A dehumidifier is a great home appliance if you live in tropical and humid regions where the humidity level goes above 50% for most of the year. The device is especially necessary for summer and rainy seasons when the moisture level in the air is at its peak. The dehumidifier will soak the extra moisture from the air to leave the indoor air humidity level in optimal condition. So, it eliminates added moisture, mold, and mildew growth.
But, running a humidifier brings several questions in front of us. It includes, “How long does a dehumidifier take to work?” Or, “how long should you run the dehumidifier in your home to control the moisture level?”
These two questions are interrelated since running the dehumidifier for too long can leave the indoor drier than you expect. Also, it could easily reduce the humidity level in your home too low for your comfort, and then, you will feel skin irritation and even nosebleed at the worst.
When you bring the humidifier for the first time, it will take around 10 to 12 hours to run properly and start dehumidifying the indoor air. As it gradually starts functioning, it will take around 20 minutes to 12 hours to start working from the next days. It depends on the room size and capacity of the device you have.
However, it doesn’t mean you will get the right humidity within the 30 minutes in your room. Usually, a dehumidifier will require around a few hours to control the humidity level right at the point you want. So, you need to be aware of it.
How Long Does a Dehumidifier Take To Work?
The working time required for a dehumidifier depends on several facts. Firstly, it is capacity, and secondly, the size of the room in which it will work. Also, the moisture level inside the indoor space will determine the working time needed for the dehumidifier to work appropriately.
Nonetheless, the following suggestions might help you with the cause.
For instance, the Keystone’s KSTAD50B dehumidifier is a compact device. It will need around 20 minutes to bring down the relative humidity level of your 50 square feet room from 90% to 40%. However, most rooms in the US aren’t as small as 50 square feet. So, it is a pretty theoretical concept.
Let’s make it big and consider the real-life scenario. What if your room is big? Well, we investigated it and found that the TOSOT’s 4,500Sq. Ft. 70 Pint Dehumidifier is large. It takes around 12 to 13 hours to start working to bring down the relative humidity level of your room at 40%.
However, the time required for the dehumidifier to work will also depend on its settings. You can increase or decrease the fan speed from the settings to control a humidifier’s time to start working properly. Also, you may check the humidity level of the indoor space and set the speed of the dehumidifier accordingly.
Factors Affecting the Time required For the Dehumidifier to Work Properly
In the above discussion, we have talked about two different dehumidifiers and how much time they need to start working in indoor space. Also, we have said that the working time required depends on the room size, moisture level, device capacity, etc.
So, let’s check these facts details so you may know about the time a dehumidifier will require to bring the humidity level in your indoor air in optimal condition.
The Capacity of The Dehumidifier:
First, you must consider the capacity of the dehumidifier you have brought. It refers to the amount of moisture the device can remove from the air in a given period, mostly within 24 hours. The capacity of the dehumidifier is expressed in the pint.
Usually, 1 pint refers to 0.150 gallons. It is almost equivalent to 0.5-liter water. Thus, a dehumidifier with a 1-pint capacity is ready to remove 0.5 liters of moisture from the room air. However, the dehumidifier’s capacity isn’t as low as 1 pint in real life.
Mostly, dehumidifiers will have 25 pints, 50 pints, 75 pints, or 100 pints capacity. Thus, the larger the dehumidifier, the better its capacity will be. Similarly, the more water the device can remove from the air. For instance, a dehumidifier with a 25-pint capacity will extract 25 pints or 3.75297 gallons of moisture from the air.
Moreover, the capacity will also depend on the room size and moisture level in the room. We will discuss it in the following two sections. Also, the following table will show you the time a dehumidifier will need to work on a 5- square feet space depending on their actual capacity.
Dehumidifier Capacity | 90%-40% dampness level | 80%-50% dampness level |
25 pint | 33 minutes | 12 minutes |
35 pint | 17 minutes | 8 minutes |
50 pint | 11 minutes | 6 minutes |
As you see, the dehumidifier’s capacity has a straight correlation with the time it needs to control the dampness level inside the room. Also, suppose you aren’t in a great hurry. In that case, there’s no need to invest in a larger dehumidifier. The data shows that even a compact dehumidifying device can work properly and quite efficiently in indoor locations.
Room Size and Design:
The room size directly affects the dehumidifier’s time to start working. Usually, the bigger the room, the more time the dehumidifier will need. It happens because a larger room will accommodate more moisture in the air.
Also, the room design will control the time a dehumidifier needs to remove the humidity from the room air. If your room has openings where outdoor moisture can enter, the dehumidifier will need more time to work properly.
That’s why we suggest you close the door and windows of your home to help the device work faster and give you quick relief from the extra humidity. Also, it will lower the power consumption of the device and utility bill.
If you have a large room to cover, you might invest in a wall-mounted commercial dehumidifier for the best results.
Dampness Level:
The working time required for the dehumidifier will also depend on the relative humidity level in your home. As you can guess, the higher the humidity level in the room, the more time the device will need to lower the dampness level.
Thankfully, dehumidifiers, these days, come with a thermostat or moisture meter. It lets you know the relative humidity level of your home space and control the settings accordingly. Also, you can get a moisture meter. Additionally, if your device hasn’t got one. It comes in a few dollars and is highly affordable too.
The following table will help you know the amount of moisture a dehumidifier can remove from the indoor space at different humidity levels. All these measurements are considered for room size from 500 square feet to 25000 square feet space.
Moisture level capacity ( IN 24 hours) | Humidity level |
10-26 pints | Moderately damp |
12-32 pints | Highly damp |
14-38 pints | Wet |
16-44 pints | Extremely wet |
As you see from the table, the more damp the weather, the more time a dehumidifier will need to work properly. That’s why a dehumidifier will work for extra hours during the summer and rainy seasons when often the peak humidity level goes over 75%. On the contrary, the air becomes drier during winter, so that a dehumidifier will need less time. In fact, you don’t need to run the device during the cold season.
How Long Should a Dehumidifier Run?
As you see, in the above discussion, we have showcased how much time a dehumidifier will need to start working to control the humidity level. In most cases, you have seen that a dehumidifier starts working in less than 20 minutes you switch it on properly.
However, you can just switch off the device after 20 to 30 minutes and expect it to offer you drier and less humid air in such a short period. It brings us to another important question, “How long should you run a dehumidifier at home?”
Many people will say you should run the humidifier for 24 hours. However, that’s not a practical idea since continuously running a dehumidifier for 24 hours will be costly. You will be overwhelmed to see the rise in electricity bills when you run the device for 24 hours.
Thus, you must understand the time you should run the device. Although it depends on the dehumidifier’s dampness level and capacity, you should usually run the device for 6 to 12 hours to control the humidity level.
However, if you have a larger room to cover and live in a high humid area, you need to run the device for 24 hours. Since it can dramatically increase the electricity bill, you can invest in energy-star-rated dehumidifiers. You will love the reduction in electricity bills this device will have and their efficiency in removing the dampness from the air.
You can watch this video to know more about dehumidifiers and their running time.
When Should You Run A Dehumidifier?
We have mentioned that you shouldn’t run the dehumidifier tho8ighout the day. So, what’s the best time to run a dehumidifier at home?
The answer is pretty straightforward; you should run the dehumidifier during the hottest part of the day. The hotter the weather is, the more moisture will be in the air. So, running the device during the daytime, particularly during the mid-day time, will remove the maximum humidity from the air.
Also, during the off-peak time, most electricity companies will charge less. Usually, the off-peak time for electricity is around 10 PM to 8 AM. So, you may also run the dehumidifier for a few hours during this period before you go to sleep. It will help you keep the humidity level in the room just as you want, and you will enjoy a night of better sleep.
So, here’s the exact answer:
- Run your dehumidifier for several hours during the midday and evening time of the day. You can run it for 2 to 4 hours during the daytime.
- Run the dehumidifier again for 2 to 4 hours before you go to sleep. Ideally, you can run it from 8 AM to 11 AM and lower the moisture level to your comfort zone.
When you keep your dehumidifier running these two times, you will get the best dehumidifying results from it. Also, it won’t increase your electricity bills out of your bearing level.
How Much Water Can a Dehumidifier Remove from The Air in One Day?
The water removal capacity depends on its actual capacity and moisture level in the room air. However, manufacturers say that a dehumidifier can remove anywhere from 5 liters to 25 liters of water from the indoor air.
It will depend on its capacity. For instance, a 25-pint dehumidifier will remove around 5-10 liters of water from the air. On the contrary, a 75-pint dehumidifier can easily remove 20 liters to 25 liters of water to dehumidify the room air.
Also, it depends on the tank size of the device. It is crucial because the dehumidifier tank is made of different sizes. Some will take 5 liters of water, while others can accommodate 20 liters of water at ease. When the dehumidifier tank gets full, the device will stop working. So, look at the tank size if you need to run the dehumidifier for an extended period.
Final Words
You should now have a clear idea of how long a dehumidifier takes to work appropriately and bring down the relative humidity level at a convenient point. It takes around 20 minutes to 2 hours to lower the dampness level of the indoor air. However, it would help run the dehumidifier for several hours to control the humidity better at home.
We recommend running the dehumidifier for 4 hours to 12 hours in several stages to control the moisture level. It will also depend on the room size and dehumidifier capacity. So, when you buy the device, consider these facts closely.