Dehumidifiers

Dehumidification is what actually finishes a drying job. Air movers get moisture out of materials and into the air; the dehumidifier is what takes it out of the building. Without enough of it, all the airflow does is move humidity from one room to another.

The choice between refrigerant and desiccant is decided by the conditions, not by capacity on paper.

The range covers the Dri-Eaz LGR 7000XLi and the LGR BD2500, both 230 V low grain refrigerant units; the Dri-Eaz DriTec 4000i desiccant dehumidifier in 230 V; and the XPOWER XD-85LH.

How to choose

LGR is the general-purpose choice in Australian conditions. Low grain refrigerant units are efficient across the temperature and humidity range most jobs sit in, and they are what most drying plans are written around.

Desiccant earns its place when it is cold or very dry is needed. Refrigerant performance falls away at low temperature, and there is a floor below which it will not pull humidity further. Desiccant keeps working past both — which matters on cool spaces, dense materials and timber.

Size by volume and by what is wet, not by floor area. Ceiling height, the quantity of saturated material and the class of water all change the requirement. Two correctly sized units beat one oversized unit that short-cycles.

Plan the drainage before the placement. A unit that has to be manually emptied is a unit that stops working overnight. Pump-out and hose routing are part of the setup.

Record the readings. A dehumidifier without a logged psychrometric record is equipment on site, not evidence of drying.

Air movement is in Airmovers, filters in Filters & Filter Bags, in-place systems in Structural & Heat Drying, and instruments in Moisture Meters.