A Guide to Cellar Dehumidifiers

news Tuesday, 1 February 2022

Basement cellars, by their very nature and location, are often much cooler and damper than rooms above ground. Here's all you need to know about cellar dehumidifiers.

Why use a Cellar Dehumidifier? 

Basements and cellars, by their very nature and location, are often much cooler and damper than rooms above ground. If you need a dehumidifier for a cellar, we recommend using a desiccant type of dehumidifier as they work well in any temperature. By comparison, compressor driven units only work well in temperatures above 20°C.

Best Dehumidifier for Cellars

As desiccant dehumidifiers remain unaffected by temperature, they are much more effective at extracting moisture than compressor driven dehumidifiers.

Desiccant units are rated in test conditions at 20°C and a relative humidity of 60%, in contrast to compressor driven units which are rated in tests conditions of 30°C and a relative humidity of 80%.

In more realistic environments, the actual performance of a compressor driven dehumidifier will be much lower than the performance under test conditions as the units are dramatically affected by changes in temperature. A basic compressor driven unit will essentially stop extracting moisture anywhere near as effectively at temperatures below 12°C.

In a real-world scenario of 12°C and 60% RH (relative humidity) - as opposed to the test conditions of 30°C and 80% RH - a compressor driven unit with a rated capacity of 10 litres per day will in reality only draw 5.6 litres; and a unit rated at 16 litres will draw 8 litres. 

As the temperature drops even further, the performance of a compressor driven unit will tail off significantly. Even at 21°C and 60% RH (which is a more realistic domestic scenario), the unit rated at 10 litres per day will only draw around 3 litres and the unit rated at 16 litres will draw around 5.5 litres.

This is in stark contrast to desiccant dehumidifiers which will, in comparison, continue to extract the maximum rated capacity, irrespective of the temperature. When searching for a dehumidifier for your cellar or basement, look out for the word desiccant in the product information!

Power Consumption of a Cellar Dehumidifier

Although the power consumption per hour of a desiccant unit may be slightly higher than a compressor driven unit, desiccant dehumidifiers are much cheaper to run since they operate for a much shorter period to achieve the same net extraction result as compressor units. Desiccant units extract more moisture over a shorter period, when directly compared to the performance of compressor units.

Desiccant units are also smaller, lighter, quieter, and much more robust than compressor units. Desiccant dehumidifiers have no consumable components, and the lifespan of a unit if looked after well, can be up to 20 years which is much more than compressor units.

Our best-selling cellar / basement dehumidifier is the BROLIN BR10D Desiccant Dehumidifier, priced at £189 including VAT and delivery.

Our expert team are on hand to answer any of your questions!

At Sunbelt, we offer a wide range of dehumidifiers for cellars and many more applications. Our experts can offer a wealth of advice about the best dehumidifier to use to suit your application. Contact us today for further information.