Should I Use a Dehumidifier in Winter?

In winter, to keep warm from the cold, people will quickly turn on the stove at home or use the heating at home to make the home warmer and more comfortable. The electricity bill for heating alone accounts for about 45% of the total electricity bill and the extra cost is often accompanied by a large amount of dry air.

Most people know that a humidifier can help solve this problem and add moisture when needed. But are there certain situations that may require owners to operate their dehumidifiers in winter?

The answer is yes, but only in certain circumstances. If you need to use a residential dehumidifier in cold months, you may only need to use it in the basement. Because basements don’t have much heat from natural light exposed to the sun, they can easily become humid throughout the year. This makes them an ideal place for mold and bacteria to grow. But even if you need a dehumidifier in the basement in the summer, this does not mean you need to run it in the winter.

Whether a dehumidifier operating in winter is suitable for your situation will depend on two main factors: the temperature and humidity in your area or home.

temperature

If you live in an area that experiences warm weather all year round, or you have a warm basement, you may benefit from running a dehumidifier. Ideally, any room should be kept above 15°C to get the best dehumidifier performance, although some dehumidifier models are designed for low temperatures.

For those homeowners who live in cold climates and keep their basements cold, running a dehumidifier is of little use. In fact, between the lower temperature and the water vapor sucked in by the dehumidifier, if you try to use it under these conditions, it may eventually cause the coil to freeze and the function of the dehumidifier will be impaired. Using the Alorair Sentinel HDi90 dehumidifier will avoid this problem. The device has an automatic defrost function to ensure normal operation at low temperatures without damage. Most of the time, anyway, in cold weather, you may not need a dehumidifier, you need to add more moisture instead of removing it.

humidity

Just because you live in a warm climate does not necessarily mean that you will use a dehumidifier, and your climate conditions also require relatively high humidity. Generally speaking, if your humidity stays above 50% most of the time, it is a good idea to use a dehumidifier in winter.

To determine the relative humidity level, you can set up a wall humidity regulator to measure the relative humidity of the room. Be sure to pay attention to the fluctuation of the humidity level and turn off the dehumidifier when the humidity drops. You can also set your dehumidifier to maintain an automatic threshold humidity level (should be around 30%). But if the humidity in the room has never reached 50%, likely, you do not need a dehumidifier in winter.

3 ways to run the dehumidifier correctly in winter

If you choose to run the dehumidifier in winter, you will need to pay close attention to what is said next! The following are the 3 main ways to operate equipment normally throughout the season.

1. Regularly monitor the dehumidifier

Whenever you decide to run a device, always pay attention to it. If the temperature or humidity drops below the ideal level, you will need to turn off the dehumidifier. You should never let the coil or water freeze, because it may cause permanent damage to the device.

Don’t have time to continuously monitor your equipment? Set automatic humidity threshold! For beginners, we recommend setting the automatic threshold of humidity to 30%.

2. Check the room temperature

Next, if you happen to find that the room is cold but the humidity is still high, please run the heater for a few hours a day. This will help regulate the temperature of the room and make it easier to control the relative humidity.

3. Watch out for mold

Notice the signs of mold growth? Use natural bactericides such as white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or rubbing alcohol to kill it immediately. Next, use a dehumidifier to completely dry the room. This will ensure that the nasty mold will not continue to spread.

For most families, dry winter weather requires more humidity, not less humidity, to maintain higher comfort. But if you live in an area that is both cold and humid, you may benefit from running a dehumidifier in your basement or other humid areas of your home. If you need to buy a dehumidifier in the winter, you can consult Alorair professionals, I believe you will get the dehumidifier you want!

Choose the right size dehumidifier for your basement-shop here!