Dehumidifiers for grow tents allow you to maintain optimal ambient humidity values, suitable for growing fresh vegetables, medicinal herbs, herbs. They can even be used in living areas with caves of several square meters. Best of all — the dehumidifier works automatically, you only need to set it up once and release the accumulated moisture. However, there are many models, which cause certain difficulties for consumers when choosing such equipment.

What size dehumidifier for a grow tent?

The best dehumidifier for a grow tent depends on the severity of the humidity problem and where you plan to place it.

Dehumidifiers used to be rated as 30 pint, 50 pint and 70 pint per day models. In 2019, they began testing their way at lower temperatures, which reduced the amount of moisture removed from the same equipment. So they are now marked as 20 pints, 30 pints and 50 pints.

You can place a dehumidifier in two places:

Outside the tent (recommended): For humidity issues with most grow tents or in humid climates, use a larger dehumidifier to dry the air in the outside “lung room” of the tent, which is introduced using an intake fan of.
Inside the tent: If your humidity problem is minimal, you can place a small dehumidifier directly inside the tent. Not very efficient due to constant ventilation and watch temperature levels carefully. If you’re supplementing with CO2 in a sealed grow tent, your dehumidifier needs to be more powerful.

ECO Farm Mini small 500ml portable air conditioner dehumidifier

Features:

The ECO Farm Dehumidifier is one of the most popular options that you can considerably get your hands on. This is suitable for a small dehumidifier for grow tents. It is also a highly recommended grow tent dehumidifier due to its efficient performance, sleek design, and portability. Like most mini dehumidifiers it works best between 59–86F, the top end is just about right for a grow tent. It’s a reliable machine which can run continuously with no problem and comes with a 12-month warranty. Despite the 500 ml capacity, this dehumidifier is extremely lightweight, which is comparatively a lot lesser as opposed to the other options. This enables you to create an environment with optimal moisture settings.

VIVOSUN Small Space Mini Dehumidifier for Grow Tent Closets

Features:

This grow tent dehumidifier can cover an area of 269Ft, which is pretty awesome for a smaller device. You can also use it at other places in your house, For instance, in the bathrooms and basements that attract the most moisture. The compact and portable design of this mini dehumidifier is what makes it a superlative purchase, especially if you are short on a budget. This is one of the few options in the market that come with external handles that make it easier for you to move around. As for the capacity, despite being a mini version, it comes with a 2200 ml capacity and the tank easily slides out to enable easier cleaning results.

What to pay attention to before buying

Before buying, you need to understand the required functionality, productivity. That is, calculate the area, the volume of the tent for growing plants. And if there is an opportunity, you should measure the current air humidity indicator.

Dehumidifier type
Dehumidifiers are conventionally classified into:

condensation dehumidifiers;
absorption dehumidifiers.

Absorption dehumidifiers are the most efficient and therefore widely used. Condensation dehumidifiers are further classified into:

with a fan (more productive, but noisy, slightly lower ambient temperature);
Peltier-based (practically silent, but less efficient).
Dehumidifiers with a fan are optimal for large grottoes, from 10 square meters and more. With Peltier elements — for small tents up to 10 square meters.

Dehumidification rate
The dehumidification rate is indicated in the amount of moisture the device “extracts” from the ambient air over the class of a day. Ultra-compact models are able to condense about 1–2 liters per day. And this is more than enough for a tent of several square meters. Models with a fan “absorb” up to 30 liters of water in 24 hours. But the higher the dehumidification rate, the bigger the size of the device and the higher the fan speed. It is not recommended to buy a dehumidifier with excessive capacity. You should select the model for the specific task, the area of the tent already installed for growing plants.

Portability
If a small size tent is installed, then it is better to choose a dehumidifier for it portable. There might not be enough space for a powerful model with a massive fan. Also, dehumidifiers, to which you can connect a hose, are always more massive. Therefore, you can follow these recommendations:

for grottoes of about 7–8 m2 (maximum — 10) you can choose dehumidifiers on Peltier elements, that is, without a fan;
For tents larger than 10 m2 it is better to choose a dehumidifier with a fan and the possibility to connect the outdoor tank with a hose.

Cleaning the air
Almost all dehumidifiers have a built-in filter for purifying the air. It traps dust, dirt, pet hair, and flower pollen. Filters can be disposable or reusable. It is better to give preference to those models in which the filtration system is easily serviced. That is, the filter can be removed, washed. You should also check if spare filters are available for sale and how much they cost.

And it is better not to buy dehumidifiers without filters. Their durability is low since the condensation system loses its initial performance over time.

Area coverage
Most manufacturers in the technical specifications of household dehumidifiers indicate the allowable area in which the device is able to maintain humidity at an optimal level. However, you have to keep in mind that these figures are valid for premises with low ceilings, up to 2,5 meters. If the height of the greenhouse is higher, you must take into account the capacity of the dehumidifier in relation to the volume of the tent for growing plants. You can calculate these figures yourself or ask the manufacturer’s customer service.

To summarize, you must always install a dehumidifier for grow tent. You must choose the optimal model according to the calculated required capacity and the area of the greenhouse.

Conclusion

Finding the right dehumidifier is one step, and keeping the dehumidifier going for a long time is another part of the equation. We recommend choosing a dehumidifier suitable for small to medium grow tents because that’s what many of us have.