Dehumidifier or AC + space heater?
Contemplating a trip to the South East in June. RH ~90%. Dehumidifier is large, size of carry-on luggage, and space in a "C" is at a premium. Piano-tuna said he "tricks" his AC (into running more...
Forum Discussion
The running power consumption of a dehumidifier is much lower than an air conditioner (and I assume the startup power requirements would also be less). The 50 pint dehumidifier in my basement lists 6.5A on its data plate, not much different from a typical electric heater on low. (The startup surge power draw is, of course, bigger than a heater which has essentially none.) It is rather on the noisy side, and the bucket can fill up pretty quickly if one doesn't use a drain hose.
If the temperature is such that you need/want air conditioning, you probably don't need a separate dehumidifier. If the temperature is cool enough that you need heat, the furnace will also reduce the relative humidity to some extent because warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air, but the actual amount of water in the air remains the same.
Fiddling with the thermostat such that you can run the furnace and the air conditioner simultaneously (perhaps by installing two separate thermostats, or by putting in an override switch for one or the other) would eliminate the need to carry any additional equipment.
A dehumidifier would probably be a lot quicker at reducing the humidity than the air conditioner and heater together.
If the temperature is such that you need/want air conditioning, you probably don't need a separate dehumidifier. If the temperature is cool enough that you need heat, the furnace will also reduce the relative humidity to some extent because warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air, but the actual amount of water in the air remains the same.
Fiddling with the thermostat such that you can run the furnace and the air conditioner simultaneously (perhaps by installing two separate thermostats, or by putting in an override switch for one or the other) would eliminate the need to carry any additional equipment.
A dehumidifier would probably be a lot quicker at reducing the humidity than the air conditioner and heater together.
