How to Pick a Garage Dehumidifier of the Right Size

The buildup of excess moisture in indoor spaces leads to mildew growth, water damage and harmful mold, which is why you need a dehumidifier to deal with such problems.

However, you should know that appliances like these come in various sizes and capacities. As such, one would really have a hard time deciding on which dehumidifier is the right size for their space.

To figure this out, you must inspect how large and damp your target space is. Not only will you be able to save energy by doing this, but you’ll also get the most out of your unit by choosing one with a higher capacity than what’s actually recommended for your space.

1. Take Appropriate Measurements

Before you even go out to look for the best garage dehumidifier, you’ll need to consider the size of your space or house. And if you don’t know how big the space is, then take a measuring tape to measure both the length and width of the space’s floor. And then multiply the measurements to determine the size of the space in meters or square feet.

For instance, if your garage or space is 10 ft (3.0 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m), then the area is 80 square feet.

2. Inspect the Garage’s Moisture Level

You can use a humidity meter to find out the moisture levels of your garage or space. You’ll need to do this as garage’s with damp surfaces or a consistent musty odor, especially those with extremely wet spaces than mildly damp ones will require dehumidifiers that work even harder.

Using a humidity meter to assess the moisture levels of your room should be done based on the following criteria;

• A space can be quite damp if it’s usually musty and damp
• A space can be considered damp if it has a musty aroma in humid temperatures or feels damp or clammy on certain occasions.
• A wet space, ceiling or walls have visible condensation
• A space that’s very wet has standing water or visible condensation

3. Compare Moisture Level and Room Size for Size of Dehumidifier

The capacity of a dehumidifier is rated on the amount of moisture removed in 24 hours. Therefore, a 30-pint is recommended to remove 30 pints of moisture in a single day.

A 30-pint dehumidifier should be used based on the following criteria’

• Damp rooms of 500-1500 square feet.
• Really damp rooms between 500-1000 square feet.
• Wet and very wet rooms of 500 square feet.

A 50-pint dehumidifier should be used in the following criteria:

• Damp rooms of 2000-2500 square feet
• Very damp rooms between 1500-2000 square feet
• Wet rooms between 1000-1500 square feet
• Very wet rooms of 1000 square feet

A 70-pint dehumidifier should be used in the following criteria:

• Very damp rooms of 2500 square feet
• Wet rooms between 2000-2500 square feet
• Really wet rooms between 1500-2500 square feet

4. Temperature

Although it’s not as important as moisture level and room size, you have to consider your room or space’s temperature also. Certain dehumidifiers work better in particular temperature ranges.

5. Other Factors

There are other factors involved in influencing the humidity of one’s space or room, such as the following:

• If your house, room or space is in a humid climate, add 10 pints to the required capacity
• If many people live or spend time in the same room, add 5 pints
• If the room or space has numerous doors or windows, add 5 pints.
• If there’s a dryer/washer near or in the room, add 5 pints

Bonus tip: there are some advantages that come with owning a dehumidifier that’s larger than you need. You can run it at lower settings, which as a result, would reduce the usage of your electricity and also shrink your energy bills. Plus, running a dehumidifier at lower settings means less noise.