the circuit board, water overflow on the floor, etc. So as always if you wanna prevent it then make sure that the dehumidifier tank is not completely full.

Exhaust Fans in the bathroom and kitchens:

By installing exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens, you can easily get rid of excess moisture from those areas because an exhaust fan can pull most of the moisture out of the house and relieve most of the pressure on the dehumidifier.

Clean the Coils And Air Vents:

By cleansing the dehumidifier’s coils and air vents you can easily prevent the clog and damage that a dehumidifier might get from the dust. And because you prevented all the damage caused you can easily increase the lifespan of your dehumidifier and its effectiveness.

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FAQs

Q: How long does it take for a dehumidifier to dry out a room?

As long as the capacity of your dehumidifier is well enough for the area it is working in, and there are no specific damp problems, then a dehumidifier will normally reduce the humidity to the chosen level within a few days to a week.

Q: When should I turn off my dehumidifier?

There is no reason for you to run your dehumidifier continuously, even after the relative humidity (RH) of your /room/house drops below the 30%-50% range (normal). So yeah you can switch off your dehumidifier anytime when the humidity level in your room/home reaches the comfort level which is around 45%.

Q: Can a dehumidifier make a room too dry?

Using a dehumidifier more than enough can cause many different common problems which include dryness in the room, the spread of illnesses, cracked, dry skin, and problems with static electricity.