Your home is supposed to be a dreamland. Unfortunately, it could also be the reason why you are struggling with persistent symptoms of allergies. If humidity levels in your home are beyond the optimal levels of between 30 and 50, the condition could encourage mould, spores, mildew, dust mites and other harmful airborne particles that can trigger allergies and other health complications.
The excess moisture can also cause rotting, which can weaken the structural integrity of your home. It can also damage your clothes, furniture, instruments, carpets, photographs, and instruments. Installing a whole-house dehumidifier can help improve air quality in your home, keeping microbes at bay. In this guide, you will learn why installing a dehumidifier is worth the cost and also get a whole house dehumidifier cost with setup breakdown.
Signs That You Need To Install A Whole-house Dehumidifier
- Persistent allergic symptoms and respiratory conditions like asthma
- Water stains on the walls and ceilings
- High humidity levels and poor ventilation in specific rooms like the bathroom
- Frequent condensation in certain areas of your home
- Growth of mould spore on the walls and other spaces with high humidity
- Unpleasant odours
Installing a dehumidifier is even more necessary if you are living in an apartment. Mould and mildew spores can build up and travel through the ventilation systems affecting the quality of the air in your home. Other home activities like drying your laundry indoors, cooking and washing can increase the humidity in your home beyond the optimal levels ideal for human living.
What Can A Good Dehumidifier Do?
Dehumidifiers work by sucking in humid air and taking moisture out of it before blowing it back into your home. Dehumidifiers also filter the air, ensuring that the air blown back into your home is fresh and dry. They come with a tank that you must remember to empty regularly to keep the unit functioning optimally.
A properly functioning unit can help control excessive body perspiration build-up, mildew and mould growth, and sticking and warping of furniture and doors. It also helps to control cockroaches, clothes moths, fleas, woodlice, and millipedes among others from thriving. An best efficient dehumidifier is also useful in controlling the development of allergies and respiratory problems. A home with a humidifier also does not struggle with condensation that drips from cold-water pipes or development of mustiness on laundry, furnishings and books.
Types Of Dehumidifiers And How They Work
Dehumidifiers can be categorized into two main types that include condensate and desiccant dehumidifiers. Condensate dehumidifiers collect water that can be reused for industrial purposes or released as a vapour. Desiccant units use hydrophilic materials like silica gel to bond moisture.
- Refrigeration / Condensate : Refrigeration dehumidifiers work by drawing water over a refrigerated evaporator using a fan. Refrigeration dehumidifiers use microchannel technology, coiled tube, and tube and fin as the main evaporators. The unit’s cold evaporator condenses the air removing the water before the air is reheated by the condenser coil heats and blown back into the room. The technology is highly effective in dehumidifying air, but it is not ideal in cold temperatures. These types of dehumidifiers are optimal in temperatures that do not go beyond 18 degrees Celsius.
- Desiccant / Absorption Dehumidifiers : Desiccant units use unique material to absorb humidity. The desiccant units are perfect for low temperatures with high levels of moisture. They are also quieter than condensate units. The unit works by drawing in air and passing it through a rotating wheel made of water-absorbing material. The wheel absorbs humidity before the air is blown back into your room.
How Much Does It Cost To Install A Whole-house Dehumidifier?
To get the actual whole house dehumidifier cost with setup, you should contact an expert in your area. The professional will look at the unique aspects of your home setup needs and thus, give you an actual estimate. However, if you are interested in knowing how it will roughly cost to install a whole-house dehumidifier, you will find this article highly useful. Before you start looking at the installation cost, you should first understand your home’s unique setup needs. Two homeowners installing the same dehumidifier model are less likely to pay the same amount of money unless their home setup is identical. The actual cost of installing a whole-house dehumidifier in your home will depend on a range of factors.
Factors That Affect The Cost Of Installing A Dehumidifier
Capacity Of The Unit
The dehumidifier cost contributes to a significant share of the total cost. A powerful unit will likely cost more than a device with a smaller capacity. You will need to consider the size of your home as well as your pre-existing home conditions before deciding on the right dehumidifier capacity for your home. Bigger space requires a more powerful unit. For example, the best device for a 1000 square feet space is not the best choice for a 2000 square feet space. You can use a chart guide to choose the right dehumidifier capacity for your home.
| AHAM Dehumidifier Sizing Table | |||||
| Condition of the space | 500 Sq. Ft. | 1000 Sq. Ft. | 1500 Sq. Ft. | 2000 Sq. Ft. | 2500 Sq. Ft. |
| Moderately damp space with musty smell in humid weather | 10 Pints | 14 Pints | 18 Pints | 22 Pints | 26 Pints |
| Very wet space with wet walls and or seepage | 14 Pints | 20 Pints | 26 Pints | 32 Pints | 38 Pints |
| Extremely wet with wet floors and high load conditions | 16 Pints | 23 Pints | 30 Pints | 37 Pints | 44 Pints |
The challenge for most homeowners is choosing the right capacity for their pre-existing home conditions. Conditions such as climate, state of your HVAC system and the quality of your home’s insulation. The climatic conditions will help you find the best type of dehumidifier for your home. Condensate units are best for drier climates while desiccant is best for wetter climates. The weather will also affect the humidity of the air in your home. The quality of your home insulation can also influence the capacity of the unit. Poor-insulated homes have higher humidity levels than well-insulated homes. Furthermore, if your home HVAC system is not in good condition, you will need a higher capacity dehumidifier. If you need a high-capacity unit for your home, you should expect to pay anything from $1000 to as high as $3000.
Drainage options
Your whole house dehumidifier cost with setup estimate will vary depending on your choice of drainage. Your home unit can use gravity-assisted drainage or pumps to get rid of moisture it collects from your home. A gravity-assisted drainage system is the least expensive, but it will only work if your AC is located in the attic or upstairs. If your AC is in the basement or dehumidifier needs to be installed in the basement, you will need to install pumps to get rid of the condensate. Buying a condensate pump to your installation will cost you an additional $120 to $200.
Additional Installation Considerations
Beyond the cost of the unit and drainage, your whole house dehumidifier cost with setup cost should also consider special needs for your home. For example, if your home does not have a 3-prong 115V to power the unit, you may have to add $150 to $300 to install the power outlet. It will also cost you more if the dehumidifier needs its own return duct.
Labour Cost
You should look out for service providers who give whole house dehumidifier cost with setup estimates without including labour costs. Most service providers will charge you per hour of work. A handyman labour rate can be anything from $35 to $50 per hour while an HVAC technician labour rate can be anything from $60 to $115 per hour. Things that will affect the labour costs include installation difficulty, cost of living and installer demand within that period. Nevertheless, you should expect a 2-person crew to take 3 to 5 hours to install a whole-house dehumidifier.
An estimate breakdown of the dehumidifier installation cost
| Low $1,850 – $2,200 | Average Cost Estimate $2,250 – $2,800 | High $2,900 – $3,700 | |
| Retail Cost | $1,035 – $1,600 | $1,250 – $2,200 | $1,700 – $3,450 |
| Capacity/Day | 50 – 90 Pints | 90 – 120 Pints | 120 – 155 Pints |
| Accessories Cost | Up to $200 | $200 – $400 | $250 – $500 |
| Energy Star | No | Yes or No | Yes or No |
| Location Access | Easy | Easy to Average | Average to Difficult |
| Brand Rating | Good | 2-3 Stars | Better | 3-4 Stars | Best | 4-5 Stars |
| Cost of Living | Low to Average | Average | Average to High |
| Installed By | Pro | Pro | Pro |
| Permit & Inspection | $0 | $0 – $125 | $125+ |
The Wrap up
It can be expensive to install a whole-house dehumidifier depending on the additional supplies needed for the setup. However, it is always good to focus on the efficiency of your system as opposed to the cost. A properly installed dehumidifier will save you a lot of money in the long run and thus, you should not compromise on the right device or the best installer.