Simple and homemade, without any electronics or mechanisms. We are going to make a dehumidifier so that it captures the humidity of our closets, rooms or wherever we want.
We can talk about 2 types of dehumidifiers:
- Desiccants using calcium chloride or Silica Gel
- With compressor and condensers
Dessicant dehumidifier
We are talking about a method for low humidity, ideal for closets and closed spaces.
It is not a definitive remedy, it simply helps us to have a drier environment.
For small spaces, in containers
I do not know if you know him, but in hardware stores sell plastic boxes that absorb moisture.
Well, nothing is easier to replicate and at a very low price. If we look at what the product “that turns into water” is made of, it is calcium chloride CaCl2 without anything else.
Calcium chloride is a salt used both in pastry and food to curd yogurts and to treat icy roads, salt for thawing. Along with common salt the freezing temperature rises. It is a very hygroscopic soluble substance and it takes the water from the environment, which is the property that we want to take advantage of.
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To dry the environment, do not use the calcium chloride of confectionery, that is pure and for the format that they sell it will be very expensive, better to look for the one for industrial use that they sell in 25kg bags. It has almost the same CaCl2 composition although they do not sell it at 100% purity but at 77% but in proportion it is much cheaper than that of culinary use.
For this DIY as I did not need as much quantity instead of comparing a bag I have opened one of those sold in the Chinese and I have redistributed it in other containers. Which is one of the utilities to take into account to be able to use small containers to reach more places than with the original packaging we could not reach.
Come on, not for small spaces, in containers invented nothing new. One of these containers to absorb moisture, they cost us € 0.8 and we have 100 grams of calcium chloride, which comes out at € 8 / kg. A bag of calcium chloride of 25 kg at 77% can cost us about € 15 (0, € 6 / kg) really is much cheaper.
So we divide the calcium chloride into as many containers as we want of the sizes that interest us. As we have said it is very useful to put in tables, or corners of difficult access. But be careful that by absorbing the moisture it turns it into water that will accumulate in the container and if we move it carefully we can spill it.
We close them in two ways, either with a piece of kitchen paper, or with tulle, yes that kind of porous gauze, with what they wrap in rice at weddings. So if you have ever kept those pieces of cloth thinking that they could be of use to you, you already have a utility 😉
After having it for a few days in a humid place, we see how it has begun to absorb moisture.
I hope it helps you to control the humidity of your house, your tools and your experiments home experiments.
For larger spaces with fan
A variant of the method I leave here is to use a fan to collect air from the room and pass it through the gel to absorb moisture.
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Dehumidifier with compressor
If what you want is a dehumidifier for the home, of which you plug into the electricity, we are already talking about an appliance that captures the air with humidity from the environment, puts it in a condenser and retains the water in a container to return the dry air.
Right now I have not done any tests. and I don’t have any project to make it. I keep looking for information and as soon as I have the necessary materials I will inform you.