Looking for Household Dehumidifier Recommendations

The dehumidifier I bought over 10 years ago has finally given up the ghost. It was a Dimplex gdde16 (16l). And served this size of house perfectly.

Would anyone have recommendations for a good make and model and possibly some good deals on a new one please?

Comments

  • Consumer loved the goldaor 300 model.

    I had it and works get it again. It's a desiccant dehumidifier.

    Chatgpt:

    A desiccant dehumidifier is a type of dehumidifier that removes moisture from the air using a desiccant material—a substance that naturally absorbs water (like silica gel). Here's how it differs from other types, particularly the refrigerant (compressor-based) dehumidifiers, and what its advantages are:


    🔧 How It Works

    Desiccant dehumidifier:

    Uses a desiccant wheel or material to absorb moisture from the air.

    The desiccant is then heated to release the moisture, which is drained away.

    Common in rotary wheel designs for continuous operation.

    Refrigerant dehumidifier:

    Pulls air over a cold coil, causing moisture to condense out.

    The collected water drips into a tank or out a hose.

    Requires a compressor and refrigerant gas.


    ✅ Advantages of Desiccant Dehumidifiers

    Feature Desiccant Compressor

    ✅ Performance in Cold Temps Excellent – works well below 10°C Poor – coils can freeze, low efficiency
    ✅ Noise Level Quieter – no compressor Louder – compressor adds noise
    ✅ Weight & Size Usually lighter & more compact Heavier due to compressor & coils
    ✅ Air Output Temperature Warmer air – can help heat a room Cooler air – may cool room slightly
    ✅ No Refrigerant Eco-friendly – no harmful gases Uses refrigerant – potential leakage risk


    ⚠️ Disadvantages / Trade-Offs

    Desiccant models are usually more expensive to run, especially at higher temperatures, due to the heating element.

    Compressor units are more energy-efficient in warm/humid environments (above ~20°C).


    🏠 Best Use Cases for Desiccant Dehumidifiers

    Unheated spaces: basements, garages, caravans, sheds.

    Cold climates: winter homes, alpine regions.

    Quiet needs: bedrooms, offices.


  • We were in exactly the same situation a month ago. The range of desiccants on sale in NZ is worse than ever. We went with the AusAir one and it's much better than our old Dimplex. NL and Bunnings stock them so best we could do was play the price match game between them.

  • I did some research a couple months ago and landed on this one. It has wifi which has been useful.

    https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1119571/goldair-dehumidif…

  • Our Mitsubishi one is still going strong and would buy again without hesitation - although given its now about 20 years old I would probably do some research to see if they are making them as good as this one…hahha

  • I have had a desiccant one for a few years but it has a strong smell (probably the desiccant) when using it.
    At first I thought it was just because it was new but it still has it. Is that normal or is there something wrong with it?

  • How cold do you guys keep your houses that you need desiccant type dehumidifiers?

    Been using two compressor types (Delonghi and Olimpia Splendid) and they've both been working fine and remove a lot of water.

    • Yeah I was thinking the same - ours is used in the living areas of our house (Auckland) so rarely drops below 15 which is fine for the (Mitsubishi) compressor model we have. Maybe the use case(s) are different - eg removing moisture from a mud room type environment which is semi-external/shed or colder parts of the country etc so subject to much lower temps - who knows :\

      • Oh yeah I guess in colder parts of the country or uninsulated areas makes sense. We use ours in the living area and bedrooms too and we usually heat them so they're not getting that cold that we need a desiccant type. Not to mention even small desiccant types use more power than our older Delonghi.

        • In a heated room the desiccant might use more power because it is creating some additional heat but if you are heating the room already and using a compressor dehumidifier you are using power to heat the room alongside the dehumidifier.

          • @kiwijunglist: That's true, but I'm assuming that most people using a desiccant style one are also using some form of heating.

            Just for clarification I only run the living area dehumidifier on a timer during the middle of the night when the heating is off. The one near the bedrooms only run when I feel It's needed and can see the humidity sensor shows it's high, otherwise it's not run at night. Bedroom heaters run off smart switches to turn them on and off depending on temperature.

            • @kinetic9: The cool thing about reducing humidity is you do get a little bit of free heat because

              1. vapour changing state to liquid releases heat

              2. Dry air takes less energy to heat up.

              • +1

                @kiwijunglist: So, we live in an 1960s insulation free, single glazed 3 bed in Northcote.
                We have no central heating, just a main heat pump in the lounge and small column heaters in the bedrooms.
                We also have a desiccant dehumidifier.
                Sure, it costs more to run than a condenser but that's money being spent on heating — the energy isn't being wasted.
                When the overnight temp drops down to 5C, our lounge would hit about 9C but with the dehumidifier running all night it will stay about 16C… and it will pull a lot of water out of the air at the same — way more than a condenser — so when the heat pump kicks in at 6am, the house heats up very quickly.
                The stats on condensers are always taken at optimal conditions, probably 28C and 90% humidity. At below 10C they are all far less efficient than a desiccant.
                Really, you want one of each but we just use the heat pump as a condenser dehumidifier in summer.

                • @Jism:

                  The stats on condensers are always taken at optimal conditions, probably 28C and 90% humidity.

                  The displayed stats for desiccants are usually the same or similar in my experience, when I was shopping for them.

                  I think the lack of insulation is a big reason it's suitable for your situation. In Hamilton and single glazed here and have never had our lounge drop that low even with the heating off overnight. We actually don't run either overnight. Dehumidifier only turns on for a couple hours in the early morning. I only ever run our big delonghi for an hour or two since it removes so much water so quickly. I think it was one of top rated in Consumer for water extraction.

  • weve just bought the AusClimate desiccant dehumidifier. seems good so far.

    https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ausclimate-10l-desiccant-dehumidi…

    Depends if you run heaters/fire as well (if you do then you might not need to desiccant type]

    • Yeah, we just got this one. Seems much better than the Dimplex we had last. Much lighter and the handle makes it easy to move about the house. Seems more efficient too — and the Low mode is very quiet, or perhaps the High is just too loud!

  • Hello, I purchased this model second hand off trade me and it has been great:

    https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/DEHPAN0017/Panasonic-Econav…

    More of a high end model but has been used daily for drying laundry for close to 5 years now with no issues! Highly recommended

Login or Join to leave a comment