Dehumidifier required

[Philip Benson]

I have an 8ft fiberglass dome which unfortunately is going to need a dehumidifier.  Reference to some forum sites suggests that the ELA DD822 is a favorite but a little more than I was hoping to pay.   I have found this one http://www.easylifegroup.com/product/portable-combi-dehumidifier/3401 from a catalogue. 

Would this be adequate do you think or shall I shell out the extra and get the DD822?

[pmlogg]

Looking at the link, I couldn't see that the cheaper one has the option of a hose for the removed water, rather than the tank.

The problem with a tank is that once full the dehumidifer will not operate.  The one I have has a hose which works well (except when a slug decided to climb up it!  The dehumidifier is plugged into a socket with a timer that I have set to run twice a night for an hour each time.  An even cleverer option would be to use a sensor to activate power to the socket just when needed but I've not tried that.

[Psychobilly]

The DD822 can also be plumbed in....  on thing to watch is the drain hose freezing up in cold weather as there's only a slow trickle out of the hose it freezes easily so keep it "steep" ...

Peter...

[philj]

I have one of these, just be aware it wont collect below 15 deg c. So if you are wanting to use through winter you will need heating.

[Psychobilly]

Give Roger a call at Dry-it-out and explain what you want to do... He's a really nice chap

We have bought another one and use it for drying clothes .. much cheaper than doing ti with a tumble and you can do a room full at a time

The DD822 is a Desiccant rotor and strip oven unit... I ran mine year round with the built in humidistat controlling the unit i used to have a green house heater in the obs to keep the temp a few degrees above zero all year round...

From the website...

"The desiccant technology also means constant extraction efficiency that is independant of temperature so the ELA DD822 dehumidifier can be used to keep boats, caravans, motor homes and small garages dry thoughout the winter - even in the lowest temperatures."

Peter...

[steppenwolf]

You really, really do need a desiccant type and the ELA DD822 is the one that fills the requirements for your observatory the best. I have one permanently plumbed in inside my Glass Fibre Dome Observatory and it does a superb job.

[Freff]

I also use a ELA DD822 dehumidifier in my obsy. Highly efficient and reliable.  

[Gina]

I have an ECO DD122FW in my observatory and another for indoors.  Very effective

[Astrobug]

This cheap dehumidifier will freeze in no time. You should look for one who is suited to use in boats and caravans ( with desiccant rotor).

They can work down to 1°C. All others don't work well under 10-15°C

[Gina]

Yes indeed - I'm afraid you can't get away with a cheap one for this.  I took the recommendation of others who had observatories when I bought mine.  It too works down to 1°C and is very effective at not only keeping the place dry but also in removing wet after a night's dew laden imaging with everything unheated dripping with wet in the morning

[Philip Benson]

Thanks all for the replies and I will make a point of getting in touch with Roger and explaining my requirements.

[philj]

Give Roger a call at Dry-it-out and explain what you want to do... He's a really nice chap

We have bought another one and use it for drying clothes .. much cheaper than doing ti with a tumble and you can do a room full at a time

The DD822 is a Desiccant rotor and strip oven unit... I ran mine year round with the built in humidistat controlling the unit i used to have a green house heater in the obs to keep the temp a few degrees above zero all year round...

From the website...

"The desiccant technology also means constant extraction efficiency that is independant of temperature so the ELA DD822 dehumidifier can be used to keep boats, caravans, motor homes and small garages dry thoughout the winter - even in the lowest temperatures."

Peter...

Yeah, dessicant ones can go lower temps, i have a dessicant box in the obs throughout winter. My warnings about not working below 15 degrees is for the model in the op Pete. This isnt dessicant and tge instructions state no good at low temps, I can vouch for that.

Having said that its great for clothes drying and also drying my van out

[Psychobilly]

I guess thats why Roger recommended the DD822  for obs use in the UK....  I found in combo with the Greenhouse heater it was fine all winter especially after I had Drilled the drain pipe through the obs wall at  a steeper angle...

Peter...

[Gina]

My drain pipe goes straight down through a hole in the floor.

[mhard26339]

Hi,

When I was looking for a de-humidifier for my dome I read the comments on here and went for what people were saying is the best, the dd822. I have not been disappointed, an excellent bit of kit; however, in one of the threads there was a discount code, 10% I think that still worked 3 months ago so some saving on what is admittedly a fairly expensive item, worth looking for and see if it still works!. Your call, your money, do you go for what many people use albeit a bit more expensive or do you try something else, remember if you buy cheap you often pay twice.

regards

Mike

[Earl]

Is there a way to convert a dd822 over to solar / battery rather than mains?

[steppenwolf]

Running on 12v would in theory be possible but the oven that removed the moisture absorbed by the desiccant will be pretty power-hungry so you would need a substantial inverter.

Sent from my iPhone from somewhere dark .....

[microbe]

Another user of the ECO DD122FW. It's only been in use for 2 months but has been very effective in removing post-observing dew and keeping the humidity at at acceptable level. The supplied drain pipe is a bit stiff and so needed some warm water to mould it into shape but is otherwise ideal.

I was concerned about the electricity usage, but on its current setting a plug-in monitor has measured between 0.6 and 0.9 KWh per day which is far cheaper than damaged equipment

Regards

Adrian