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Find a manual for your product

Here you will find the instruction manual for your Meaco dehumidifier.  If you dont find the answer to your question in the manual then please do email your query to us here.


Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find a list of some of the most common FAQ's.

What is a desiccant dehumidifier?

Desiccant dehumidifiers have been around for several decades and are mainly used by industry for precision drying in moisture sensitive processes. For example their use in the pharmaceutical industry is very common to make products like tablets so dry. They work by drawing the air from the space to be dried across a desiccant wheel which naturally sucks the moisture from the air. A heating element is used to dry the wheel so that it can still dehumidify and the air is delivered back to the room warm and dry.

So are desiccant dehumidifiers just for industrial applications?

They are brilliant for commercial applications where they can dry very large volumes of air to very low relative humidities but the concept can also be used in domestic applications.

How long have domestic desiccant dehumidifiers been around?

We first started dealing with domestic desiccant dehumidifiers around 2004, so we have around 15 years of experience with them already.

How does the domestic version differ to the commercial versions?

In a commercial unit you blow the damp air to outside and bring fresh air in to replace it. On the domestic versions you condense the humid air inside the dehumidifier and deliver warm, dry air to the room. The domestic version has no hoses or ducting and is just a stand alone dehumidifier that looks like a normal portable dehumidifier.

So is the air coming out of the machine warm?

Yes, the desiccant dehumidifier blows the heat that is used to regenerate the desiccant wheel into the room as warm, dry air so you get maximum efficiency from the dehumidifier. Depending on how you use the dehumidifier, the air being blown into the room could be up to 50°F warmer.

So is it a room heater?

No the air coming out of the machine will be warmer but not enough to warm the whole room (unless it is a very small room).

Do these dehumidifiers have an Energy Star Rating?

No. The scheme only covers compressor dehumidifiers and there is no test for desiccant dehumidifiers. Perhaps that will change in the future.

What are the main differences between compressor and desiccant dehumidifiers?

A desiccant dehumidifier has no compressor, no cooling coils and no refrigerant inside it.

So is a desiccant dehumidifier quieter and lighter than a compressor dehumidifier?

Yes, because there is no compressor the desiccant machines are quieter, and because they do not have the compressor and cooling coils this removes a lot of weight from the dehumidifier as well.

What noise do you get from a desiccant dehumidifier?

Just the fan noise and if you are running it in low fan speed (this is what people do most of the time) you will have a noise level of around 40dB at one metre.

And how heavy are they?

Our range weigh 14 to 17lbs so no need for wheels and very easy to pick up and move around.

Compressor dehumidifiers are really poor in colder temperatures, what about a desiccant dehumidifier?

This is the beauty of a desiccant dehumidifier. Unlike compressors they extract the same amount of water at 40℉ as they do at 68℉ or 77℉, their performance never falters.

So they can be used in the winter in unheated spaces?

Absolutely!

17 pints a day is not much of an extraction, what is the point?

If you want a dehumidifier to look after your RV, your boat, your garage or to help you keep your apartment dry then 17 pints is fine. Remember you would need a 50+ pint compressor machine to remove 17 pints in cold temperatures if you can get them to work at all in these conditions.

What is the Energy Star rating for these dehumidifiers?

There is no rating standard for desiccant dehumidifiers in America or anywhere else in the world because, unlike compressor dehumidifiers, their performance does not change with temperature and is consistent. Compressor dehumidifiers have to be tested and rated because their performance changes so much as temperature and humidity varies. With our desiccant dehumidifiers you can see exactly what extraction you will get and what energy will be used on our product pages.

Where would you use desiccant instead of a compressor dehumidifier?

Wherever noise is an issue (apartments, condos, near bedrooms, living rooms etc), where the space is cold or where you want to protect an assets in your garage, RV, gun safe or boat for example.

Who are Meaco?

We are a British company who have been specialising in dehumidifiers since we started in 1991. We are a family company, still owned 100% by the founders Chris and Michelle Michael who only make quality, high end dehumidifiers to exceed customers expectations.

Can we trust Meaco?

Of course we say yes but look at our reviews online and see what our customers say.

Do you have an after sales office in America?

Not a Meaco office because we work through distributors in all of our export markets but we have an excellent distributor in America called Almo who are looking after our clients for us, and you can always email us directly in the UK via support@meacousa.com. All of the contact details are on the contact page of this website.

Can I ask you questions to see if a desiccant dehumidifier would work for me?

Please do ask as many as you like, we would love to hear from you. Please email your questions to questions@meacousa.com.

British Expertise

Meaco are a British dehumidifier and air treatment company formed in 1991 and we are delighted to now bring our expertise to the North American market.