Dehumidifiers and air conditioners

[Murray Heimbecker]

I want to dehumidify the boat and also air condition it. I would like to keep bothportable if possible. Is there one unit that will do both. If not, what would yousuggest for a good dehumidifier and A/C unit?

[Wally Gibat]

You only need the AC as it works by pulling moisture out the air it is cooling.

[Murray Heimbecker]

I appreciate your reply. My main concern was when the boat was sitting in the slip when I was gone. I suspect a dehumidifier might be more economical. Is thatright?

[Bob Nowak]

I have to disagree with Wally a little bit. The moisture taken out by and A/C is sort of a by product. It is the result of raising the relative humidity to 100% by dropping the air temp through a heat exchanger process. It really dosen't matter how the water gets out of the air just so long as it does. I'm not sure just how dehumidifers work but my guess is that they would be much cheaper to operate than an A/C. The thing is I don't think they'll cool the air for those tims that you want cooling as well as drying. You might look at the attached site for some ideas on low cost and low load A/C.

[Sid Ballantyne]

I use a dehumidifier that is sold at West Marine. Here in N.C. the humidity is pretty high and I run it year round and it keeps the inside of my boat nice and dry. It needs to be plugged in and is safe to leave running all the time.