Boost the Performance of Your Desiccant Dehumidifier
Did you know you can increase a desiccant's efficiency by maximizing airflow and providing appropriate temperature and humidity? Here are some specific ways to enhance a desiccant’s performance:
Keep the reactivation air duct as short as possible. Long ducting restricts airflow through the reactivation chamber and inhibits water removal from the rotor. Long duct runs can also cause the reactivation air to cool below dew point, which may cause the duct to fill with water. This can lead to damage to both the dehumidifier and the structure.
Duct the air inlet from the coolest, driest air available using either outside air, cold air from the air conditioner or air from the unaffected area. Cold air enhances desiccant performance for two reasons: First, cold air is normally drier air – and the drier the air going into a desiccant, the drier the process air out. Second, because the rotor is heated to very high temperatures in order to release the moisture it has absorbed, the cooler the air coming in, the faster the rotor will return to operable temperature.
In cases where the desiccant is too far from a window or other outdoor exit, duct out the warm, wet reactivation air into a refrigerant dehumidifier. The refrigerant can easily collect much of the moisture from this warm, wet air.