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Dimplex 9L Dessicant Dehumidifier (with Activated Carbon Filters) $317.39 Delivered @ LX2001

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LX10

Need a decent dehumidifier in our cold climate? Dessicant dehumidifiers actually work when it's cold. The condensor dehumidifer my real estate provided barley captured a litre a day and left me with water on the walls in my chilly bathroom. (And a wet toilet roll🤮)

This thing is a workhorse, consistently filling up daily. Bathroom is dry now. :)

Anyway, after shopping around for a while I found this deal, best price I could find online. Left it in my cart and got an abandoned cart offer of 5% off with code LX5. Turns out LX10 gives you 10% off. Who would have thought. :)

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  • +1

    The Market: $303.05 delivered with code WINTER5 (free shipping with MarketClub).

    https://themarket.com/nz/p/dimplex-9l-desiccant-dehumidifier…

    • Or the other version for $302 by pricematching at Mitre10 (Dimplex Dessicant Dehumidifier with Purification 9L)

      https://www.lx2001.co.nz/collections/heating/products/dimple…
      https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/dimplex-dessicant-dehumidifie…

      • I've had variable results with price matching an unknown online retailer at Mitre 10

        • Looks like they're based in Auckland so might get lucky if living there. But yeah I would lean towards a pricematch not being successful. Just thought I'd chuck it up there anyway.

      • +1

        I can confirm that Mitre 10 had price matched against LX2001 in the past, but takes some effort, as you have to clearly state the conditions of mitre10 price match policy to the staff, and not let them make up their own rules, e.g. don't match online price, when in fact they do. etc..

  • Oh well, I thought I had a deal. :)

    • +4

      Looks like you got Wakraked ;)

  • Are these better than the "dry" mode in heatpumps?

    • +1

      Yes at lower temperatures, especially below 10C. Heat pumps work best when it's warm and humid.

    • +3

      I've only had limited experience with heat pumps. A while ago I thought I could two bird one stone it with a heat pump and its dry mode to avoid getting a dehumidifier. The disappointment only came after I paid for it and started reading the manual. The dry mode works by cooling inside and condensing the water vapour and draining it outside through the drain tube. In other words, you're transferring heat from the inside to the outside with the dry mode. So in my view, it's more for somewhere like Singapore where it hot and humid and it's completely unsuitable for NZ conditions where it's damp and cold.

    • +2

      Dry mode on heat pump's isn't suitable for cold conditions.

      Basically it runs as an air conditioner with a very low fan speed. removes water, but also chills the home.

      Both refrigerant & Dessicant Dehumidifier's reject waste heat into the space, so slightly warm the space while in use, much better for cold conditions.

      • Just to clarify, your last sentence is correct only for standalone dehumidifiers. For heat pumps they will only cool inside while actively dehumidifying, and the excess heat is sent outside. I believe some models may alternate dehumidifying and heating modes to maintain an even temperature.

        Desiccant dehumidifiers will use more energy and hence warm the room more than a compressor one. In fact if it's not too cold you can use a desiccant dehumidifier in place of a heater, as the drier air will feel warmer and be easier to heat.

  • +1

    Dessicant dehumidifiers have a built-in heater, so they work well at any temperature and are quieter than condenser dehumidifiers. Condenser versions have reduced efficiency below a room temperature of around 20 degrees, but use about half the power.

  • Does anyone else get a chemical smell from theirs when it's running?
    It was quite strong when I first got it a few years ago but not as bad now.
    Never had any smell from our compressor one.

    • The silica gel will inevitably break down with age through the heating cycles that it goes through. With a fan blowing on it, the broken down silica gel dust will inevitably make it's way into yor lungs. Whether silica gel dust causes silicosis is a question I haven't managed to find a conclusive answer to through a quick google search. But the thought of anything unnecessary going into my lungs has made me stay away from dessicant based dehumidifiers.

      • Where did you get this information? I am specifically looking for the info about usage of silica gel as the desiccant in these dehumidifiers.

        • That's a great question. Looking into it further, it looks like some use silica gel and some use zeolite as the desiccant. So thank you. I learnt something new today.

          Wikipedia describes zeolite as a aluminosilicate mineral. I don't know whether that makes it better or worse than silica gel in terms of my perception of its safety since zeolite contains both aluminium and silica.

          But it looks like zeolite is much more resistant to temperature based degradation so they might be completely suitable for desiccant dehumidifier applications.

          Thanks.

          • @asdf01: Thanks for the research. I did find some information about the same. Nothing conclusive about the silicosis and using silica based desiccant. Learned something today too, may be I should err on the side of caution.
            BTW, I have the exact same model, which I found way more useful in Christchurch weather compared to my previous condenser based one. Now Iam skeptical about take it out of the garage :-|

            • @Banto: Maybe forget everything I said. I don't want to be responsible for some domestic situation at your place as it is reasonably expensive and it seems like a waste to not use it because of some fringe risk someone on the internet perceived.

              Christchurch weather must be really good if you haven't gotten it out of the garage yet. We run our compressor based ones all year round in Auckland.

              As others have mentioned here, the desiccant based ones are twice as expensive and use twice as much power. So I'm wondering whether a one to one comparison is a fair one.

              It would be interesting to know just how much better you found the desiccant based one.

              I hope you don't mind the prying, part of this discussion is to validate whether we made the correct decisions ourselves and part of it is to help a would be buyer to make the correct decision and not make the same mistakes.

              To me, a one to two comparison might be a fairer one considering the lower purchase price and the lower running costs.

              This 10l one is $164: https://themarket.com/nz/p/living-and-co-dehumidifier-10l/4-…
              If you buy 2x and use the 10% off code they got going right now:
              TMXLK524
              It comes to just under $300. So the question should really be: does a single desiccant dehumidifier do better than 2x compressor dehumidifiers.

              The living and co 10l has a sticker that says rated power 160w, max power 225w. The manual for the dimplex one this post is talking about also states multiple power ratings:
              https://www.smithscity.co.nz/download/177/GDDEKD9%2520User%2…
              Turbo: 730w, sleep: 385w. The multiple power ratings make the comparison less straight forward but it's probably not too far fetched to say the compressor one uses 2-3 times less power than the desiccant based one.

              Maybe the 730w is part of the reason why it's a bit of an undertaking getting it out of the garage.

              I should probably also mention that, for the same price, there might be some benefits in having multiples ones dotted around the house than having a single "more effective" one. Regardless of whether it is a more powerful compressor based one or a more climate appropriate desiccant based one.

              So it would really interesting to hear your experiences on how much more effective the desiccant based one is compared to your previous compressor based one.

              Again, I'm sorry to pry. Hopefully you can see the benefits in helping a would be buyer reading this make their purchase decisions.

              Thanks.

              • @asdf01: No probs. Just saw the message.
                I used to have a compressor based dehumidifier(Delonghi brand) before. Running it made the rooms colder because the air coming out of it was cooler. It goes without saying, it is annoying. I believe most of the heatpumps are capable of doing the same. It is that
                It is not fair to compare the Living and Co branded ones with Dimplex. The compressor based ones from Panasonic or Mitsubishis cost more than $500 plus. May be these one do a proper job of warming the cold air coming out of the dehumidifer.
                I remember seeing a Desiccant dehumidifier from cheaper brand like Goldair(??) for around. Dimplex is probably a midrange product hence the higher price compared to the Living and Co ones.
                If I am buying a DH for warm an humid places like Singapore(like some mentioned before), I would buy the condenser based one for the added advantage of cooler air coming out of it.

                • @Banto: Odd that it made the air cooler - it should have warmed the air, as it was condensing moisture out.

                  Maybe you had a dual unit, and were running it in 'cooling mode', which would do the opposite, and evaporate water from a reservoir, thus humidifying and cooling the air.

                  • @Alan6984: Not really surprising. Condenser version works y passing the intake-humid air through a cold surface. Only the higher end models( >$500) does a (efficient)reheating of the air coming out of the device.

                    • +1

                      @Banto: The heat generated by the unit to condense the water out of the airstream will be greater than the cooling from the 'cold surface'. The net impact on the temperature of the room will be positive (increase the temperature).

                      Consider your fridge or freezer - if you leave the door open, the room will still warm up overall.

                      One way to avoid this is to have something like a heat-pump unit where the powered unit is outside the building, so that the excess heat goes outside, and mitigates the heating impact inside.

                      However, if you put your hand in an airstream (even if it is warmer than the ambient temperature) it could still feel 'cool' as it will cause evaporation from your skin, so that might explain it too.

    • I noticed a stronger smell with my first dessicant dehumidifier (Breville LAD250), than the dimplex. Very mild smell on first run with this one. Can't smell it anymore, but perhaps I have silicosis already. Or covid. ;P

    • Yep, we get a mild chemical smell from ours. It's not too bad and disappears pretty quickly when you turn it off. Still, I prefer it to compressor models in terms of performance and reliability. Fewer things to fail in a desiccant one I think, ours has been rock solid for years.

    • Just a thought: the activated carbon filters may help with the smell somewhat, although you'd probably have to replace them regularly to maintain effectiveness. Mine doesn't have any, so I can't say.

  • I'll stick with the normal compressor dehumidifier, for half the price (when on special), since I'm in Auckland (not too cold most of the time).

    • Where can you get a compressor dehumidifier for $160?

    • +3

      Reasonable choice, though when temps are below 20 degrees the dessicant models really shine. This is my second time running a dessicant model side by side against a compressor. Both times in rooms with heating ~minimum 15 degrees in each, the dessicants just drink from the air.

      Apparently some compressor models have heating elements to work better at the low temps, but in my experience they seem more suited to a humid tropical environment.

      • Size of the dehumidifier also has an effect I think. This particular Dimplex desiccant dehumidifier is rated at 9 litres a day, whereas my old Mitsubishi dehumidifier is rated to remove 26 litres a day.

        • +3

          Note that the rating is done in hot and humid conditions (my 22L rated Mitsubishi struggles to do 4L per day in NZ winter conditions).

          The Desiccant dehumidifiers still preform well in the cold, and there will be a cross over temp where the 9L Dimplex will beat our Mitsubishi compressor dehumidifiers (of course mine will be passed first, being smaller than yours). Below 15c is often quoted.

          Note that the compresses dehumidifiers do have the advantage of lower power use. So the crossover temp for efficiency will be even colder than that for performance.

        • +3

          26 litres per day at at a room temperature of 30°C and relative humidity of 80%.
          A far cry from typical NZ conditions.

          • @elbrownos: Sounds very much like Auckland in late Jan / Feb, but not by any means a year-round average if that is what you mean?

            On the other hand, we would only run a de-humidifier in late Jan / Feb anyway.

          • @elbrownos: Good to know, thanks.

    • Hi I just bought the same model but it seems ineffective in Auckland. I use it in a 16sqm room at temperature about 16C. It take ages to get the RH from 70ish% to 60% even though I have minimized the ventilation. How about yours?

      • Lowering the inside RH depends on many factors, the age and build of the house (older houses will let in more outside moisture), the outside humidity (when it's dry outside, your indoor RH will naturally drop), etc. I won't worry too much about the RH when the weather is like the last few days. I'll just switch the dehumidifier on in the evening for a few hours. BTW, it's quite useless switching on a compressor dehumidifier in the morning when it's cold, it will just go into defrost mode.

      • I ran my dehumidifier overnight with a small load of washing. Was up to about 60 relative humidity, down to 35 in the morning. House is poorly insulated, probably about 15C inside.

        Everything was good and dry in the morning. :)

  • anyone know how noisy it is?

    • I tried running a DB meter app on my phone to capture it. On normal mode it was tagging it as library / quiet conversation @ ~40 db. To me it's just another white noise. In sleep mode I don't think it's bad at all. When I run it in my bathroom (next room to living) it doesn't disturb me when I'm sleeping.

  • Before getting a dehumidifier, I'd suggest getting a cheap hygrometer (humidity sensor). Here in Christchurch with the heat pump running during the day as I work from home, I never see the humidity get above 60%, and it's usually around 50%, so we wouldn't find much use for it

    • +1

      The water condensing on my bathroom walls was a cheap enough hygrometer for me. :D

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