Low energy dehumidifier?

[woodburner]

Open a window, or otherwise generating some ventilation is more effective than a dehumidifier, unless you have high temperatures and high humidity, and have the room sealed. If it has any small amount of ventilation, a dehumidifier is about as effective as standing under a waterfall with a mop and bucket.

[caspian]

Open a window, or otherwise generating some ventilation is more effective than a dehumidifier

Opening a window will achieve little if it's damp outside, and even if it's dry outside the process of drying out your room will be slow (and you'll lose a lot of your internal heat in the winter). A dehumidifer is very effective at drying out a room, although unfortunately it's only a temporary solution.

[woodburner]

Many wood sheds are open structures, but the wood dries pretty well.

The loss of heat is the price of ventilation. It is more destructive for buildings to be hot with no ventilation, than to be cool with ventilation. To keep warm, wearing suitable clothes is the economic and ecological way.

[JohnB]

Many wood sheds are open structures, but the wood dries pretty well.

The loss of heat is the price of ventilation. It is more destructive for buildings to be hot with no ventilation, than to be cool with ventilation. To keep warm, wearing suitable clothes is the economic and ecological way.

There's a difference between a woodshed and a house. I bought mine to deal with rooms with enough damp to make them unpleasant for people, rather than dead trees.

The solution in my case is to remove 2 inches of cement from the inside walls, and cement render from outside, dig up a concrete path that's on the same level as the floor, and redo the walls in lime. But that will take a long time, and I needed a quicker short term solution until that can be done.

[phobos]

Dont know if this would be of interest:

http://www.prlog.org/10616452-new-eco-f ... print.html

[meg]

I know I may be resurrecting an old topic but have been surfing to find an energy solution for my shop. Skinflint landlord so no double glazing and shop sits atop a damp cellar. Winters are horrendous and we sit over a convector heater which is on for 7 hours a day. Question is, would using a dehumidifyer in the cellar warm things up such that I'd be using the convector less?

Failing that, what would be the cheapest and most planet friendly alternative to a convector? Seen the thread discusses Halogen and the directionality would suit but as we are a bookshop would be terrified of the fire risk.

Any suggestions?

[adam2]

Welcome.
Does the shop suffer from damp, or is it cold but dry ?
If the shop suffers from damp, then an electric dehumidifier should help reduce this, provided that the ventilation is not excesive.
It wont work if you are trying to dry an infinite supply of outside air !, though MOST damp premises are not well ventilated.
Purchase any reputable brand and use as directed, preferably overnight and at weekends.
Most dehumidifiers collect the water in a container that requires emptying, some have the option of discharging the water via a pipe to a drain or large external container. This would be preferable for unattended operation.

If the shop is cold but dry, then little will be gained by a dehumidifier and heating is required.
Electric heating tends to be rather expensive, but for small or rented spaces may be all that is available.
All electric heaters are virtually 100% efficient at the point of use, ignore all adverts that claim improved efficiency.
If the intent is not to warm the whole space, but to improve the comfort of a few persons within the space, then directional radiant heating, if well directed can help a lot.
If persons remain seated at a desk or counter, then the use of an infra red lamp suspended above them helps a lot.
If however the work takes place throughout the space, then the only option is to heat all of it which will be costly with electricity.

Dont overlook basic draughtproofing, that can be worthwhile even in a rented property.
And of course dress warmly !

A small solid fuel stove or a flued gas heater would be good solutions in theory, but in practice probably wont be feasible in a rented property.

As regards the damp basement, a dehumidifier should certainly help to dry that out, but this might or might not improve conditions on the floor above.

[humus]

This looks interesting:

http://www.solarventi.co.uk