Do de-humidifiers really work?

We want to buy a de-humidifier for our home, due to high temperatures, high humidity, and over-the-top electric bills. It seems that as soon as we step out of the shower we immediately start to sweat, so we crank the air conditioner down, and the A/C runs constantly! We were just wondering one of these would really help before we spend the money. Anybody know?

Answers:
Yes, dehumidifiers work well to remove the excess water vapour from the air. I have used them, and found a real difference, often removing 3 or 4 quarts of water a day from the air. You do feel dryer and somewhat cooler, but it doesn't reduce the temperature like an airconditioner

BTW, the water you get is distilled water, so if you have any need for that, you have a constant source.

Other answers:
I lived in a home for 18 years where we did NOT have AC and had a dehumidifyer in the basement. It helped out a ton (that's where we mostly lived in the summer to keep cool) but they definatly pull the moisture out of the air. It's nice if you can hook yours up to a floor drain or something of the equivilant so that you won't have much maintainance for the dehumidifyer. Good Luck!

Mena
I lived in a home for 18 years where we did NOT have AC and had a dehumidifyer in the basement. It helped out a ton (that's where we mostly lived in the summer to keep cool) but they definatly pull the moisture out of the air. It's nice if you can hook yours up to a floor drain or something of the equivilant so that you won't have much maintainance for the dehumidifyer. Good Luck!

Mena
They work, they are VERY expensive to run. We had flooding here in NH and ran one because our basement flooded. We wanted to get all the water out of the walls and air. It would fill up ever 4 to six hour and our electric bill DOUBLED that month......so, I dont know if it will make any difference in your electric bill to run that along with the air conditioner.
Ventilating the shower better, with greater exhaust capability and a louver in door to allow make-up air
(you can't exhaust without air to take it's place) is the best way to go.
Yes...I live on the prairies so the humidity is usually rather low but at times it creeps up and you really notice it. I bought a dehumidifier and it really works well. There were times when I had to empty the reservoir a couple of times in one day. I have found however, that if you take too much of the moisture out of the air, you feel hotter and you tend to drink more. (I don't have AC) the dehumidifier is quite noisy.
Yes....a de-humidifier does work. But it requires a great deal of electricity to run it. A de-humidifier works by blowing humid air over a refrigerated coil, causing the humid air to condense into water, and collect in a container. It's a very inefficient system, and is really meant for small enclosed areas like a basement. Your Air Conditioner would be a better option, and once set at a reasonable temperature (76-78 degrees) will remove alot of the humidity in your home and make it feel cooler. But the doors and windows of the house must remain closed up, or you will be letting in the warm humid air from outside, and defeating the purpose of the Air Conditioning.
I have one in the basement and it does wonders to keep the place dry and inhibit mold growth.
Yes,

We have one in the basement.
It removes a 5 gallon bucket of water from the air every
10 days. Keeping the musty smell out.
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