Thermo-Electric Dehumidifier Reviews

Thus far, we’ve tested eight different thermo-electric dehumidifiers for review. We’ve also reviewed six additional units without testing them. We didn’t test these six additional dehumidifiers to avoid redundancy in our experiments – these six other units had very similar (in many cases the exact same) manufacturer specifications as those units we did test. Below we’ve ranked the 14 total thermo-electric dehumidifiers we reviewed within three different categories. Clicking on the model name for each unit will take you to our editorial review for each particular model. Below these rankings you’ll find a quick explanation of how thermo-electric dehumidifiers work. We round out our buyer’s guide by listing the advantages and disadvantages thermo-electric dehumidifiers have over compressor based and desiccant dehumidifiers.

MINI (4 to 9 ounces of moisture removal per day)

#1 Ivation IVADM10 (highest tested moisture removal rate in class)
#2 Gurin DHMD-210 (quietest in class and overall)
#3 Eva-Dry EDV-1100 (best consumer reviews and warranty in class)
#4 Ivation IVAGDM20
#5 Ivation IVADM15

MID-SIZE (11 to 14 ounces of moisture removal per day)

#1 Ivation ERSDM18
#2 SPT SD-350
#3 Ivation IVADM20
#4 SPT SD-350TI
#5 Perfect Home EWDH4

LARGE (20+ ounces of moisture removal per day)

#1a Ivation IVADM35 (tied for highest tested moisture removal rate in class)
#1b Ivation IVADM45 (tied for highest tested moisture removal rate in class)
#2 Eva-Dry EDV-2200 (best consumer reviews and warranty in class)
#3 Gurin DHMD-310

Note: We’ve classified each of the dehumidifiers above according to how much moisture they remove per 24 hours – “mini” units remove less moisture per 24 hours than “mid-size” units which remove less moisture per 24 hours than “large” units. Do note, however, that despite their being classified under the “mid-size” category above, the SPT SD-350, SPT SD-350TI, and Perfect Home EWDH4 were all classified as “large sized” units during our moisture removal testing. The test parameters used in testing these three “mid-size” units were the same test parameters used in testing the “large sized” Ivation IVADM35 and IVADM45. Different test parameters were used in testing the three “mini” thermo-electric units we’ve listed above. For more information on what test parameters were used according to which size dehumidifier we were testing, see the respective section on moisture removal rate in any of the specific model reviews we’ve linked to above.

How A Thermo-Electric Dehumidifier Works

Thermo-electric dehumidifiers (sometimes called Peltier or Peltier effect dehumidifiers) use the thermoelectric effect (more specifically the Peltier effect) to convert electricity into a temperature difference across a Peltier module. This created temperature difference is what facilitates dehumidification. Before we look at the parts and processes involved in the operation of thermo-electric dehumidifiers, let’s first discuss the science behind how they work. That science is the thermoelectric effect.

The Thermoelectric Effect

The thermoelectric effect is simply a physical phenomenon that relates electricity to temperature change. It states that temperature differences can be converted into electricity and conversely, that electricity can be converted into temperature differences. In the 1800s a physicist by the name of Thomas Johann Seebeck observed temperature differences across two different metals creating electricity – this phenomenon was aptly named the Seebeck effect.

Also in the 1800s, another physicist named Jean Charles Athanase Peltier observed the opposite phenomenon – he observed that when he applied a voltage across two different metals it created a temperature difference – this phenomenon is known today as the Peltier effect.

Note that the term thermoelectric effect encompasses both of these phenomena – the Seebeck effect and the Peltier effect. However, when it comes to thermo-electric dehumidifiers, only the Peltier effect is involved. Electricity is run through the Peltier module inside of the dehumidifier. This electricity creates a temperature difference within the module. One side of the module heats up, while the other side of the module cools down. This temperature difference facilitates dehumidification. We explain how below.

Thermo-Electric Dehumidifier Parts

A thermo-electric dehumidifier is made using very few parts. It consists of

1. The Peltier module

2. Two heat sinks – a smaller cold side heat sink and a larger (about twice as large as the cold side) hot side heat sink

3. A fan – on most thermo-electric dehumidifiers under $100 this is nothing more than a small 12V computer style fan

4. Various switches and buttons

The Peltier module is sandwiched between the two heat sinks. As we discussed above, one side of the Peltier module gets cold and the other side gets hot when electricity is run through it. The cold side of the module is in direct contact with one heat sink. The hot side of the module is in direct contact with the other heat sink. The cold side heat sink is on the side of the dehumidifier where warm humid air enters – the front of the dehumidifier. The hot side heat sink is on the back side of the dehumidifier. Behind the hot side heat sink is the small brushless fan that pulls air through the whole assembly.

So we have, in order from the front of the dehumidifier where air enters to the back of the dehumidifier where air exhausts through the top:

  • The cold side heat sink
  • The Peltier module
  • The hot side heat sink
  • The fan

It’s important to realize that the fan pulls the air around this whole assembly of parts toward the back of the dehumidifier. There the air exhausts through the top of the dehumidifier.

The Process

Warm humid air enters the dehumidifier through the front grille. It’s being pulled into the dehumidifier by the fan at the back of the dehumidifier. This warm humid air first comes into contact with the front of the cold side heat sink. Here is where dehumidification occurs. Just like warm air condenses onto the cold evaporator coils of a compressor based dehumidifier, the warm air that enters the thermo-electric dehumidifier condenses onto its cold side heat sink. The cold side heat sink has a smooth finish with a angled finned design to allow for the condensate to easily drip down into the condensate collection reservoir below it.

Keep in mind that the same air is still being pulled into the back of the dehumidifier. The air essentially travels around this front cold side heat sink and the whole Peltier module/ heat sink assembly to the back of the dehumidifier. Here the air is pulled past the hot side heat sink. The air exhausts out of the dehumidifier as warmer (because of the hot side heat sink) dryer (because of the cold side heat sink) air.

Now that you know how thermo-electric dehumidifiers work it’s time to look at how they compare to their compressor based and desiccant counterparts.

Thermo-Electric Dehumidifier Advantages and Disadvantages

Below we list both the advantages and disadvantages that thermo-electric dehumidifiers have over compressor based and desiccant dehumidifiers.


I. Quiet Operation

The first real advantage that thermo-electric dehumidifiers have over compressor based or desiccant dehumidifiers is in the fact that they produce very little noise, even less than desiccant dehumidifiers. The only part of a thermo-electric dehumidifier that produces noise is its fan. As we described above, on most units this is nothing more than a small brushless fan.

Compressor based dehumidifiers have a compressor and much larger fans which produce much more noise. Desiccant units have large blowers that produce more noise than the small 12V fans found on thermo-electric dehumidifiers.

II. Reliability

Reliability is both an advantage and a disadvantage for thermo-electric dehumidifiers – in other words, thermo-electric dehumidifiers are both reliable and unreliable at the same time. In terms of design, thermo-electric units are mostly reliable. First, the dehumidifier overall has a very basic design with very few parts that can break. Secondly, the parts that do make up the dehumidifier are very simply designed in and of themselves. The Peltier module itself has a very simple design with no moving parts. Theoretically, it can easily last upwards of 10, 20, even 30 years. The heat sinks are metal parts that don’t wear down. The various switches and buttons on the dehumidifier have a basic design. There’s no complex control panel, no hydrostat (on most units), and no compressor – a thermo-electric dehumidifier has a very basic design.

In terms of the quality of the parts used in their construction, thermo-electric dehumidifiers are very much unreliable. Most of these dehumidifiers are very inexpensive. This is because very inexpensive parts are used in their construction. Theoretically, a Peltier module can last several decades. However, the Peltier modules used in these dehumidifiers are the cheapest most low quality modules on the market. They still may last for several years, but certainly not for the decades higher quality modules can last for. The heat sinks are simply metal parts – they can’t break and don’t affect the dehumidifier’s reliability. The 12V brushless fan that pulls air through the dehumidifier is perhaps the weakest part of the system. These fans often need replacement. Fortunately, they are for the most part generic 12V computer style fans – replacement fans are cheap and easy to find.

The bottom line is that thermo-electric dehumidifiers are, at least for the most part, cheaply made in China. They’re constructed using only the cheapest lowest quality parts. This fact is, however, offset by the design of the parts used in their construction. None of the parts have a highly complex design that requires that high quality components be used in their construction for them to function properly and for a reasonable amount of time. Keep in mind also that the low cost of parts translates into a low final purchase price for you, the consumer. Most thermo-electric dehumidifiers retail for well below $100, with many being as inexpensive as $40 or $50.

Consumer Reviews and Thermo-Electric Dehumidifier Reliability

In discussing the reliability of thermo-electric dehumidifiers we need to make an important distinction in how we assess the reliability and durability of this type of dehumidifier compared to how we assess the reliability and durability of a compressor based dehumidifier. In all of our compressor based dehumidifier reviews we use consumer feedback as a tool to aid us in determining how reliable any particular dehumidifier is. We only test the dehumidifier for a period of a few weeks which isn’t enough time to determine its reliability. We look to consumer reviews because consumers for the most part leave reviews after several weeks, months, even years of use. This is a much better time frame in which to determine any particular dehumidifier’s reliability. We find that units with a high number of negative consumer reviews normally have reliability issues. This is because “reliability issues” is the number one reason most consumers leave negative reviews for compressor based dehumidifiers.

When it comes to assessing the reliability and durability of thermo-electric dehumidifiers we cannot use consumer reviews to assess dehumidifier reliability in the same way. This is because a high percentage of negative consumer reviews left for thermo-electric dehumidifiers have absolutely nothing to do with their reliability. Instead, the focus of most negative reviews is on the fact that the dehumidifier doesn’t meet the consumer’s expectations in terms of moisture removal rate and capacity.

Many consumers buy a thermo-electric dehumidifier expecting it to perform just as well as a compressor based dehumidifier. As you’ll see below, this simply isn’t the case. Thermo-electric dehumidifiers have their own niche to fill – they do not serve as a replacement for more expensive compressor based dehumidifiers. Still, consumers have the expectation that these units will perform comparably, and thus, when they don’t they’re extremely disappointed. This disappointment in many cases turns into a negative review. Thus, we cannot use the negative review rate (percentage of 1 and 2 star reviews) of thermo-electric dehumidifiers in assessing any particular model’s reliability.


When it comes to disadvantages, thermo-electric dehumidifiers have several. We list them below.

I. Moisture Removal Rate

Most thermo-electric units are rated to remove between 8 and 20 ounces (0.5 to 1.25 pints) of moisture per day. Compare this moisture removal rate to 15 to 20 pints per day for the average residential desiccant dehumidifier and 50 pints per day for the most popular compressor based dehumidifiers. A thermo-electric dehumidifier is simply not an option if you need humidity removed at a high rate. Only use one of these dehumidifiers if you have the patience to let it dehumidify over very long periods of time.

II. Limited Capacity

Because they can only remove about one half to one and a half pints of moisture per day, thermo-electric dehumidifiers can only be used in very small spaces. They will make no impact on the humidity of a large humid room (and by “large room” we include even an average sized bedroom). These dehumidifiers are only good for small bathrooms, small closets, small laundry rooms, etc.

We want to note here a deceptive business practice used by many thermo-electric dehumidifier manufacturers. It’s common practice for builders, realtors, etc. to refer to the square footage of a room in describing its size. Thus, most large capacity compressor based dehumidifier manufacturers state the square footage of the space that any particular dehumidifier model is capable of dehumidifying in order to give potential customers a better idea as to whether the dehumidifier they’re planning on buying will fit their requirements. The top rated FFAD5033W1, for example, can dehumidify a space up to 2500 square feet.

Because thermo-electric dehumidifiers can only dehumidify a very small space, many manufacturers state the cubic feet their dehumidifiers can dehumidify. Let’s do a quick bit of math to show you why this is deceptive.

To find the square footage of a room multiply its length by its width. Thus, a 10 ft long and 10 ft wide room is 100 square ft. To find the volume of the same room multiply its length by its width and multiply that number by its height. Thus, if that same room has 10 ft high ceilings, multiply 100 by 10 – the room has a volume of 1000 cubic ft.

1000 sounds a lot larger than 100 but remember, 1000 is the number of cubic feet that make up the volume of the room. 100 is the number of square feet that make up the size of the room. Thermo-electric dehumidifier manufacturers use the larger, more impressive number because if they used the smaller industry standard number to describe room size, it would pale in comparison to the room size that a compressor based dehumidifier can dehumidify.

The Ivation IVAGDM20, for example, is said to “be suited for spaces up to 1,100 cubic feet”. In terms of square footage, if the space is 10 ft high, it is only 110 square ft. Again, the top rated Frigidaire FFAD5033W1 is suited for spaces up to 2500 sq ft – it can dehumidify a space approximately 25 times as large as the space the IVAGDM20 can dehumidify.

III. Value

The Ivation IVAGDM20 is a good example of your average thermo-electric dehumidifier and the Frigidaire FFAD5033W1 is a good example of your average compressor based dehumidifier. The Ivation retails for about $50, can dehumidify a 110 sq ft space, and removes 0.5 pints of moisture per day. The Frigidaire retails for approximately $250 but can dehumidify a 2500 sq ft space and removes 50 pints of moisture per day.

Thus, the Frigidaire is 5 times as expensive as the Ivation but can dehumidify a space 25 times as large and can remove 140 times as much moisture per day. This is only one example and one comparison of two popular dehumidifiers of each type – if you compare other thermo-electric dehumidifiers to other compressor based dehumidifiers you’ll see similar ratios. It should, however, be clear even from this one example that compressor based dehumidifiers are without question a much better value compared to thermo-electric dehumidifiers.

That being said, you may not have $200 to $300 to spend on a compressor based dehumidifier. You may also not have that large of a room to dehumidify and the room you need to dehumidify may not be severely humid. If all three of these things are true a thermo-electric dehumidifier can still be a viable option – it will still dehumidify, just not as well as a more expensive compressor based unit. The bottom line is that while compressor based dehumidifiers are a far better value, they can be overkill for certain situations. Again, if the space you need to dehumidify is small and only mildly humid a thermo-electric dehumidifier can work and work just as well. In this situation our recommendation would in fact be to simply buy a thermo-electric dehumidifier. There’s no need to buy a much more expensive compressor based unit if you don’t need it.


  1. D S says

    I’m looking to build a 1-5 L drybox for my 3D printer filament; how do peltier devices perform at really low humidity values? I want to extract as much water as I can out of the plastic filament I’m hoping to print with. The peltier devices seem really convenient as the waste heat could be used to heat the plastic filament to keep it above room temperature to help drive out as much water as possible.

    Should I consider a peltier, or stick with desiccant?

    Thanks for your time!

  2. kieth says

    I have a 450 sq ft camper. Im looking for either one compressor unit or 2 Thermo electric units. Which one would you recommend for being in different environments and the least amount of noise. Also have to consider the separate areas of the camper as far as rooms

    • Admin says

      We recommend a compressor based unit. Thermo-electric units simply don’t pack enough of a punch even for a relatively small 450 sq. ft. environment.

      Don’t worry about putting the unit on one end of the camper. The air in the whole space will go to equilibrium as humidity is reduced – i.e. the dehumidifier will be able to lower humidity in the whole space, regardless of whether it’s placed in a central location or not.

  3. Kimkats says

    I am SO glad I found your site. I’ve been looking at small bedroom sized dehumidifiers and was just about to pull the trigger in a highly rated Peltier Technology unit, then read your explanation of how they work and why they won’t work in larger areas, so I’ve scrapped that idea. Now to find a small unit that will not deafen me at night but will still suck water out of the air…… do you have any recommendations for a small, quiet unit?

    Thanks again for saving me from making a big mistake!


  4. Eric Henry says

    I have noticed that at least one manufacturer (Vremi) claims that their large-capacity units (30 and 70 pint/day) operate using Peltier cooling. I have been trying to get clarity on whether this is in fact correct, but nobody (in the massive Amazon community, or so far from Vremi customer support) has been able to give me a straight answer so far.
    Is this credible now (6/19)?

    • Admin says

      Vremi large capacity units are compressor based. It’s physically impossible for them to remove 30+ pints of moisture per day otherwise.

  5. Michael Vereen says

    you say most use a PC case fan, would it be possible to just replace the fan with an aftermarket PC fan that is designed to run quieter than the junk that is most likely installed my the manufacturer of the dehumidifier?

    are the mounts and power supply imputs the same?

  6. shaaron christopher says

    Thank- you for your information. I have spent 3 days wondering why these units look- alike- are priced-alike and are so much cheaper than many other “similar capacity” dehumidifiers.
    I have all of my room measurements: (TOTAL 820 square feet); however, could not understand large price differences in the plethora of humidifiers out there. Additionally, I live in an apt. in which I do not need a very large unit, so I focused on “smaller less-expensive units that I believed would do the job.” —-perhaps 2 units.

    I now will choose a compressor unit: would it be wise to buy ONE unit, position it in the living room and assume it will dehumidify my bedroom at the other end of the apt, (with no walls, turns or obstructions.? Bedroom noise level is a concern—and I have thought about purchasing 2 smaller units with hope that the compressor noise level might be acceptable if unit were placed in living room as the humidification might be adequate to reach my bedroom?

    • Admin says

      Yes, the dehumidifier should work very well for the application you specified if you position it the way you specified as long as its a high enough capacity unit. We recommend a 70 pint unit for the square footage you specified.

  7. ProDigit says

    3 years ago, I purchased 2 of them.
    They brought my relative humidity of my house down by 2%.
    It still was up to 62% humid during monsoon season.
    So they were totally useless for the home.
    Not only that, but their fans are not whisper quiet. They use straight bladed fans, and a very inefficient heat/cool sink design.

    The Eva and a whole range of other chinese peltier dehumidifier manufacturers, are all the same. Yet the Eva makes it heads out number one in the list, while the others are in the middle?

    And for 3 years, I’ve been waiting for someone to make something like this for the car.
    Those peltier elements are working on 9V, but would work slightly better at 12V.
    Yet 12V will roast some of the onboard electronics.

    Don’t bother with them, until they make a more portable and efficient 12v version.

  8. frances says

    I have a closet 14′ wide and 3′ deep. Would it be safe to put a thermo-electric dehumidifier in the closet, keep the closet doors closed and leave the unit on for 24/7?
    Also, how about a small compressor type unit in this closet? Is it safe? Would that be an overkill since the cubic foot in the closet is about 500 cu ft?

    • Admin says

      Whether it’s safe or not depends on a lot of factors. For example, how will you run a power cable to it? What objects will be around it? For closets, we will generally recommend something like this.

    • ProDigit says

      500cu ft, equals about 8x8x8ft,
      This would be about the size of a regular bathroom.
      A peltier dehumidifier does an excellent job in a small bathroom.
      However if the room is not very humid, it would make sense to run this on a timer, and only a couple of hours a day.

  9. Nathan says

    I have a 11′x24′room that is cooled with a mini split unit. It stays at 74 degrees but humidity stays between 60 and 65 percent and I want to drop it to 55 percent. Since this my music room and want to keep it quiet as possible, would these thermo electric units work efficiently enough for me?
    Thanks, Nate

    • Admin says

      You could certainly try a thermo-electric unit but it will likely not work well enough to lower humidity in an 11×24 ft room. We would recommend a compressor based unit. The unit will work well enough so that you can leave it off for large parts of the day – maybe even a whole work day – and only run it during times you’re not in the room.

  10. redbird says

    I want to build a dehydrator that recirculates a small volume of dried air into an engine crankcase to prevent corrosion. The drier the air, the better.

    We have plans for units that use an aquarium air pump to circulate air from the top of an engine into a silica gel, then back to the bottom of the engine crankcase. Moisture is from combustion blowby, so internal relative humidity is low at shutdown, then rises as the engine cools until it condenses on the metal and drips into the oil, where it is slowly released with diurnal heating and cooling. Users claim an internal relative humidity of less than 15%.

    The silica gel has to be dried out every few weeks. One option is to simply recycle the silica-gel, but we forget. one of the crafiter ones created an automated option that includes using a 60 watt lightbulb buried in the gel. When humidity rises to about 30%, a thermistor turns on the lightbulb to heat and dry the gel. It also opens a purge valve. When humidity drops below 20% the purge valve closes.
    The problems is that the thermistors frequently fail, and the control boards are expensive.

    I have a compressor dehumidifier, and modifying it for this is not impossible, but the volume of air needed is a tiny fraction of the unit’s output.

    A Peltier model that is on all the time extracting moisture from a small stream of air seems ideal if we can modify it for the task.

    Any suggestions?

    • ProDigit says

      Peltier elements aren’t recommended for such applications.
      A crankcase regularly has oil particles floating around, which nullify the effect of the peltier element.

  11. frances says

    I have a closet 14′ by 3′. Since the closet door is kept closed when not in use, the humidity and temperature in the closet is more humid and colder than the rest of the room, especially in the winter when the heater is on. This creates an ideal condition for mold growth. To control the moisture level in the closet I was thinking of placing a dehumidifier in the closet. Which type of dehumidifier would be suitable, compressor type or thermal-electric type? Also, if I kept the thermal electric type on 24/7, would that be a fire hazard? Also, what size would be suitable?

  12. ian Mil says

    A Great breakdown between the these electric based and compressor based dehumidifiers guys, well done and thank you. Almost wasted £55, so will go for the compressor/refrigerant type. I did buy a desiccant one but it stopped pulling water after three months.

  13. Bill says

    I recently had a carrier variable speed system installed in my super well insulated high rise 1100 sq ft condo .
    The humidity level is easily able to get down to 40% .. would I be able to lower the humidity as low as 36 or 37% in my bedroom with the addition of one of these small thermal electric dehumidifiers?…would the temp rise appreciably in that room?

  14. Joyce Holden says

    I just received my thermo-electric dehumidifier with humidistat. I read the above article and understand a little more than provided in my instruction manual. After 16 hours not a drop of water collected. Does the RH setting have anything to do with that. Thank you.

    • Admin says

      One of two things is happening: 1. there’s not enough humidity in the space for the thermo-electric unit to be effective or 2. the unit is defective.

  15. Dave says

    I am considering modifying one of the inexpensive thermo-electric units to remove excess moisture in an enclosed refrigerated space set to about 38 degrees F with a drain tube. The specs on one unit says operating temp starts at 50 degrees F. Do you believe the unit would still be at least partially effective at the cooler temperature?

  16. Sandra says

    Hi there, I checked dates on here, and it looks like you are still advising – I am so glad. This is great information. I also live in Florida, and I’m now using a dehumidifier which is a 30 pint. I want to buy an additional one, but I would really like to try and find a dehumidifier that has metal parts. On a previous dehumidifier, it started making noises, and then the fan broke and flew all to pieces in the middle of the night. Cheap plastic. However, I paid about $170 for it. Because they run so very much, it would be great to be able to find a reliable dehumidifier that has more durable parts. Do you think it is available at any kind of a reasonable price? Thanks for your help!

  17. Claire says

    I’m trying to decide which type/size would work best in my bottom level, one bedroom,1000 sq ft condo in humid FL coastal area. Humidity in my entire condo is running about 75%, and I’ve got a few items in my overstuffed closet with some mildew on them. Would I put the dehumidifier in my closet? Would it also help to bring down the entire condo’s humidity?

    • Admin says

      Taking into consideration your location (in FL), the size of the space, and the current humidity level in that space we would recommend a full size (70 pint) compressor based unit. A small thermo-electric dehumidifier placed in your closet will do nothing to reduce the overall humidity in your condo.

  18. Mike says

    Regarding energy efficiency, does a thermo electric dehumidifier remove more water per watt used then a standard compressor dehumidifier or vice versa?

    I dont mind the thermo unit taking longer to remove water if it is more efficient per oz of water removed.

    • Admin says

      We unfortunately didn’t measure or calculate the volume of water removed per watt used for any of the dehumidifiers we’ve tested thus far.

    • Anonymous says

      I can say for refrigeration thermoelectric coolers use between 3 and 4 times the amount of power to the equivalent compressor based cooler. This is based on experience with 12v units. This is the reason why thermoelectric dehumidifiers only exist on the market as small capability units. They are cheap to produce. Once you move up to compressor based units the manufacturing cost is much higher, so there is little point in making ones with tiny compressors which would be equivalent to the performance of thermoelectric ones.

  19. Catherine Sykes says

    Thank you VERY much for a thorough, unbiased explanation of the different types of dehumidifiers. We run two compressor type all summer in our home, but I need a unit for our RV that preferably is smaller and quieter. You have provided the information to make an educated decision!

  20. John Manley says

    I’ve just purchased a Peltier model dehumidifier and it’s been in a very damp cold bathroom for 2 hours now running continually. There isn’t a drop of water in the reservoir. It’s a 40 watt model so I would have thought it would have done something by now. Do you think it’s not working?
    Many thanks!

    • Admin says

      It likely works just fine. These units just work very slowly (they remove a very low amount of moisture per unit time compared to their compressor based counterparts).

  21. Hariram says

    Total volume of air in my application is 2m3, But I want to avoid the condensation during +50 to -40 C temperatures. can you suggest whether thermometric dehumidifier will serve my purpose. Also let me know the size of a general thermo-electric dehumidifier.

  22. Deborah Keilty says

    Just got the dehumidifier the Peltier ERS plugged it in and its not running. Moved it , it ran for a couple of minutes
    and stopped again. Is this a common problem? Should I send it back ?
    How often has this happened?

  23. JOHN THOMAS says

    Looking for a dehumidifier for therapy centre to maintain humidity between 50-60. Room Size is 100sq ft. Which one is best Thermo Electric or Compressor type.


    • Admin says

      Because the room is so small (only 100 sq. ft.) and your desired humidity level is only 50 to 60% we would recommend that you try a thermo-electric unit before purchasing a full size compressor based unit.

      • Anonymous says

        I use a small p-unit bought for around $25. Removes about a cup of water per day. Runs all the time. The room is 8 feet by 5 feet and the unit is enough to dry the air to prevent musty smells and dampness(which use to occur constantly). Perfect fit for that space.
        Plus by pushing out warmer, dryer air, it helps suck out additional moisture from the ambient air in the small room. Which is good since that is my computer room and the electronics like dryer air.

  24. George says

    Theoretically speaking, if you ran the exhaust from a thermoelectric dehumidifier into the intake of a evaporative cooler, wouldn’t that allow the evaporative cooler to function in higher humidity conditions? My bedroom is in a loft which stays much hotter than the rest of the house. An evaporative cooler won’t work as the humidity is in the 80′s. If I dropped the humidity of the air down before I sucked it through the evaporative cooler, maybe I could get some cool air while using less electricity than an a/c window unit. Is this reasonable logic?

    • Anonymous says

      In theory that should work, in practice the amount of moisture you would have to remove from the air to keep the evap cooler supplied with dry air would be nuts. Honestly for that situation you would be better served with a small compressor based ac unit (which conveniently enough also dehumidifies) to cool the loft. You could run both in the same room for a computer effect, but you already have an air conditioned room…..

  25. Lilavati Devi Dasi says

    I am living in hot and humid climate (around 40C and 90% humidity), and search for an air dehumidifiers which is removing sufficient humidity from a small room, without increasing the room temperature, or better it should also cool the room temperature. Could you please advise me which machine is suitable for that?

      • marie says

        How does the heat generated during operation compare between the different types? I want to understand the energy use and heat load, as well as the performance

  26. Frode says

    In what temperature and humidity area will a thermoelectric dehumidifier be efficient? Do they stop and heat the cool side to melt off ice like compressor types do?

    • Admin says

      Most thermo-electric units work best at mild temperatures and in mild humidity. For extreme temperatures and/or humidity a desiccant or compressor based unit will work much better.

      To answer your second question, thermo-electric units run continuously and don’t turn off when a desired humidity level is reached. There is in fact no way to actually even set a desired humidity level on most thermo-electric dehumidifiers.

  27. Farooq says

    I want to make a a water collector using thermo-electric modules. Under temperature around 25 to 35 C and average humidity of 30 t0 50% how many of 60 watts modules should be used roughly to make one litter of water/day? Do I need to use a fan to force air to enter into the chamber? Do I need a fan on the cooling side to protect from ice coating around it.

    • Reed says

      Caution, do not drink the water removed from the air. Ambient air contains a lot of pollutants that get concentrated in the dehumidifier’s collected water tank.

  28. Ray Sore says

    Do peltier work better at low temperatures than compressors i.e. to be used in a loft which can go below freezing? I realise that when it is freezing there will be little moisture but between 0 and 5deg C copmpressors are not usually viable but in falling temperatures there can be quite high humidities

    • Admin says

      Thermo-electric units are certainly more viable than compressor based units at the temperatures you specified, at least in terms of efficiency. However, keep in mind that while a compressor based unit can remove several pints of moisture per day, most thermo-electric units will only be able to remove a few ounces per day at most.

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