Which Is Better for Your Home—Compressor or Desiccant Dehumidifiers in San Francisco?

Moisture and mold damage—like nails against a chalkboard, this phrase never fails to make a business- or homeowner grimace. And for good reason.

Excess moisture in the air can cause irreparable damage to your home or business and pose a serious health risk to you and your family or employees.

Unfortunately, moisture damage is sometimes unavoidable. It’s not always possible to predict a burst pipe or flash flood, but when water damage does happen, it’s crucial that you act quickly.

The best way to put a dent in your moisture problem is to buy or rent a dehumidifier. But there are hundreds of products out there promising to dry out your wet woes, and before you make the investment, it’s important that you know which dehumidifier is best for your particular needs.

Choosing a dehumidifier ultimately boils down to two choices: a compressor or a desiccant dehumidifier. Read on to find out which unit is best for breathing fresh air back into your home:

Compressor Dehumidifiers

Compressor dehumidifiers have been around for nearly 40 years. As Andatech explains, these dehumidifiers leverage the power of condensation to strip moisture from the air.

Compressor dehumidifiers use a series of evaporator coils, which are cooled by refrigerant. When warmer air comes into contact with this colder surface, it condenses and the water is expelled into a tank or out of the system via a drainage pipe.

But what happens when the air outside is colder than the evaporator coils within the dehumidifier?

A compressor’s performance starts to worsen when the temperature drops. If temps get low enough – anything below 59 degrees – most devices will be unable to filter moisture from the air.

This is a big problem in San Francisco, where temperate days give way to frigid nights.

Desiccant Dehumidifiers

Desiccant dehumidifiers use a desiccant wheel to filter water from the air inside your home or business. That wheel is lined with a highly absorbent chemical that is regenerated by a heater.

There are huge benefits to this modern design. First, a desiccant dehumidifier operates at any temperature, meaning it’s an ideal choice in a city where sporadic temperatures are a concern.

Second, it’s also quieter, smaller, and capable of reducing humidity to much lower levels than its condenser cousin. The only con is that renting a desiccant dehumidifier in San Francisco tends to be slightly more expensive than renting a compressor, but more often than not, it’s worth the extra investment.

Need a Desiccant Dehumidifier Rental in San Francisco?

Allied Rental Company’s technicians will help you choose the right device for your space. Click here to compare desiccant dehumidifier rentals in San Francisco or call us at 415-644-5792.