Finally, you’ve purchased your dehumidifier and set it up in your room, but the humidity levels seem to stay stagnant.
What’s up with that?
You may be encountering issues that your room is too humid, your dehumidifier is too small, your dehumidifier is broken, the airflow is obstructed or you’re not waiting long enough.
To find out how to fix these issues, you can find them all below.
Let’s get started.
Why Your Dehumidifier Can’t Keep Up
1. It’s too humid
While a dehumidifier is a great way to reduce humidity, it may be the case that the indoor humidity is too high.
In these scenarios, you likely have outside air that is making its way into your home.
If the outside air is making its way into your home through the poor insulation or ductwork in your house, then no dehumidifier will be able to keep up.
Check that your insulation is up to date and if need be, patch any holes that may be surrounding your windows or doors.
It could also be the case that you simply have too many people indoors.
Humans generate heat as well as expend hot air back into the environment through breathing.
Having many people crammed into one space can make the room hotter and humid. Your dehumidifier can only lower so much humidity from the environment.
2. Dehumidifier is working at capacity
The size of the dehumidifier you need will be determined not only by the size of the room but also by the humidity level.
You may have purchased a dehumidifier that is sized properly for your room, but it doesn’t have enough capacity for how humid it is.
The damper your environment, the more pints per day capacity your dehumidifier will require.
For example, if you have an extremely damp room, then you’ll need a 50-pint dehumidifier for a 1000 square foot space.
That same dehumidifier can work in moderately damp rooms of 2000-2500 square feet.
The best way to know how humid your room is is by using a hygrometer. If you notice that the humidity levels are beyond 70%, you’ll require a larger capacity dehumidifier.
Another sign your dehumidifier is overworked is by how much water it’s collecting.
If you’re having to empty the tank more than twice a day, then your dehumidifier is too small for your room.
You can set up a continuous drain to avoid having to empty the tank, but if your dehumidifier is too small for your space it will struggle to lower the humidity levels.
3. Your dehumidifier doesn’t have enough airflow or is placed incorrectly
Dehumidifiers require airflow to function. Give your dehumidifier breathing room from curtains, walls, furniture, and anything else that might obstruct its airflow.
If you’re using your dehumidifier in a laundry room, then keep the dehumidifier away from the dryer.
Your dryer will exhaust humid air which can cause your dehumidifier to not function properly.
4. You aren’t waiting long enough
Depending on the size of your room and how humid it is, your dehumidifier may need a few days to keep up with the humidity.
If you’re using a whole-home humidifier, it won’t be able to dehumidify your entire home in just a few hours.
Be patient and let your dehumidifier work for a day or two and then check if the indoor humidity levels have dropped.
5. Your dehumidifier is broken
If you’ve had your dehumidifier for a few years and it suddenly isn’t able to keep up with the humidity, it could be the case that your dehumidifier is on its last legs.
If your dehumidifier is noisy, it isn’t collecting water, it freezes a lot, and doesn’t stay on for long, those are signs that your dehumidifier is broken.
You can try troubleshooting your dehumidifier, but if it’s over 5-10 years old, then a replacement will be cheaper than getting it serviced.
Final Thoughts
If your dehumidifier is sized properly, it has enough airflow and it is collecting water, you may have issues with poor insulation and humid air making its way inside of your home.
The best way to deal with this issue is to consult with a licensed HVAC technician that can help reduce the humidity in your home for good.
