WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF A DESICCANT DEHUMIDIFIER?

7/6/2019 (Permalink)

At SERVPRO of Northeast Long Beach/Lakewood, we use a variety of equipment to restore water damaged materials and revert your Long Beach property back to preloss conditions. One such piece of equipment that excels at large loss drying is the desiccant dehumidifier.

A desiccant dehumidifier differs from a regular dehumidifiers since it utilizes chemical attraction instead of condensation to remove water from the air. A desiccant dehumidifier is made of several key components all working together. These include the following:

• The desiccant: Perhaps the most important component of a desiccant dehumidifier is the desiccant itself. A desiccant is simply a chemical that adsorbs (not absorbs) moisture. Moreover, the desiccants used in desiccant dehumidifiers are able release the same adsorbed moisture when heated. This ability to not only adsorb moisture but also to release it when heated is absolutely critical to the proper functioning of a desiccant dehumidifier. 
• A large rotating drum: This drum is about as wide as the dehumidifier itself and an inch or two thick, depending on the model. It’s made up of alternate layers of flat and corrugated sheets, arranged to allow for air flow perpendicular to the drum. This drum or “desiccant rotor” functions to remove moisture from incoming room air.
• A condenser: Made of plastic, it’s about as long and wide as the dehumidifier itself. It functions to condense warm moist air.
• A heater: Its sole function is to reheat air.
• One or several blowers: These function to move air throughout the system. Most commercial grade desiccant dehumidifiers have one big blower on the back of the dehumidifier. It pulls air in through the front and exhausts it out of the top. Many units also come equipped with a secondary smaller blower that circulates the air that is moved through the recharge zone of the desiccant drum. 

If you experience water damage in your home or business, a desiccant dehumidifier might be used, depending on the extent of water damage. Regardless of the situation, we have the tools to handle the job!