Looking for recommendation for a good garage dehumidifier

[Fessia fancier]

As per the title, I am looking for a decent dehumidifier for a domestic garage. It is reasonably well sealed and has power.
Probably 60-70 cubic metres in volume.
From reading around a little I need to have the humidity set within a range, and a refrigerant dehumidifier isn’t the way to go.
I don’t mind spending some money for the right bit of kit.
Any suggestions gratefully received!
Many thanks

[OutInTheShed]

I have a cheap refrigerant dehumidifier, it does the job fine, but, it's a attached garage so never stupidly cold.

Living in the South West, the problem is unless the garage is airtight, damp is always getting in, so a low level of heat helps at times.
A lot of sailing people bang on about Meaco dehumidifiers, but for the price of one of those I can still buy a lot of gas to power a small radiator in the garage. might be different if I didn't already have the one I've got.

A few hygrometers with min/max are useful to keep track.

[Pica-Pica]

We have an Ebac dehumidifier. Works well for drying out a damp house, laundry etc.

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for the input so far.

[Brum_Brum]

Meaco DD8L junior running 24/7 in my garage for the last 6 years. Cuts in every half hour to check humidity, then carries on running if required.

I have it on the lowest setting which keeps everything bone dry,. never get any tarnishing on brake discs etc.

[RicksAlfas]

Meaco DD8L junior.

Won't freeze up and gives out a bit of warmth. Can be plumbed for continuous drain.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I've got a Machine Mart own brand. (Clarke Air)

I like it because:

1) You can dial in the % humidity so it doesn't try to dry the heck out of everything and burn electricity unnecessarily
2) It comes with a separate continuous drain hose. That obviously means you can drain into a bigger container (if you can't route the pipe outside)

If you've economy 7 or the like one with a fully programmable timer might be a plan. Do it all during cheap hours.

I've seen some other brands that are Wifi connectable too. That seems a good wheeze.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

If I were starting again I might take a look at this:

https://probreeze.com/products/dehumidifiers/30l-s...

[MCSV8]

I use an Ebac 15 in my garage which is approx 150m3

[RedLightGreenLight]

I’ve had a Blyss dehumidifier in my 4x bay insulated wooden garage for the past 6 years+, comes on during the winter months.

Has kept my classics and sports cars nice ‘n dry no problems. It has 2x speeds, selectable humidity % settings, swivel fan mode, filter etc.

You can either self collect in the self contained tank but gets filled up quickly, but has a float cut out switch when full or plumbed into a drainage hose for permanent running… it’s also not heavy on the electric either, rated at 280w max. Bought mine for under £100, but now appear to be £135

https://www.screwfix.com/p/blyss-wdh-316db-16ltr-d...

Removes 16Ltr/Day
2-Speed
Electronic Switch
Continuous Drainage Facility
2.4Ltr Tank
3 Year Manufacturer's Guarantee (T&Cs Apply)
CFC-Free
Integrated Thermostat

Edited by RedLightGreenLight on Wednesday 20th April 22:05

Edited by RedLightGreenLight on Wednesday 20th April 22:06

Edited by RedLightGreenLight on Wednesday 20th April 22:09

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for all the input. I've ordered a Meaco DD8L. On the basis of Rick's endorsement it ought to be good for preserving Italian cars!

[willga]

I have four DD8L dehumidifiers, one of which has needed to be repaired twice in 3 months and one which was ‘beyond economical repair’.
It’s obviously coloured my view of Meaco - has anyone else had similar reliability problems?

[T70RPM]

I bought a reconditioned industrial one from here:
www.refurbinators.co.uk
It was £420 inc VAT.
I think they're about £1200 + VAT new.
The absolute nuts.
The domestic ones are only a toy in comparison.

[Alpinweiss]

willga said:

I have four DD8L dehumidifiers, one of which has needed to be repaired twice in 3 months and one which was ‘beyond economical repair’.
It’s obviously coloured my view of Meaco - has anyone else had similar reliability problems?

I'm on my third Meaco DD8L!
The first lasted about a year and was replaced under warranty as apparently it was beyond repair.
The second lasted about 3.5 years, so was out of warranty when it died.
For the third, I bought the extended 5-year warranty, which I suspect I'm going to need!
Before that, I had an EcoAir DD122 which lasted less than two years and didn't seem to have any kind of warranty that you could actually make use of.

[200Plus Club]

You can buy parts for the meaco units and repair them if you are determined enough. The gear drive motor usually fails on the rotary dessicant types, think they are about 18 quid if I recall. Bit of a faff but doable. The units work really well down to freezing temp in a garage, set to 60% rh you'll save a bit of energy on a low fan setting and permanent drain attachment. Used one for years.

[tapkaJohnD]

Above, "Outintheshed" said that, "the problem is unless the garage is airtight, damp is always getting in,"
Such a hermetic seal is not impossible, but there is another way.

I live in North West England, that has a higher rainfall than any other region. My garage is free-standing, with no heating at all. But damp and rust are never a problem, because it is so draughty! The wide sliding doors and the simple plank side door do not seal anywhere. The wind goes right through the garage space, and the air changes as quickly as the weather.

Damp and condensation occur when warm damp air meets something cold. Confine warm damp air and as the temperature falls, all the moisture in it condenses out on the nearest metal surface. As the atmospheric temperature falls, it rains, depositing the water contained outside the garage, and the draught blows all that warm damp air out and replaces it with cold dry air!

Improve the ventilation to your garage, encourage a draught, and your condensation and damp problems will - not be cured! - but made much less of a problem!
John

[OutInTheShed]

tapkaJohnD said:

Above, "Outintheshed" said that, "the problem is unless the garage is airtight, damp is always getting in,"
Such a hermetic seal is not impossible, but there is another way.

I live in North West England, that has a higher rainfall than any other region. My garage is free-standing, with no heating at all. But damp and rust are never a problem, because it is so draughty! The wide sliding doors and the simple plank side door do not seal anywhere. The wind goes right through the garage space, and the air changes as quickly as the weather.

Damp and condensation occur when warm damp air meets something cold. Confine warm damp air and as the temperature falls, all the moisture in it condenses out on the nearest metal surface. As the atmospheric temperature falls, it rains, depositing the water contained outside the garage, and the draught blows all that warm damp air out and replaces it with cold dry air!

Improve the ventilation to your garage, encourage a draught, and your condensation and damp problems will - not be cured! - but made much less of a problem!
John

Ventilation is good when the air outside is drier than the air inside.

Unfortunately, that's not always the case, particularly in an unheated building.

What matters is your (or, for me, my) local climate.
I live in the South, not far from the sea, near a wooded river valley, part way up a hill.
Change any variable, you might get different answers.

What happens here with an unheated building is that a few months of the year, October, March and adjacent being prime suspects, it can be relatively warm and quite humid. As the temperature fluctuates during the day, half the time the 'fresh air' is bringing water vapour in. When 'stuff' in your shed is cooler than the air, you get condensation on it. Metal 'stuff' will be cooler because it has heat capacity and takes time to catch up with the air temp.

Hygrometers are cheap. Understand the situation you, personally, have, then work out how best to deal with it.
I use the XCweather website, you can add a column for humdity or dewpoint.
Get yourself a few bits of clean, bare mild steel and see if they rust!
For me the best answer seems to be dehumidifer and a little heat, for certain months of the year.
I do have a draughty shed too, but I'm careful what I leave in there at certain times.

Also of course, if you want to do anything in your garage, not just store stuff, you'll appreciate it not being freezing.