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macintologist · May 26, 2006, 10:14 PM

I'm staying in my college dorm room over the summer and there is no A/C. I'm located in Wisconsin and it can be quite hot and humid over the summer.

Does anyone here have any experience using a dehumidifiers for a personal space like a bedroom? Recommended or not?

Edit: If you think I'm totally on the wrong track, what do you recommend for cooling a non-A/C college dorm room? Are there special "cooling fans" out there that work with water or some other special form of cooling?

Railroader · May 26, 2006, 10:59 PM

You'll actually heat the room up. How do you think dehumidifiers work? Magic?

Suck it up. Buy a fan.

Are all kids such wimps these days?

mduell · May 26, 2006, 11:15 PM

Why not buy a window A/C? They're about $25 on craigslist.

Signed,

Humidity wimp in Boston

Railroader · May 26, 2006, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Why not buy a window A/C? They're about $25 on craigslist.

Signed,

Humidity wimp in Boston

He probably can't remove the window screen. It's also probably against his dorm rules.

Humidity was around 100% today. Somehow I survived.

ihateboscastle · May 27, 2006, 02:00 AM

Several companies, including GE, have rolling air conditioners for around $300 - but can be much cheaper used on ebay, etc.

Just pipe the heat and moisture out the window or into the plenum above your ceiling.

I've got two GE portables in a server room at Emory and they work great. Available at Sams, Costco, Lowes, and so forth. -NKT

Madison · May 27, 2006, 08:14 AM

Dehumidifiers can't cool a room, however, they can dry it which makes it FEEL much cooler. I use them in my basement, which is finished and used as a playroom for my two screaming brats, I mean two kids. As anyone knows, it's not the heat, it's the humidity

Tom

tooki · May 27, 2006, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

You'll actually heat the room up. How do you think dehumidifiers work? Magic?

Well they don't dehumidify by heating. They use a refrigeration unit, just like an AC, but just use it to condense the water vapor so it can be collected and dumped. The only heat is that from the motors and friction, since the net heat movement in the refrigeration system is zero.

Have you considered a standalone AC unit, the kind that just runs a hose to the window?

tooki

macintologist · May 28, 2006, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

Well they don't dehumidify by heating. They use a refrigeration unit, just like an AC, but just use it to condense the water vapor so it can be collected and dumped. The only heat is that from the motors and friction, since the net heat movement in the refrigeration system is zero.

Have you considered a standalone AC unit, the kind that just runs a hose to the window?

tooki

Those exist??

voodoo · May 28, 2006, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by macintologist

Those exist??

Yeps, we use 'em over here by the coast.

V

Mastrap · May 28, 2006, 06:25 AM

Dehumidifiers do not heat a room up. Early AC units were just that, designed to take the moisture out of the air. Cooling came much later.

So yes, a dehumidifier will make if feel cooler by reducing the humidex factor. A standalone air conditioner with a window hose will cool the room, but they are considerably more expensive than window units.

And what happened to you Railroader? Cat peed in your breakfast cereal?

Eriamjh · May 28, 2006, 07:09 AM

Do any of you anctually own a dehumidifier? In order for it to cool the coils to condense the air, it has to generate heat on the other end to return the refrigerant back to liquid. They create more heat than cold. Something about conservation of energy, motors, and compressors.

They generate heat. Enough of it for you not to want to use one. The offset of humidity will not make it feel cool without a fan. And they are LOUD. You won't be able to sleep with on in the room.

I don't recommend trying to use one in a dorm.

Mastrap · May 28, 2006, 07:31 AM

That's like saying that your fridge heats the kitchen. The heat created is negligible. And modern dehumidifiers can run very quietly indeed.

Eug Wanker · May 28, 2006, 09:55 AM

Yeah, if your dorm room is big, get the standalone AC unit with the hoses to the windows. Unfortunately, they're expensive, and often pretty bulky. They also can be pretty ugly. Think of the movie Brazil.

OK, it's not quite that bad, but it certainly isn't aesthetically pleasing...

You can also get ones that mount on the wall too if you want to save a bit of floor space, but I suspect your dorm won't be happy with you if you start bolting appliances to the wall.

Originally Posted by Mastrap

That's like saying that your fridge heats the kitchen. The heat created is negligible. And modern dehumidifiers can run very quietly indeed.

Actually, fridges generate a lot of heat. Just put your hand behind a fridge and check to see how warm it is.

If you had full-sized fridge in a small dorm room, it'd be VERY noticeable.

CharlesS · May 28, 2006, 11:02 AM

How would the hoses to the windows work? Wouldn't you still need to be able to remove the screen to have the hose lead outside?

stevesnj · May 28, 2006, 12:05 PM

dehumidifying a room with an open window wont help at all

slugslugslug · May 28, 2006, 12:16 PM

CharlesS: I think they come with an adjustable plastic rectangle that you fit in the window below the pane. You can probably just leave it inboard of the screen.

stevesnj: I don't think anyone was talking about leaving the window open with the dehumidifier. They meant w/the movable A/C.

Y3a · May 28, 2006, 01:58 PM

Actually, Dehumidifiers DO HEAT UP THE ROOM. They blow out a little more hot air than cold. We tried it last summer to help an ailing central AC system. At Least our Whirlpool does.

sek929 · May 28, 2006, 02:50 PM

Most dehumidifiers create a very noticable amount of heat in any small or medium-sized room.

But really they are meant to keep problem areas dry, like the basement, and bathrooms.

If you're hot and it's humid an A/C will do both, it will remove moisture and cool the air.

alligator · May 28, 2006, 04:28 PM

I picked up a stand-alone portable A/C unit today at Home Depot. 10,000 BTU and will cool a 20'x20' room. All it has is a big tube to vent the hot air. I'll be using this in my garage and will run it out the side door. This one cost $500. They had one for $250 or so that was only 8,000 BTU and would cool a 15' x 16' room (like a dorm room). This way you can take it with you, and nobody sees the a/c unit hanging out your windows. You do need an outlet with at least 10 amps of service though.