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Comment by bob1029 | Hacker News Reader

If humidity is a serious problem you could consider getting a proper central unit installed. A lot of new construction in the Gulf Coast region is including these in the HVAC systems. It's like a mini 1/4 ton A/C system inside your system. I had one that came w/ the house but it didn't last very long (Honeywell). Replaced it with an Aprilaire unit.

I can tell when my dehumidifier is off or not working because I'll see really bad condensation forming around registers. Keeping RH below 55% is an extreme battle this time of year. My dehumidifier runs 24/7 for about 9 months of the year and the main heat pump runs about 80-85% of the day.

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These cost $150. A cheap DIY minisplit is over $1000 (double that if you get one that doesn't need a vacuum). I'd love to have the minisplit HVAC in my shed, but cost drives me away.

In addition to the minisplit cost, there's also the cost of the electrical work. Anyone can plug in a dehumidifier into an outlet but drilling a hole into the wall, running the linesets and communication wires for a minisplit is beyond most people's comfort level.

Uh, they're like $650 minus 30% tax credit. https://www.highseer.com/products/9-000-btu-ductless-dc-inve...

Sure, yeah, double it if you want the pre-charged lines. But I found that installing the lines that required a vacuum to be easier than using the precharged lines (as you don't need to be as careful with the lines before you release the charge into them).

Regardless though the minisplit (or central A/C) isn't a good substitute for a dedicated dehumidifier. You're not going to get the RH very low.

that is cheaper than the last time I priced them by a bit. I'll have to save that link, thanks. Though after shipping things are a lot closer (I suppose since others have free shipping they have to up the price)

If you rent, that’s not an option. I would happily pay, but the landlord lives in a tax heaven and doesn’t do anything, not sure if he is even a real person.

Not to mention the install cost ($6000).

I imagine that most dehumidifiers are in basements which are not typically climate controlled.

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