What’s the best way to prevent damp gathering on clothes? (My closet backs onto my en-suite shower, but I have an air conditioner that runs when I am in my room)
Is it safe to use laundry places in Taipei, as 2 of my shirts (both 100% cotton) were burned on the same wash. That has never happened before, and I wonder if the dryers often over heat.
I am also worried that some of the laudry washing machines aren’t cleaning my clothes properly, especially with underwear, and even with small load and plenty of detergent etc.
You can also get little packets of things from BnQ and elsewhere to suck moisture out of the air. Kind of costly, though.
BTW, can anyone recommend a good dehumidifier? I’m looking for one. I’m thinking of getting one that can regulate the humidity percentage (40%,50%,etc)., and that has a hose I can attach in case I’m away for a few days and want to keep the machine running constantly.
[quote=“Jefferson”]You can also get little packets of things from BnQ and elsewhere to suck moisture out of the air. Kind of costly, though.
BTW, can anyone recommend a good dehumidifier? I’m looking for one. I’m thinking of getting one that can regulate the humidity percentage (40%,50%,etc)., and that has a hose I can attach in case I’m away for a few days and want to keep the machine running constantly.[/quote]
I have a Mitsubishi one that had been problem-free for 7 years until this week, when the lcd control panel went on the fritz. The guy came to the house and fixed it in about 10 minutes. Quiet, can regulate the humidity percentage, has a tank or a hose option, takes out about a gallon every four hours. Cost about NT$20,000 at the time of purchase.
Last weekend I got a Panasonic one which is almost totally silent, can regulate humidity percentage, has a tank or hose option and has funky blacklights inside that are supposed to kill airborne nasties. Cost under NT$10,000.
They’re on pretty much all the time, really. Making the 7 problem-free years of the Mitsubishi unit pretty impressive IMO. Can’t speak for the Panasonic, as we’ve had it for less than a week, but it seems to work well.
I live right on the edge of town at Bitan, but not really in the hills.
[quote=“sandman”]
I have a Mitsubishi one that had been problem-free for 7 years until this week, when the lcd control panel went on the fritz. The guy came to the house and fixed it in about 10 minutes. [/quote]
Who came over to fix it? Our Sanyo broke down recently and we can’t get any of the local shops to look at it.
A gallon in 4 hours! Do you live in the hills?[/quote]
A gallon every few hours is typical in Mucha too on a humid day (and aren’t they all humid days ). When we lived in Wanfang in the hills it was even worse. I lost half my books to mold in the first week before we bought our machines.
[quote=“Muzha Man”][quote=“sandman”]
I have a Mitsubishi one that had been problem-free for 7 years until this week, when the lcd control panel went on the fritz. The guy came to the house and fixed it in about 10 minutes. [/quote]
Who came over to fix it? Our Sanyo broke down recently and we can’t get any of the local shops to look at it.[/quote]
We used one of the telephone numbers listed on the back of the manual (my wife’s a terrible packrat – I’d have chucked the manual years ago!) and took it from there.
How many machines do you have in your house? And, if I may ask, how many pings is your place?
What setting do you leave the machine on - 40%, 50%?
If the machine fills up after a few hours, and you’re gone all day or for a few days, how do you handle that? Do you permanently connect the hose? (and do these hoses ever leak?)
I’ve heard it’s necessary to “seal off” the room you’re dehumidifying, to reduce the amt of work the machine does. Have you found that to be the case?
I’m asking because I’m moving soon to a relatively humid place and want to take proactive steps before I move everything over there.
[quote=“Jefferson”]Couple more questions, mates, if I may.
How many machines do you have in your house? And, if I may ask, how many pings is your place?[/quote]
I have two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Its about 40 or so pings I think.
The Mitsubishi I just run at full blast, so I don’t really know. The Panasonic is set for 60% but only because I haven’t yet figured out how to adjust it. It seems fine as it is, though.
You simply connect the hose (assuming the unit has that option). I suppose they could leak but not in my experience. Even if you don’t use the hose, they usually have an automatic cutoff switch that gets activated when the tank is full (check for that feature before you buy – its important!)
Yes, you should keep the windows closed for efficiency and I do that when I’m out. I open the windows when I’m at home, though, and while I’m sure it must make a difference, I haven’t noticed it.
[quote]I’m asking because I’m moving soon to a relatively humid place and want to take proactive steps before I move everything over there.
[/quote]
Its a good idea. Set up your units a few days before you move, keep the place sealed, and your place will be nice and dry before you move the rest of your stuff. Especially useful if you plan to paint the walls or anything like that.
I think I’ll get two units - one for the living room (and adjoining rooms) and one for a small room that I want to keep especially dry. I’ll set them up a few days in advance, as you suggest, with hoses running to a run-off spot.
I have two as well, but the first one broke down just as we bought the second. One has served us well over the years as the bedroom and living room have aircon and we use the dehumidifying function on these. The machine is used for smaller rooms and on the balcony to dry our hanging clothes on wet days.
It’s not really a problem leaving the machine on. Even if it fills up and shuts down the room is going to stay dry for a long time if you have closed the windows.
Dang, Sandman, I was hoping you knew some little drop in fixer-upper. :s
Also you can open up your closets and run your dehumidifier in your room whenever you go out. Also those small boxes of dehumidifiers work quite nicely. Keep a couple in your closet.
I set up our Sanyo in the downstairs bathroom with a clear hose running into the drain and the vent pointing out the door. Perfect. I paid 12,000 for the Sanyo and it throws out so much water I had to get the hose attached. The 4,000nt jobs run all day and you don’t have to empty them because they are not performing very well.
I noticed a couple of units in Costco around 7-8,000nt.
To compare apples with apples check and compare the 27 degree and humidity rating on each for litres per day.
Costco had one much better than the other, same price.
Well, I bought two Panasonics - around 5,000 NT each. Each of them are in small (maybe 4 or 5 pings) , closed rooms with the windows shut. It takes about a day for the water tank to fill up. When I walk into those rooms, they are DRY. Since it’s such a small space, I’m assuming a tank a day is normal.
I’m actually somewhat concerned, because the machines constantly blow out hot air, and the temperature in those rooms seems to be a bit higher than in the other rooms without a machine. Is this good for the things stored in the rooms? Never having owned a dehumidifier before, I’m not sure if this is a normal situation.
Then again, when I turn the machines off, the room quicky stabilizes to a normal feeling, so what I might be experiencing is the affect the machine has on the air.
[quote=“Jefferson”]Well, I bought two Panasonics - around 5,000 NT each. Each of them are in small (maybe 4 or 5 pings) , closed rooms with the windows shut. It takes about a day for the water tank to fill up. When I walk into those rooms, they are DRY. Since it’s such a small space, I’m assuming a tank a day is normal.
I’m actually somewhat concerned, because the machines constantly blow out hot air, and the temperature in those rooms seems to be a bit higher than in the other rooms without a machine. Is this good for the things stored in the rooms? Never having owned a dehumidifier before, I’m not sure if this is a normal situation.
Then again, when I turn the machines off, the room quicky stabilizes to a normal feeling, so what I might be experiencing is the affect the machine has on the air. [/quote]
Unfortunately, all dehumidifiers blow out hot air. That’s why I don’t use them in a room I am using in summer but instead turn on the air con. But a few extra degrees shouldn’t hurt anything especially when the room in bone dry.
). When we lived in Wanfang in the hills it was even worse. I lost half my books to mold in the first week before we bought our machines.
