EcoRenovator - View Single Post

Daox · 10-16-12, 08:36 AM

I'm going to disagree with that article all together.

Heat pumps (like a dehumidifier) move heat, that is all they do. A dehumidifier takes heat out of the air/water so the water condenses and seperates from the air. So, you're taking heat out of the air in your house. Now, to do that it moves that heat where? Well, it stays in your house. So, you're taking the heat out of the water and dumping it, but that heat was in the house to begin with. So, you really don't gain anything from it.

If everything were 100% efficient your net gain would be a loss in heat because the water still has some heat energy in it and you're dumping that down a drain. However, the dehumidifier is not 100% efficient at its process and thus creates waste heat. So, in all likelyhood you do have a net gain in heat, but its not going to be a 100% efficient process like just using an electric heating element because you're doing other things with that electricity (pumping heat around to condense water).

The other thing to add is in some homes that are leaky (which is probably the majority of homes), you probably want to add humidity to the house. Higher humidity increases the comfortability of the house and allows you to lower the temperature, but still feel like the temperature is higher. See this thread: http://ecorenovator.org/forum/renova...mperature.html

10-16-12, 08:36 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I'm going to disagree with that article all together. Heat pumps (like a dehumidifier) move heat, that is all they do. A dehumidifier takes heat out of the air/water so the water condenses and seperates from the air. So, you're taking heat out of the air in your house. Now, to do that it moves that heat where? Well, it stays in your house. So, you're taking the heat out of the water and dumping it, but that heat was in the house to begin with. So, you really don't gain anything from it. If everything were 100% efficient your net gain would be a loss in heat because the water still has some heat energy in it and you're dumping that down a drain. However, the dehumidifier is not 100% efficient at its process and thus creates waste heat. So, in all likelyhood you do have a net gain in heat, but its not going to be a 100% efficient process like just using an electric heating element because you're doing other things with that electricity (pumping heat around to condense water). The other thing to add is in some homes that are leaky (which is probably the majority of homes), you probably want to add humidity to the house. Higher humidity increases the comfortability of the house and allows you to lower the temperature, but still feel like the temperature is higher. See this thread: http://ecorenovator.org/forum/renova...mperature.html __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.