Understanding dehumidity control information can get complicated. The bottom line is this: there are a number of ways to ensure dehumidity control in your workplace. Dehumidifiers are rated according to the number of pints of water removed during a 24-hour period.

Dehumidity control comes in the form of gauges that measure the relative humidity (the percent of water vapor in the air in relation to the amount it can hold at a given temperature). Consider the following for proper dehumidity control, and to ensure your dehumidifier is removing the appropriate pints of water critical to attain proper humidity levels.

1. Is the dehumidifier the right size for your room?

2. What kind of dehumidity control works best for you?

3. Does your business require a special type of dehumidifier control device?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Achieve dehumidity control by verifying your area's square footage

An easy first step to find dehumidity control percentages is to calculate the square footage of your room. Most dehumidifiers list the square footage area for which their model is designed.

I recommend: The website for Dehumidifier Experts, a division of National Trade Supply, includes a dehumidity control directory of industrial products designed to handle rooms with large square footage. The AllergyBuyersClub website includes user review ratings and a variety of dehumidifiers for commercial and industrial use.

Select a dehumidity control apparatus that works for you

Many dehumidifiers use electronic or digital controls. Electronic controls allow you to select a range in humidity level, while digital controls let you program a definite target relative humidity.

I recommend: Air & Water's website displays a dehumidity control list of humidistats and hygrothermometers. They even offer pros and cons of each device to help you decide which product best suits your needs. If you need something more expansive, consider the remote humidity control by Santa Fe at Therma-Stor. This device allows the unit to accurately sense the humidity in an area other than where the unit is located.

Determine if you have special circumstances requiring additional dehumidity control

Depending on what is housed in your room (i.e. telecommunications or silk screening equipment), you may need a lower level humidity percentage. Acceptable humidity levels for your home are 30-50%. Specialty products or machinery require significantly lower levels. If this sounds like your business, make sure your dehumidity control provider can offer products to read humidity levels for specialty items.

I recommend: Drytech manufactures external-mount color change humidity indicator plugs. These are useful for determining relative humidity inside rigid containers, electronic enclosures, optical cavities and flexible moisture-vapor-proof bags. Monitoring sensors by Ravica are Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) enabled to monitor your computer and telecommunications infrastructure. In addition to humidity levels, these sensor probes alert you to security, smoke and voltage concerns.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A timer can save money by allowing you to set the dehumidity control unit to run overnight during cheaper, off-peak electricity hours.
• •  High relative humidity levels can cause irreparable damage to sensitive equipment. Electronics in particular often show no visual sign of moisture damage as a result of faulty packaging. Humidity Indicator Cards are small paper instruments that measure the relative humidity within a sealed package.