Project man-cave and question about dehumidifiers

[Karl V]

Evening all.

I've spent the past 6 months clearing out the garage to get both cars tucked in. This included putting in loft boards to house the crap, with a loft ladder and ceiling. Out of sight, out of mind...

Last week, I had the floor levelled ready for tiling and an ugly breeze block internal wall plastered ready for a fresh lick of white emulsion.

Unfortunately given the weather of recent weeks, the fresh plaster and latex floor is taking an age to dry out. The garage smells like a damp dog and opening a door to get an airing just let's the wet / damp in.

I was thinking of begging / borrowing / stealing a dehumidifier to help dry out the fresh plaster / screeding, but got thinking... Should I plan for a dehumidifier on a permanent basis?

The boss has a tumble dryer for the winter months and I enjoy fresh and dry undercrackers as a result. Would the same work for my man-cave?

I've had a quick search on the forum for dehumidifier and there's some chatter about Carcoons etc. but I can't tell if investing between £100 and £200 is money well spent or a waste.

I'm in 2 minds because - as a man-cave - I can normally be found skulking about in the garage after dark, which means the garage is never 'sealed' for more than a day or two.

So would a dehumidifier be worth it? Or would it be like leaving the fridge door open and wondering why my monthly electric bill has more digits in it than my pension plan?

Does anyone out there have any experience / advice?

Damply yours,

Karl.

[phil4]

My garage is being rebuilt (well actually destroyed) right now. Once done my plan is to pop a dehumidifier in.

I’m not sure it’ll be air tight as such, but with double glazing and a “roughly sealing” roller door, it should stand a chance.

I guess a lot depends on how air tight yours is. And whether you like the idea of a carcoon - which I don’t, but is a far better and more efficient way of achieving the same

I’m not doing that as I’d need several and don’t want the extra hassle when I want to drive/ride.


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Karl

When my wife & I had various sailing boats (last one was a Centre Cockpit Morgan 40 sloop) I bought an Ebac dehumidifier and left it running for the whole time the boat was laid up ashore during the winter - with the drainage hose led into a galley sink so the water drained directly overboard!

Ebac (https://www.ebac.com/dehumidifiers) make excellent quality dehumidifiers and the one we had gave many years of faultless service and did a sterling job of keeping our various boat interiors dry and mould free over the winters of many years!!

They all come with varying sized water reservoirs but many also offer the option of connecting a 'permanent' hose which can be routed to somewhere (lower) outside your garage which obviates the need to periodically empty the reservoir.

- if a hose is not used it is easy to forget to empty it and the machine auto stops if the reservoir is full - which is simply irritating - so it is much better to use a hose to dispose of the water if possible.

However, I would also add, that the cost of the electricity to run it also has to be considered!

[atomiser]

Definitely worth it!

I have two - stops the rust/water based corrosion dead in its tracks and I've not really noticed that much difference in electricity usuage.

Desiccant type which works better in winter

Standard Refrigerant type which is very efficient but not that great in low temp

Both can pipe waste water to the outside, so I don't have empty every 3-4 days.

[Karl V]

Thanks chaps.

Fair points about sealage and drainage.

If you have to open the garage door every few hours to empty the reservoir, then it kinda defeats the object I suppose. Like the boss's tumble dryer, I'll definitely consider some kind of external drainage.

I was thinking along the lines of the trickle charger - if I know I'm gonna leave the man-cave sealed up for a few days (especially when it's belting down outside), then that could be the time to dehumidify.

Or I could acquire a damp dog and know for sure where the smell is coming from. Not from my undercrackers...

[Karl V]

Thanks [mention]atomiser[/mention].

I'll definitely check out the 2 different types. I was bit worried about the 'fridge effect' in winter, especially as summer is less of an issue.

You say you have 2. Is that 1 of each type?

[atomiser]

Thanks @atomiser.

I'll definitely check out the 2 different types. I was bit worried about the 'fridge effect' in winter, especially as summer is less of an issue.

You say you have 2. Is that 1 of each type?

Yep - both on duty during spring, summer autumn with the Refrigerant Dehumidifier doing most of the work, and usually the Desiccant Dehumidifier takes over in the winter because the Refrigerant Dehumidifier doesn't work too well. If you are just choosing one, go for the Desiccant Dehumidifier. It won't be as efficient but it will work in the winter.

[Italianpaul]

I've had two dehumidifiers running in a cellar for the last two months to dry out the floor for a customer. The result - a lovely warm cellar 25c. Customer not happy at the extra £300 per month electricity bill. If it's in a damp area and its large, it will run 24/7

Paul

[Karl V]

Hhhhmmmm.

So I think I've learned:

* There are two types - one works best at high temperatures, the other at low temperatures
* If you're trying to dry out an inherently damp space / poorly sealed space, you're just wasting money
* Removing moisture is good for long term preservation
* Investigate a until that will drain moisture externally rather than fill a reservoir

To make this work, I think I need to:

* Look at desiccant type dehumidifiers - assuming winter / cold conditions are the challenge here
* Sort out some permanent plumbing to extract externally
* Make sure that when the garage floor tiling is finished, the door seals adequately
* Be prepared to vacate the man-cave during winter; which will be tough when Strictly dominates weekend tele and I need somewhere to escape to
* Maybe not have the unit on 'permanently', but more so during shite weather and after driving in wet conditions

I think I may press ahead with a dehumidifier. If costs get too high, I can hang my undercrackers in the garage and veto the boss's tumble dryer.

It's been a while since I've run starkers down the stairs to answer the door to the postman...

Is it just me that's excited by this idea?

[autobackup]

Karl

Just a thought?

- would it be possible to extend your house CH system to add a radiator with a thermostatic valve (set moderately low) to your garage?

- if you can raise the background temp in the garage a bit it will both reduce the damp and improve the performance of any type of dehumidifier!

I have had no personal experience with desiccant type dehumidifiers but the Ebac refrigerant unit worked very well during many cold and damp (beside the sea) winters

- whenever we visited the Hamble to do work on the boat there was always a steady drip and a puddle of waste water from the Ebac on the boatyard hard-standing under the boat.

[atomiser]

I initially tried heating but was difficult to get it above 10c in winter let alone get below 60% humidity.

Also cost a small fortune with a space heater - £6 every 4-5hrs (diesel)

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Karl

Idly surfing the net I came across this website which might be of interest?

https://choosedehumidifier.co.uk/garage/

[atomiser]

Karl

Idly surfing the net I came across this website which might be of interest?

https://choosedehumidifier.co.uk/garage/

Yep that the one I've got.

Also best buy from which? iirc.

Worth mentioning meaco's customer service is good. Mine broke down after 20months of 24x7 usage. They picked it up, repaired it, and returned it within a week all for free

The other one has been going for 30months 24x7 and still works with no strange noises!

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[Karl V]

Thanks for the feedback gents.

I was also pointed towards a heat pump and have looked at the possibility of running a radiator from the house to the garage, but I think the challenge is dry rather than warm.

I'm assuming that raising the temperature doesn't necessarily get rid of moisture. Which may explain why the bedroom is hot and sweaty every morning. Ooh err...

I'll dig into the Meaco DD8L Zambezi unit with external drainage.

[autobackup]

Karl

The rule of thumb is that with a higher temperature the more moisture the air can hold which allows a dehumidifier to extract more moisture per cubic metre of air processed - i.e. the greater the ambient temperature the more a dehumidifier's efficiency is improved!

https://www.google.com.cy/search?q=desi ... DaB-DjcFCM: