24/7 Emergency Service
Dehumidifier Fire Risk
3/23/2022 (Permalink)
According to Wikipedia, “A dehumidifier is an air conditioning device which reduces and maintains the level of humidity in the air. This is done usually for health or comfort reasons, or to eliminate musty odor and to prevent the growth of mildew by extracting water from the air. It can be used for household, commercial, or industrial applications. Large dehumidifiers are used in commercial buildings such as indoor ice rinks and swimming pools, as well as manufacturing plants or storage warehouses. Typical air conditioning systems combine dehumidification with cooling, by setting cooling coils below the dewpoint and collecting the condensate.”
In the restoration business we use large dehumidifiers on a regular basis when mitigating water damage. Air movers or fans cause water to evaporate out of materials. But that moisture than evaporates into the air. Too much moisture in the air, or humidity, can also cause mold. Fans/air movers and dehumidifiers work together to get any water disaster properly dried.
Many homeowners and small business owners also use small dehumidifiers in their homes and basements to keep humidity and mold away. But did you know that dehumidifiers can also overheat and cause a fire? We have seen our share of home fires caused y dehumidifiers that have overheated. The US Consumer Product & Safety Commission issued its most recent recalls for dehumidifiers on August 4, 2021, indicating that the recalled dehumidifiers can overheat and catch fire, posing fire and burn hazards. The recall involves dehumidifiers manufactured before September 1, 2017, with the brand names including AeonAir, Amana, ArcticAire (Danby), Classic (Danby/Home Hareware Stores), Commercial Cool, Danby, Danby Designer, Danby Premiere, De’Longhi, Edgestar, Friedrich, Generations (Danby), Haier, Honeywell (JMATEK/AirTek) and Idylis to name a few. For a complete list visit: