Mini Dehumidifiers
USB versus MAINS versus BATTERY Powered
USB Version
Watch out! Let’s take a close look at this little machine to see if it lives up to expectation.
I ordered one of these and on arrival, plugged it in to a USB charger. Note: No USB power supply included! It started up and ran very well. It was pretty quiet too…. for about 30 seconds. Then it went dead quiet.
On closer inspection as to why it died, I found that it roasted the USB charger. I had a look at the label on the machine which clearly states DC 5V 15Watt. That equates to 15/5 = 3Amps. I looked at the charger which states 3.1Amps but further down it states 1.0Amp + 2.1Amp.
What this means is that the 2 USB ports can survive a total of 3Amp draw together. So, maybe if I had a split cable and drew the power from both, it may have survived, although I have my doubts.
If any of you have ordered one of these, for goodness sake just don’t try it on a laptop or any other computer USB slot. It can easily extract the smoke from you computer and believe me, to return the smoke where it came from, is impossible (LOL).
I spent hours trying to find a more powerful USB power supply to no avail.
Also take note that this unit does not have a battery. It can easily be mistaken as a rechargeable unit which it is not.
I ended up getting a buck/boost converter at 8 Amps to power this little monster. It is a bit involved getting all the wiring done and set up. I did it just because I already bought it and really want to see how effective it works. Other than that I will definitely NOT recommend the USB driven model.
Apart from the power issue, the rest of the machine seems to be well made. I am giving it the powered test at this moment. It has run for close on 24 hours and the tank is approx 1/3 filled. The humidity currently is 61% so I cannot expect much more from it.
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Update: We moved the dehumidifier to various spots in the motorhome and tested it. What was amazing was the amount of water it extracted from the wardrobe. The wardrobe is very small – 33cm x 80cm x 175cm – and it extracted about 250ml of water over 2 days.
It may sound like a very long time but one must keep in mind that a lot of the moist is inside the fabric and as it dries the air, moisture will slowly evaporate from the fabric into the drier air before ending up inside the dehumidifier.
So that is one place where it will be operating regularly to keep that moldy smell from surfacing. We are very happy with the effectiveness and the low noise levels experienced so far from this little machine.
The alternative options
Mains and 12Volt
Instead of the USB version, we sourced a dehumidifier with the same look and specifications but it comes with a mains adapter. It does a great job, perhaps a little better than the USB version because it is running at 9Volt instead of 5 Volt.
Due to popular demand, I soured 12Volt and 24Volt adapters with an extension cord so that it can reach most places inside the RV from any cigarette lighter socket.
For those interested, it comes with the mains adapter as standard and the optional 12Volt or 24Volt adapter. Click here to see the product.
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We wish you a dry interior and pleasant boon docking.
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Hi Noah! I’m glad I found your site. This post is very useful (as always, keep up the good work). I appreciate your very honest review. Mentioning the issue concerning the USB charger can save us distress. I would have done the same thing. Connecting it into a USB charger would seem a natural step for me too.
I’m glad to hear that this dehumidifier works well. And the low noise levels make it an excellent choice, in my book. But based on your experience I’d prefer the one with a mains adapter. Thanks for this review.
Yip, it’s kind of natural to plug it into the USB when it comes with a USB cable. It’s not a good way by the manufacturer. It will likely be stopped when enough people burnt out equipment and the complaints reach the manufacturer.
The machine is good quality though and does a marvelous job in our wardrobe. Scary to see how much water it extracts from there. No wonder the closed get smelly and moldy when you do not have one.
When ordering, you can select the options you need on the product listing.
Glad to be of service.
Kind regards
Noah
This is great information on a dehumidifier. My RV suffers from extra moisture when not opened a lot, it is parked at the lake property. I do have an USB plug built into the wall, it does not meet the current pull requirements of this unit. Thanks for your information so that I can make a educated choice when choosing a correct dehumidifier for my RV.
What size would you recommend for a 29 foot pull behind trailer.
John
Hallo John, welcome to RVMega.
I use one of these in my 9 meter Motorhome that you can see here: http://rvmega.com/designing-an-rv-or-converting-a-bus-dont-make-this-big-mistake/
9 meter equates to 29.5ft. What is great about the unit is that you can leave it on and it will switch off when filled. I guess you can always drill a little hole in the water tray and fit a hose and run it to the outside of the trailer. That way, it will never reach the “full” state and the excess water will be dumped outside. It all depends how long you are away from the trailer and what the humidity level is. In very humid circumstances, I would recommend running 2 of these simultaneously, one in the front half- and the other in the rear half of the vehicle.
Thanks for your comment and hope to see you again soon.
Kind regards
Noah
Hi Noah
I would not have thought that a dehumidifier could be attached to an USB port or ports, as the amount of energy to dehumidify will be beyond its capacity to do the job.
My background is in Chemical Engineering and I know how big industrial dehumidifiers are. I cannot imagine a small version would work as well, and your review has demonstrated this.
Thank you for this Information
Antonio
Hi Antonio
Interesting background! I must say, many times the theory and the reality don’t meet. Reality strikes where the rubber meets the road. These little machine do a marvelous job. Thanks for your insights. You may also find this post quite interesting with your Chemical background: https://rvmega.com/violet-ray-machine/
Kind regards
Noah
Noah, I’d like to thank you dearly for this info. It really saved me a lot of headaches. I was ready to buy the usb version thinking it was rechargeable.
Like your site too!
Cheers
No problem Andy, that is the aim of our site – to make life easier for our customers. Have a great day.
Regards,
Noah.