What Is the Best Time to Run a Dehumidifier? 10 PM to 7 AM

Unless you live in a city such as New Orleans or Jacksonville, which are the most humid cities in the US, you probably do not need to run a dehumidifier 24/7.

Therefore, you need to know the best time to use a dehumidifier, probably when humidity is at its highest.

So what is the best time of day to use a dehumidifier? The best time to run the dehumidifier is when the humidity level is above 55 percent. Too high humidity is bad for your paintings, walls, furniture, and clothes. To save money, run a dehumidifier between 10.00 PM and 7.00 AM when electricity usage is low.

You could be asking: When should you use a dehumidifier? Do you run it in the morning, afternoon, or evening? How long do you leave it on? Keep reading to get the answers to these questions.

The best time of day to use a dehumidifier

Best time of day to use dehumidifier

Use your dehumidifier between 10.00 PM and 7.00 AM.

But first… if you need a good dehumidifier, you can buy the Pro Breeze Electric Dehumidifier on amazon.com.

And yes, sleeping in a room with a dehumidifier in the bedroom is perfectly safe. It should not bother you at all.

If you live in a humid city, let’s say in a place like the United Kingdom, you know, a city like Birmingham, London, Bournemouth, or Manchester, you know you are going to need a dehumidifier. Otherwise, without one, both the outdoor and indoor living spaces can be uninhabitable.

In these United Kingdom cities, humidity levels span highs of 90 and lows of 69 percent. Therefore, you can see that even the lows are higher than the recommended indoor levels of 30 to 50%.

Likewise, if you live in the United States in cities such as New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston, or Rochester in New York, you will need a dehumidifier. In these cities, humidity levels are even higher than 85%.

But the best time depends on several factors. For example, you can run it after a leak. Use the unit consistently after a leak to remove the excess humidity.

If it is the first time to use the unit, you want to know the best time. You need to leave it for a few days. This way, it will get rid of all the moisture.

However, if you have been using the dehumidifier regularly, you may choose a specific time of day or night when you can use it.

Should I leave a dehumidifier on all the time?

Should I leave a dehumidifier on all the time

The best time to use a dehumidifier for the room is when it will get rid of more moisture. Always aim to get the humidity in your premises to the recommended 50-60% level.

There is no given rule that a dehumidifier for a bedroom or any other room should be used at a particular time.

So, if you notice your home is humid, turn on the unit. Just don’t wait until the time you feel it is best to use it. Crank up the bedroom dehumidifier.

Some of the telltale signs of high humidity are a musty smell, damp walls, mold, and windows covered in condensation.

The best time of day to use a dehumidifier depends on your needs. Some people opt to use it in the morning or evening for a few hours. Others choose to leave it on overnight. Some leave it on throughout.

Some recommend that you run it 12 hours a day to enable it to extract all moisture. You could run 6 hours during the day and 6 hours at night.

If you are worried about saving on power bills, you can run it between 10 PM and 7 AM when the rates are down.

Should I use a dehumidifier in the summer or winter?

Check your hygrometer and if the humidity level in your house is above 60%, switch the dehumidifier on. But apart from that, you can run this unit during summer, winter, fall, and so on.

Here are the other things that determine when you can turn it on:

Season: best time to run a dehumidifier

Is it summer, spring, or winter? You may realize that you will need to use your dehumidifier more often in the summer than at any other time.

This is the most humid time of the year. You may not need to use your unit that much in winter.

The air tends to have more moisture when it is raining. Therefore, you may be required to use it more than when it is not raining.

When the dehumidifier is in use, shut the doors and windows when using a unit so that damp air does not come in from the outside.

Location for your dehumidifying unit

When should you run a dehumidifier for maximum effect?

You need to put your unit where it will be most useful. At home, the bathroom, basement, and kitchen are the hot spots for dampness and high humidity. Therefore, it is best to run the unit in these rooms continuously.

If the basement doesn’t have enough ventilation, you may be required to run the unit at all times.

However, if you have placed it in the bedroom or living room, you may only be required to run it when the humidity levels are high.

Remember, place the dehumidifier high up for maximum effect. Do not place it on the floor.

When there has been a leakage 

Image of should a dehumidifier run all the time
High humidity condensation on a window

 

If your home or office has leakage, you should dehumidify it regularly until you achieve the desired humidity level. If the flooding is excessive, you might have to use an industrial unit instead.

Dehumidifier power consumption

Do you want to save on energy bills? Don’t run the dehumidifier continuously if the humidity levels are not high. Running the unit all the time can skyrocket your energy bills.

Alternatively, you can use power-saving models that consume less energy. Running such a dehumidifier does not consume much electricity. Know when to run a dehumidifier to consume the least energy or when energy charges are low, which is at night.

Type of dehumidifier

Most units have a humidistat. What you do here is that you set the humidistat to the level of humidity that you require. The appliance will shut off automatically when the level is reached.

So, if you are wondering how long to leave a dehumidifier on and the best time to use it, it depends on your needs.

Modern units have an automatic shut-off feature that detects when the required humidity level is reached. They shut off automatically. You don’t have to worry that your home is too humid or too dry.

Should a dehumidifier run all the time?

Whether a dehumidifier should run all the time depends on the level of humidity. If the level is high, such as when there is leakage or summer is too humid, you can run it all the time.

The recommended thing is to have a unit that has a humidistat, auto shut-off feature, and a tilt safety feature. Therefore, even if you leave the house all day, the dehumidifier will shut off automatically if the level of humidity gets to the recommended level.

It will turn on if it increases. It will also shut off when the tank is full. Therefore, you can look at the humidistat as a safety feature.

The tilt safety feature turns off the unit if it tilts or topples, to prevent short-circuiting or water from pouring from the tank. Water and electricity don’t mix well!

When To Use Dehumidifier FAQ

If the topic of exactly when to switch on your dehumidifier is still not clear, here is more information that might help you:

Is it better to run a dehumidifier at night or during the day?

You should run your dehumidifier whenever it is necessary to do so. If you experience humid summers, run the unit for 6 hours in the day and 6 hours in the night. If it has a humidity setting, you can enter your desired humidity level and when it attains it, it switches off automatically.

How often should you dehumidify a room?

You can run your dehumidifier for as long as your humidity is high. However, in most places, running it for 12 hours a day usually lowers the humidity enough to last you through the night.

If it has a humidistat, you can depend on it to start pulling moisture from the air as soon as the need arises, even when you are absent.

In summer, you might have to dehumidify the room throughout the day and perhaps even for some hours during the night.

Conclusion

So what is the best time of day to use a dehumidifier? If there is not too much humidity, try doing it between 10.00 PM and 7.00 AM to save money on electricity. You can even call your utility company to ask when electricity is cheaper.

Apart from saving money, set the unit to start running automatically as soon as the humidity level in the house or office exceeds 60 percent, irrespective of the time of day.

Any higher than that and fungi will grow, exposing your family to mold toxicity symptoms.