Why the Meaco Dehumidifier is a Must Have

Year-round productivity in any weather is why Meaco desiccant dehumidifiers are a perfect choice for commercial vessels in North America.

Meaco (U.K.) is a premiere manufacturer of desiccant dehumidifiers. Meaco has been successfully operating in Britain since 1991, and they entered the North American market last year. Meaco began producing dehumidifiers in the 1990s primarily for top museums who curate priceless art exhibits and must keep moisture out of the air. Today, Meaco produces dehumidifiers for both the consumer and commercial market and desiccant dehumidifiers are the only choice for all weather commercial vessels.

There isn’t any single dehumidifier that can dehumidify the entire vessel, but the Meaco DD8L Zambezi desiccant dehumidifier will greatly reduce the humidity in some key areas that tend to have the most moisture. Any area that has access to electricity would be an ideal room to place a dehumidifier.

Why humidity is problematic:

•    The expensive electronics on your boat may be adversely affected by excessive moisture in the air around those electronics. In addition, the warranty on expensive electronics may be invalid if exposed to excess humidity.

•    Mold growth is caused by relative humidity above 68%rh

•    Organic material in particular is prone to damage from excess moisture which explains why cushions, bedding and furnishings often smell musty over time.

•    Maps can also be easily damaged by high humidity.

•    The musty smell on a boat is probably from mold spores being produced by the mold.

For large commercial boats, there are features that make the Meaco DD8L Zambezi an ideal dehumidifier to have onboard. A desiccant dehumidifier operates well in cold conditions, so choosing a desiccant rather than a compressor dehumidifier is best for boats as an all year-round solution.

Compressor dehumidifiers do not perform well under 60 degrees. Plus, desiccant dehumidifiers are more compact, do not have castors that will tend to make it roll around and they tend to be lighter.

More reasons to choose a Meaco desiccant dehumidifier:

•    Desiccant dehumidifiers work well at any temperature.

•    Meaco dehumidifiers weigh less than 20 lbs.

•    The Meaco DD8L Zambezi is the only desiccant dehumidifier that has a Daily Run Timer so it can be set to switch on and off at set times and will shut down safely each time. This is a popular feature because it allows the boat owner to take advantage of off peak electricity and this coupled with the hose attachment allows the dehumidifier to work continuously whether the boat is currently out to sea or not.

•    All Meaco dehumidifiers have the ability to drain water away continuously.

The benefits of using a dehumidifier:

•    A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air.

•    This moisture is turned into water which can be drained away.

•    By reducing humidity, you can reduce and prevent mold growth.

•    This means fewer unpleasant smells and healthier air.

•    The lower humidity will protect your belongs and electronics.

•    This means less costs for replacing items on board each year.

Once your dehumidifier on board here is how to get the best out of it.

•    Place the dehumidifier on a level surface to avoid it tilting over.

•    If the machine is going to be unattended for any length of time then use a RCD.  Set up a routine for checking the dehumidifier filter and the RCD.

•    If you can drain the water away using a hose into a sink.  If this is not possible then include emptying the water from the tank as part of the above routine.

•    The dehumidifier will safely turn off when the tank is full so there is no danger of it overflowing.

•    To protect electronics, metals or any organic materials like timber/paper/card/fabrics or furnishings set the humidistat on the machine to 55%rh.

•    Don’t use a plug-in timer switch with your dehumidifier. This is like giving your appliance a power cut twice a day and will damage it in the long run. Desiccant dehumidifiers have a cool down time system after power off and the plug-in timer stops this from happening and compromises safety and shortens the dehumidifier’s lifespan.

•    Seal the area where you are placing the dehumidifier the best you can.  This will make the machine more efficient, provide better humidity control and will use less electricity. You don’t want to be dehumidifying more space than needed.

Keeping the costs down

•    A desiccant dehumidifier has a heater inside it as part of the desiccant regeneration process. The Meaco desiccant dehumidifiers have two heater settings at 330 watts and 650 watts. So by setting the dehumidifier to single fan speed the heater will never go above 330 watts and by selecting a humidity setting of 60%rh you will keep the humidity in the boat sensible but minimize the dehumidifiers running time.

•    For those that like to have some background heat in the boat the 330 watts from the desiccant dehumidifier can be seen as an alternative to having a tubular heating on board.

•    For those desperate to minimize the dehumidifier’s run time the Meaco DD8L Zambezi is the only desiccant dehumidifier to have Daily Run Timer so it can be set to switch on and off at set times and will shut down safely each time.

•    The dehumidifier will run less if you have the boat sealed, this saves energy as well.

•    On a regular schedule,  clean your filter, this will increase the lifespan of the dehumidifier and will keep it efficient ensuring that your running costs are reduced.

When buying the right product for you, the DD8L Zambezi can get the job done.  If restricting the hours of operation is an important criteria in choosing a dehumidifier, then buy the DD8L Zambezi with its Daily Run Timer.