The percentage of water vapor present in the air is called humidity. Ideal indoor humidity is 30 to 50 percent. But in summer, the humidity of our indoors increases more than 70 percent, so we use a dehumidifier to adjust humidity levels. Dehumidifiers adjust humidity levels by sucking water from the air and collecting this water in a water basin.
Our big concern is – how much water should a dehumidifier collect in a day? The amount of water a dehumidifier should collect depends on a given room’s capacity and relative humidity. A commercial dehumidifier should collect 50 liters of water in a day. In contrast, a household dehumidifier collects 20 liters of water in 24 hours.
In this article, I will discuss your question in detail and the factors affecting water collection. Besides, I will talk about making your dehumidifier collect water efficiently over a day. Keep reading till the end to get deftly answered questions.
How Much Should a Dehumidifier Collect in a day?
An average-sized home dehumidifier should collect 20 liters or 42 pints of water in a day. A commercial dehumidifier should collect 50 liters or 105 pints of water in 24 hours. But you do not need to run a dehumidifier over 24 hours. In a sentence – a dehumidifier should collect 10 to 100 pints of water depending on the relative humidity and the work efficiency.
You may be facing your dehumidifier fill up every few hours. It denotes that your room has high humidity, and the machine works efficiently on the maximum level. You should fix any crack in the water pipe or close your bathroom door after having a bath, and do not keep wet clothes in the room.
More often than not, the dehumidifier comes with a 2-liter sized tank. And a dehumidifier needs 5 to 7 hours to fill up this 2-liter tank.
How Does A Dehumidifier Collect Water?
There have two types of dehumidifier working systems – absorption and refrigeration.
Let me break this technical system into simple and digestible words –
Absorption System –
The dehumidifier that has an absorption mechanism works by pulling air from the room. The air goes through a rotating wheel made of absorptive material. The rotating wheel absorbs the moisture and a fan draws the air back into the room. A motor helps in running this fan. Both thermostat and humidity sensor controls the whole system.
The wall-mounted dehumidifier works on this system (desiccant dehumidifier). You can use a desiccant dehumidifier because it uses all air of the room environment.
Let’s talk about the Refrigeration system –
The dehumidifier fan draws air from the room through a grille. The grille is located at one side of the dehumidifier. After entering into the dehumidifier duct, the moist and warm air goes through freezing pipes. Here is the Physics, the air turn back into water due to condensation. Then this water collects in the water basin through a pipe. This is how water collects in the water tray.
The air goes through a hot condenser and again turns into hot water. The room temperature and air temperature become similar to each other. After full filling up basin tray, a plastic float rises upward which stops the dehumidifier to work.
How Long Does It Take A Dehumidifier To Start Collecting Water?
A dehumidifier starts collecting water when it is switched on. A brand new dehumidifier takes 12 hours to start collecting water. A functional dehumidifier takes 30 minutes for a 75 square feet room. Basically, the larger the room is the higher the time takes to start collecting water. Besides, the room’s humidity decides how faster should a dehumidifier collect water.
Will A Dehumidifier Always Collect Water?
No, a dehumidifier does not always collect water. A condensation and portable electric dehumidifier always collect water when its setting humidity level is lower than the room humidity. When the tank is full, it will automatically stop. However, a desiccant does not collect water all around the day.
Factors Affecting A Dehumidifier Water Collection?
The following factors alter a dehumidifier water collection –
- Average Humidity: You are using a dehumidifier to keep your room humidity level within 30 to 50%. If the humidity is 70%, you need a larger unit to lessen the humidity in a short time and vice versa. You can check out any hygrometer available in the market to measure the room’s humidity level.
- Temperature: A dehumidifier’s performance depends on relative humidity and temperature. Experts always suggest using a dehumidifier at 16 degrees centigrade or more temperature. A dehumidifier collects more water in the summer rather than in winter.
- Capacity: How much water should a dehumidifier collect in a day depends on how much does it has. If a dehumidifier has a 10-liters water collecting capacity, it can collect 4 to 8 liters of water in a day. On the other hand, a smaller dehumidifier will fill up in an hour. If you are using a smaller dehumidifier, you have to dump out water from time to time.
- Room Size: A larger room needs a larger unit to make things happen within a couple of hours. For 50 square feet room, an average dehumidifier takes 19 minutes to collect water.
Where Do You Put A Dehumidifier?
You should put your dehumidifier where the moisture level is higher. You can place it in bathrooms, kitchens, crawl spaces because there have higher water vapors in the air. In your living room, you can place it at the front door because there has high humidity. If there has any crack on the window or houseplants in your bedroom, keep it near the leak or plants.
Do You Put Water In A Dehumidifier?
No, you do not need to put water in a dehumidifier. It works at 180 degrees angle of a humidifier. In a humidifier, you have to add water in a tank or bottle, but a dehumidifier collects the water in the water basin. An ideal dehumidifier (average-sized for home use) should collect 20 liters of water in a day.
Why Is My Dehumidifier Not Collecting Water?
Here are the reasons that are why your dehumidifier is not collecting water –
- Maybe the relative humidity and the temperature are lower than normal. The humidity level is okay, so a dehumidifier does not require to reduce humidity. Or, you are using your dehumidifier below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Frozen coils may be blocked due to ice building up.
- Overloading, capacitor failure is also the cause.
- The dehumidifier motor and fan are not functioning.
- The air filter may be depreciated or blocked.
You can utilize defrost feature, clean the air filter, change the placement to the higher moisture to get rid of this problem. Last but not the least, you can increase the humidistat and reset the setting.
How Quickly Should A Dehumidifier Fill Up?
It varies depending on the humidity level, size of a room, and how much capacity the dehumidifier has. Above all, a dehumidifier should collect 2-liters of water within 6 to 7 hours. If it takes less time, it means the room has higher humidity, and the dehumidifier is working efficiently. In contrast, the more time it takes, the lower performance of a dehumidifier denoted.
Why Does My Dehumidifier Fill Up In A Few Hours?
You may be living in a smaller room with high humidity and temperature. You have a smaller capacity unit, so your dehumidifier is filling up in a few hours. Normally, a small size dehumidifier takes 12 hours to fill up a 4-liters water tank.
When Should I Turn Off My Dehumidifier?
You should turn off your dehumidifier if the relative humidity is within 30 to 50 percent. The automatic dehumidifier automatically shuts off when the relative humidity reached recommended level. Besides, a plastic float arises when the water tank is filled up with collected water. You should turn off the dehumidifier to prevent nose bleeding, dry skin, nausea, etc.
Frequently Asked Question
How Long To Run A Dehumidifier After A Water Leak?
You have to run a dehumidifier for several days to several weeks after a water leak. You need to run a long time to remove moisture from the porous surfaces. Besides, how long to run a dehumidifier after a water leak depends on the severity of the leak, relative humidity, and temperature.
Will A Dehumidifier Help With Wet Carpet?
Yes, a dehumidifier help with wet carpet by removing moisture from it. When we run a dehumidifier, it dries the air and so water droplets mix with air. Again, the dehumidifier constantly reduces water vapor from the air. Dehumidifiers and fans are the machines that help with wet carpets.
Will A Dehumidifier Remove Standing Water?
No, a dehumidifier does not remove standing water in no time. It also can not drain standing water. As dampness is caused by standing water evaporation, a dehumidifier removes the dampness from a room. We can say a dehumidifier can remove standing water for the loner period.
Can I Use A Dehumidifier Collected Water?
You can use a dehumidifier to collect water for plants, washing machines, battery. Because there have no electrolytes present in the water. However, you can not use this water for a fish tank or aquarium. It is wise not to use this water for life rather you can use it for inert materials.
Can I Drink A Dehumidifier Collected Water?
No, you can not drink dehumidifier collected water because it pulls mold, allergens, dust mites, etc. from the air. However, Macgill says, you can drink water based on how clean it is. He is comparing this water with distilled water. My take is that heat-stable mold, bacteria, viruses can contaminate the water, so you should take this water.
Can I Run The Dehumidifier All Day Long?
No, you can not run the dehumidifier all day long. Because a dehumidifier reduces the humidity level constantly below 30 percent if you keep it running. Eventually, the room air will be drier, and you will face respiratory problems, thirst, nose bleeding, skin rashes/crack, etc. Dust mites will start growing in the room in low humidity. So, you should run your dehumidifier until reaching desired humidity level.
What Is The Best Time Of A Day To Use A Dehumidifier?
Before humidity affects your room, you should use a dehumidifier. It is the ideal time of day to use a dehumidifier. You can also use your dehumidifier from 7 am to 10 am because of energy consumption efficiency. If not possible to run it in a suitable timeframe, you should run it three hours a day and three hours a night.
Should I Keep Open My Window While Running The Dehumidifier?
You should not keep your window open while running a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier works the best while the window is closed. Through the open window, moisture enters the room and increases humidity. If you have to open your window, you have to consider how faster the dehumidifier reduces humidity, and how much moisture is added through the window respectively.
If adding moisture through the window is less than removing moisture, you can open the window.
Does An Indoor Dehumidifier Collect Water From My Body?
No, a dehumidifier does not collect water from your body. I mean, a dehumidifier does not dehydrate you. A dehumidifier gathers moisture from the air by either absorbing or refrigerating. If you keep your dehumidifier running continuously, the humidity will be significantly lower. The incredibly lower humidity causes dehydration.
Conclusion
So, how much water should a dehumidifier collect in a day? It depends on relative humidity, temperature, room size. On average, a commercial dehumidifier can collect 50-liters of water and for a medium-sized household can 20 liters in a day. A smaller size dehumidifier collects 8-liters water in 24 hours
To have greater performance, you have to follow proper maintenance. You have to clean and change the air filter. Besides, using defrost feature help with preventing ice build-up in the coils. Plug and unplug the cable carefully and tightly.