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Can You Run A Dehumidifier And Air Purifier At The Same Time

Can You Run A Dehumidifier And Air Purifier At The Same Time?

More and more people have become aware of the importance of indoor air quality. It is not uncommon to see a home equipped with a dehumidifier and an air purifier. When people own both devices, a natural question arises: can a dehumidifier and an air purifier work at the same time?

Yes, running a dehumidifier and an air purifier at the same time is perfectly fine and will not interfere with each other. You can expect a better result in controlling mold growth and reducing the musty smell.

In the following sections, I will explain why they can work well together. I will also elaborate on the things you should consider when using them simultaneously. 

Why can you run a dehumidifier and air purifier at the same time?

As previously stated, you can use a dehumidifier and an air purifier simultaneously. To understand why this is happening, we must first understand how these two devices work.

A dehumidifier can lower indoor humidity by removing the air’s excess moisture.

It draws in air through a fan and then converts water vapor to liquid by passing it through a cold evaporator coil. The silica gel in the wheel will absorb moisture if you have a desiccant model.

Regardless of the type of dehumidifier, the air becomes drier when it returns to the room.

An air purifier doesn’t regulate the humidity level. Instead, it aims to filter out the harmful pollutants in the air. Some use a HEPA filter to capture the contaminants, whereas others take advantage of UV light and titanium dioxide to destroy those harmful particles. 

In a word, a dehumidifier is responsible for absorbing the water in the air, and an air purifier is good at removing the impurities in the air. Since they address different issues of the air, the performance of one device will not be hampered by the performance of the other.

Benefits of using a dehumidifier and air purifier together

treat mold with dehumidifier and air purifier

If you live in a humid area, you can benefit a lot from using them at the same time. 

As you know, mold and dust mites will grow and thrive in wet areas. To inhibit mold from spreading, people will turn on the dehumidifier. 

Yes, a dehumidifier can restrain the proliferation of mold since it can stop the condensation from forming and provide less water vapor for mold to absorb. However, a dehumidifier can’t kill or remove the mold

If you use it with an air purifier, the air purifier can remove the mold spores in the air, increasing the effect on mold growth. 

A dehumidifier can prevent mold from happening. Nevertheless, when mold has shown up, using an air purifier is great since the mold spores will continue to wreak havoc if they are not removed. 

Mold spores can trigger allergic reactions, runny nose, asthma, and other respiratory symptoms. By using them in the same room, the airborne allergens will be filtered out, and fewer allergens will be released into the air. 

On top of it, mold spores and dampness can contribute to the musty smell in the house. Running them together allows you to breathe cleaner air than running them separately.

Considerations when using an air purifier with a dehumidifier

Even though running an air purifier with a dehumidifier can do a lot of good for the house, you must exercise caution.

Higher power consumption 

A dehumidifier doesn’t use a lot of electricity, but its wattage is still much higher than that of an air purifier. If you decide to operate both simultaneously, the electricity cost will go up. 

What’s more, make sure each device is connected to a separate power circuit and a socket. Using a surge protector is also required. It can prevent any hazards from happening.

Keep the windows and doors closed

As with either device, you’ll need to keep the doors and windows closed when running together.

When you open any window or door, the pollutants and moisture particles will get into the room continuously. This will affect the performance and make them overworked, shortening the lifespan and causing malfunction.

Find the source of moisture 

Keeping the dehumidifier and air purifier running is not the ultimate solution to dealing with dampness at home. 

You should inspect the root cause and fix it. The leaking pipe, cracks on the wall, and the broken insulation are often the culprits. 

If the source of moisture is not eliminated, the water can’t stop seeping into the house. You may not be able to tell these two devices’ impacts easily. 

Check your hygrometer constantly

It is worth mentioning that using them together is not a necessity in some cases. The ideal moisture level should be around 35% to 55%. If the air is already dry, you should turn off the dehumidifier and run the air purifier only. 

Many dehumidifiers today come with a built-in humidistat and will shut off automatically when it achieves a certain level. If not, you should monitor the humidity constantly by using a hygrometer.

Should you get an air purifier and dehumidifier combo?

An air purifier and dehumidifier combo should be ideal for many of us. But it is not always the case. 

It is budget-friendly since it usually only costs as much as you pay for a single device. Sometimes, you can get one for under $200. 

It is also space-saving. Rather than having two bulky machines in the same room, using one is preferable, especially for those who live in small apartments.

The combos, however, are not as powerful as you might expect. The majority of these products can only cover a small area. The ability to purify or dehumidify the air is not particularly impressive.

Aside from that, you can’t treat two rooms separately, assuming you want to run an air purifier in one room and a dehumidifier in the basement.

Conclusion

Again, you can run a dehumidifier and an air purifier at the same time. The dehumidifier can remove water vapor from the air, whereas the air purifier eliminates other airborne contaminants. Their functions are different, and you can live in a more comfortable environment when they work together.

Mold growth can be inhibited by a dehumidifier, and mold spores in the air can be removed by an air purifier. If you have a mold problem in your home, running them together can be extremely beneficial.

However, you still have to look for the source of moisture to get rid of mold completely. 

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Liz Yang is the founder of Airsmartly. She has been working at home for a few years and realizes that the performance of the HVAC system plays such an important role in our life. She has tested more than 150 products in person, including humidifiers, air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and ACs, and wants to share tips about using or troubleshooting these products with you. Her uncle is an HVAC expert with over 30 years of experience in the field, and often offers assistance when she is unsure how to handle a situation. He is also in charge of reviewing the articles on this site.

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