Best Small Mini Marine Boat Dehumidifiers for Damp

Dehumidifiers remove humidity from the air reducing the potential for dust mites, mildew and mold. Wondering which ones right for you?

How to use a dehumidifier to cool a space

Although dehumidifier is primarily designed to remove moisture, it can also be a useful tool for dealing with hot weather climates. Heat can cause all kinds of discomfort during the day and at night. Rather than trying to run the fan more often or at a higher speed, you can run a dehumidifier to remove moisture. Dehumidifiers dry out the air in the room, therefore, reducing moisture that supports heat, and makes the room more comfortable.

Also know that a dehumidifier does not reduce temperature directly, it creates a completely dry atmosphere that is cool and gives a comfortable feeling. In this state, you can then turn on other temperature control appliances like an air conditioning unit, to actually reduce its temperature.

What exactly does a dehumidifier do?

A dehumidifier is a device that removes moisture from the air, therefore reducing its relative humidity. It is used in high humid and hot climates when moisture tends to rise beyond safe levels.

By running a dehumidifier, you can keep humidity under control by maintaining it in a safe range. However, be careful not to over dehumidify, which causes moisture to fall too low and is not safe for you.

Can you use a dehumidifier instead of an air conditioner

No, a dehumidifier cannot be used instead of an air conditioner. They are two separate devices which cannot be used interchangeably; a dehumidifier extracts moisture from the air, while an air conditioner cools the air in the room.

An air conditioner also dehumidifies the air in a room during the process of cooling (passing it through chilled pipes), but a dehumidifier does not reduce the temperature of the air while dehumidifying.

So, how does a dehumidifier cool a room

A dehumidifier could be used intelligently to cool a room; therefore, it all depends on how you use it. When the amount of humidity in the air is high, the air feels warmer than what it actually is, while dry air, on the other hand, always feels cooler. Therefore, using a dehumidifier to cool a room would help you feel cooler, although it does not directly affect temperature.

Also, sweat from the air tends to evaporate a lot from the skin and settles in the air when the atmosphere is hot. This causes the air to be moister. Over time, you would start to feel clammy, especially the skin, because you can’t stay dry due to sweat not evaporating any more. This is because the air is saturated and cannot hold any more moisture. Hope you get the picture?

In such a situation, running a dehumidifier reduces moisture in the air, and keeps your body cool because sweat would easily evaporate better.

How does a dehumidifier work?

A dehumidifier draws in air from the atmosphere and passes it through refrigerated coils. During the flow, condensation occurs, and moisture is directly extracted from the air in the form of water droplets.

The water is collected in a tank or directly drained to a location, while the moisture free and dry air is released back into the atmosphere. After a while of continuous moisture extraction, the level of relative humidity in the atmosphere drops.

There are also low-grade dehumidifiers that simply expose moisture-absorbing beads to the atmosphere, which in turn absorbs moisture directly. These types are cheaper and smaller, but also way less effective. They are mostly suitable for small closed spaces like cupboards and wardrobes.

Requirements for a dehumidifier to cool a room

You should also consider the temperature of the environment. Some dehumidifiers cannot run in low temperatures, while others can. On average, most dehumidifiers work best in temperatures from 70 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. The low temperature could cause the coils of the dehumidifier to freeze up, therefore blocking the passage of air.

To counteract this, many new dehumidifiers come with an inbuilt anti-freeze system. If you live in very cold areas, your unit should certainly have this. Also, you cannot cool a room that is already cold.

How to make a dehumidifier cool your room – DIY

1. Ensure the room is properly insulated from the external environment. This should be done for the dehumidifier to have the most impact possible on your room’s air, and it includes closing all doors and windows.
2. Purchase a sufficient capacity dehumidifier and set it up, preferably in the middle of your room, if possible. This should be done preferably at a time where you do not have to use the room, and also ensure you follow all manufacturer’s recommendations on how to use and position the dehumidifier.
3. Run the dehumidifier, preferably in your absence, because it is a drying agent and can cause the skin to dry up. Dehumidifiers shut off as soon as the tank gets full, or you can instead use a continuous drain option to avoid the stress of emptying its tank frequently.
4. Note that the dehumidifier should reduce humidity to a safe level, and do not allow it to reduce relative humidity too low.

A dehumidifier can be smartly used to cool a room because it is a drying agent. Although it does not reduce temperature directly, it creates less humid air that surely cools the body. You can easily use a dehumidifier to navigate your heat problems, although you should also keep in mind that it does not and cannot function like an air conditioner that actually cools the air.

With the right size and application of a dehumidifier, you can get a cooler feel in your room today.

Dehumidifier’s Capacity

First , think of it the size of your space and the capacity you'll need. Dehumidifiers are rated by the number of pints of moisture they can remove in 24 hours. A small unit works great for a smaller room with lower level humidity, larger models are best for basements and high humidity environments, especially if wet carpet, wallpaper or musty smells are present.

Boat Dehumidifier’s Placement

Next, think about placement. Units typically take up a square foot of floor space. keep the filter clean and vents clear with at least 12 inches of circulation space. Also consider noise level if you plan to run the unit in common areas.

Built-In Features of Marine Boat Dehumidifier

Finally consider the built-in features. If you plan to be away frequently choose a model with a timer and an auto restart in case of power failure. If you plan on moving the unit around choose rolling casters. Dehumidifiers use nearly 30% less energy than non certified units. They make us more initially but make up for it in energy savings over time. Most models have an indicator showing when the bucket is full. To avoid emptying the tank manually choose a model with an external hose connector. Some models advance this idea with an added internal pump, that automatically pumps water upward up to 16 feet out a window or into a utility sink or drain. With capacity, placement and features in mind you'll be breathing easy in no time.

What Size Dehumidifier Do I Need?

When you're choosing a boat dehumidifier, the first question you should ask yourself is, what size do I need? To figure this out, you'll need to know two things - the square footage of the room you want to dehumidify and how humid it is. You can measure the relative humidity of the room using a hygrometer or just use your best judgment. Then use special chart and just match the square footage of your space with its humidity level to find the pint capacity that's most appropriate for your space. Depending on a few details about your space, like where it's located and what's inside, you may need to increase your recommended size by 5 or 10 pints.

Once you know what pint size to look for, here's something to keep in mind. If you're going to be using your dehumidifier in a really damp, tough environment, look for one with your recommended pint size measured at AHAM, not saturation. This means you'll have a better idea of how it will perform in average conditions, like 60% humidity. So a unit that removes 70 pints at AHAM is more powerful than one that can remove 70 pints at saturation. And if you're stuck, play it safe and go with a higher capacity.

3 rules to Avoid Condensation in small living spaces

When living in a small space like a boat, moisture and condensation can be real issues. The best way to avoid condensation is using marine boat dehumidifier. But I'm going to show you how to avoid condensation and how to keep your boat cabin dry. Last winter I lived in a small sailboat and a year before that I lived the whole winter in a small cabin without any heating. And when I was doing these things I had some serious issues with condensation and moisture. To get all this moisture out is pretty tough. So I waked up in the morning with lots of drops on the ceiling dripping down on my beds, and with the blankets completely soaked from condensation. So in the beginning I wasn't sure how to deal with this and I started experimenting with keeping the moisture out.

Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air and if warm air is moisture in its meats a cooler area or a cold surface, the water in the air will condensates and turn into drops. In a small living space the air contains a relatively large amount of moisture. And this is coming both from your body, from cooking and from other sources. And if the space is badly insulated or if it's not ventilated as well, then the moisture can start to condensate and cause issues like rusts and molds. The best way to avoid condensation is by letting the warm moist air cool down outside of the space. So this means there should be no cold surfaces inside and the warm air should be ventilated out, so it can cool down outside. And this is where insulation comes in but you have to do it the right way.

For example, when the warm moist air from the body moves through the army sleeping bag, it's going to meet colder air on the outside and like the outer layers of the sleeping bag. And that's where condensation is going to happen. So in the morning you can notice your sleeping bag getting wet on the outside from condensation. And the issue here is that the tent is not insulated, so the air inside of the tent is much colder than the air inside of your sleeping bag. So when the warm moist air meets the cold air from outside there will be condensation.

Now imagine you were sleeping inside of a trash bag and inside the sleeping bag. The trash bag would trap all the moisture inside of the sleeping bag, where the air is warm, and there will be no condensation happening in the bag itself. But of course this would be very uncomfortable and we'd get very moist in the end, so you would wake up being wet on your body. So the real solution here would be to insulate the walls of the tent instead. And by insulating the walls of the tent you have no big temperature difference in the sleeping bag itself, so there won't be any condensation. And then of course you would have to ventilate the moist and warm air out and let it cool down outsides. Keep in mind that you need to have a waterproof layer between the warm and moist air and the installation, otherwise the moisture is going to condensate inside of the insulation and you definitely don't want that to happen. One thing I should mention is if you don't have good insulation or don't have insulation at all you can still avoid condensation. What you have to do then is to continuously heat your cabin using a boat heater a little bit at least and have really good ventilation. This is what I did when I lived on the boats and it worked pretty well.

So in conclusion here are the three rules of avoiding condensation. Number one - the warm and moist air must be ventilated out and cool down outside of the living space. Number two - there must be no cold bridges or cold surfaces in sites where there's a big difference in temperature. And number three - there must be a waterproof layer between the warm and moist air and the insulation. If you have any tips or experiences with condensation please share with us down in the comments.