Desiccant Repair Services 

A compressor-based dehumidifier utilizes a compressed refrigerant that cools metal coils. The humid, hot air which gets inside the dehumidifier condenses on those cool coils. It’ll leave the air which exhausts out of the dehumidifier still hot yet drier than when it came in. Desiccant dehumidifiers operate very differently. Rather than the use of condensation that removes humidity from air, these dehumidifiers utilize a chemical to do so. We will discuss the outs and ins of precisely how desiccant dehumidifiers work in much more detail later on in this post. For now, let us take a look into the 4 different kinds of desiccant dehumidifiers as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Kinds of Desiccant Dehumidifiers

Disposable desiccant dehumidifiers – additionally referred to as “moisture absorbers”, the two main features of this kind of desiccant dehumidifier are the price and that they’re disposable. The products are extremely inexpensive yet can’t be reused. In addition, they remove little moisture per day, as well aa can’t be used for larger areas. That isn’t to state they do not have any use whatsoever. Moisture absorbers are ideal for the proper scenario.

Rechargeable desiccant dehumidifiers – similar to disposable moisture absorbers the dehumidifiers are extremely small in price, small in size, and small in moisture removal rate. They also are “wireless” – which means they do not have to be plugged inside a wall outlet for them to dehumidify. The caveat with the units, as it’s with disposable desiccants, is that they can’t be utilized in any sizable space or space that has anything more than only extremely mild levels of humidity.

Full-sized consumer-grade desiccant dehumidifiers – it’s the sort of desiccant dehumidifier we are referring to when we discuss “desiccant dehumidifiers.” This kind of dehumidifier runs from $150 to $350 and is the only kind of desiccant dehumidifier which is comparable to a compressor-based dehumidifier, at least as far as size and moisture removal rate is concerned. With that being said, they’re still lighter, smaller, and extract less moisture a day than comparable compressor-based dehumidifiers in the majority of situations.

Commercial desiccant dehumidifiers – such dehumidifiers normally are rented by contractors that are involved in construction. Because of their unique capability of drying already dry air and very challenging to dry materials even at highly cold or highly warm temperatures the dehumidifiers often are used rather than compressor-based commercial dehumidifiers within commercial settings.

How Do Desiccant Dehumidifiers Work?

What follows is an in-depth assessment of how a full size, consumer-grade desiccant dehumidifier works. Note that most of the same principles of moisture adsorption, as well as the liberation of that moisture that apply to consumer grade, full size units additionally apply to other kinds of desiccant dehumidifiers, which includes rechargeable and disposable desiccant dehumidifiers. Let us start our assessment of how desiccant dehumidifiers operate, at least the desiccant dehumidifiers which are most representative of the phrase “desiccant dehumidifier” – that is, consumer grade, full size desiccant dehumidifiers.

In attempting to describe how a consumer-grade dehumidifier works, we first will review all the crucial elements which comprise the dehumidifier. We then will look into how all these parts work collectively to extract moisture from the humid, warm air which gets into the dehumidifier. We will end our discussion by noting all differences between commercial desiccant dehumidifiers and consumer grade desiccant dehumidifiers, as well as any differences between compressor-based dehumidifiers, as well as desiccant dehumidifiers.

A consumer-grade desiccant dehumidifier comprises of many crucial elements. These elements include:

• The desiccant. Maybe the most critical element of the desiccant dehumidifier is the desiccant itself. A desiccant is simply a chemical which adsorbs moisture. Furthermore, the desiccants utilized in desiccant dehumidifiers have the ability to release the same adsorbed moisture as heated. This capability to not just adsorb moisture yet also to release it as heated is important to the correct desiccant dehumidifier functioning. Therefore, in the same way the physical and chemical properties of a chemical refrigerant permits the correct functioning of compressor-based dehumidifiers, the physical and chemical properties of desiccants permit the correct desiccant dehumidifier functioning.
• Large rotating drum. The drum is around as wide as a dehumidifier itself and 1” or 2” thick (depending upon model and manufacturer). It is comprised of alternate layers of corrugated and flat sheets that are impregnated with the desiccant. The sheets are arranged so that they’ll permit air flow perpendicular to the drum. The “desiccant rotor” or drum works to extract moisture from incoming air in the room.
• A condenser. Designed of plastic it is about as wide and long as the dehumidifier itself. It works to condense moist, warm air.
• A heater. Its only function includes reheating air.
• One or multiple blowers. These work to move air all throughout the system. The majority of commercial-grade desiccant dehumidifiers have a large blower on the dehumidifier’s back. It’ll pull air in through the dehumidifier’s front and exhausts it out of the dehumidifier’s top. Most units also come with a secondary smaller blower which circulates the air that’s moved throughout the desiccant drum’s recharge zone.

The Process

Desiccant rotors (large rotating drums at the core of the dehumidifier) have two different zones – “process zones” which make up around 75 percent of the space of the rotor and “recharge zones” which make up the rest of the 25 percent of the rotor. The humid, warm air which enters the dehumidifier is pulled throughout the process zone. From that point, moisture is adsorbed by desiccant material. All humid, incoming air goes through the process zone then instantly exhausts out from the dehumidifier.

Covering the rotor’s recharge zone is a heater. It’ll warm circulated humid air which then is pulled back throughout the desiccant drum within the opposite direction of the incoming humid air. The warm air (that is heated by the heater) liberates moisture from the desiccant. Thereby, moisture gets transferred from the desiccant into the air. The humid, warm air which leaves the recharge zone gets into the condenser on the dehumidifier’s front. Here humid, warm air condenses at room temperature. Condensate drips down inside a condensate collection bucket, in the same way as it will in a compressor-based dehumidifier.

Let us summarize the air movement and transfer of moisture inside the system

1. Humid, incoming room air first get pulled through the condenser on the dehumidifier’s front and second through the desiccant drum’s process zone. It’ll exhaust as dry, warm air out of the dehumidifier. Moisture get transferred one time – upon the desiccant rotor – moisture gets transferred from the humid, incoming air to the desiccant through adsorption.
2. Circulating humid air inside the dehumidifier is first pulled through the desiccant rotor’s recharge zone and second through a condenser on the dehumidifier’s front. Moisture gets transferred two times – first it is transferred on the desiccant rotor – moisture gets transferred from the desiccant to the warm air (that’s first warmed by the heater) moving through the rotor. Next, moisture gets transferred on the condenser – moisture gets transferred from the humid, hot air to the condenser through condensation.

Commercial Versus Consumer-Grade Desiccant Dehumidifiers

During this point of our assessment we must make an extremely vital distinction. Commercial desiccant dehumidifiers don’t work the same way consumer-grade desiccant dehumidifiers operate. They’ll share most of the same parts (even though the parts that are utilized on commercial units are a lot more heavy-duty) and operate extremely similarly, yet they aren’t one and the same.

The biggest difference between them has to do with the humid, warm air which leaves the desiccant rotor’s recharge zone. As previously aforementioned, this air immediately is funneled to a condenser upon a consumer-grade desiccant dehumidifier. From that point, the humid, warm air condenses and condensate drips down inside condensate collection bucket which easily can be taken from the dehumidifier.

Commercial units don’t have a condenser. Rather, the moist, warm air which leaves the desiccant drum’s recharge zone is exhausted out of the building that’s to dehumidified through ductwork. Thereby, there isn’t any condensate which forms anywhere inside the system. It permits commercial units to dehumidify at even cooler temperatures and even lower humidity than a residential consumer-grade unit.

The SCI Supply Experience

SCI Supply has over 10 years of expertise with drying desiccant dehumidifier technology. We believe drying through the use of desiccants still is one of the best applications that is used for drying. SCI Supply offers rentals, as well as sales on a multitude of brands and sizes of used and new desiccant dehumidifiers. Our technicians are among the best desiccant technicians nationwide. Feel free to get in touch with us any time concerning questions utilizing desiccant dehumidifying for any project. We’re glad to offer desiccant repair, rentals, service, or sales to fulfill all of your restoration needs.

Please click here if you’re interested in any of our desiccant dehumidifier products.

For more information about desiccant repair services and products please feel free to get in touch with SCI Supply right away at 866-243-6555 or 770-466-4818.