Posted by
riverman
19 yrs ago
How long does this wet humid weather last? I don't really hate it, but I'm considering buying a dehumidifier and was wondering if I need one that will run 24/7 for 3 months, or for 9. Or was that soaking wet day last week more of an exception than the rule?
Thanks
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The short answer is until late-September. For detailed HK month-by-month climate averages for humidity/ rainfall/ temperature and severe pollution ("pollution" is euphemistically termed "reduced visibility hours"!) see the tables near the bottom of the following page:
http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/pastwx/ywx2005.htm
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Thanks, Burgundy. How often do we get days like Wednesday...where it is so humid that the walls are soaked and there are puddles on the ground?
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It depends how your building is constructed and whether or not you are locally influenced by hills. Sometimes even different apartments in the same building are very differently affected. If you are badly affected now (in this season the prevailing wind is cool and from from the north-east), then the good news is you will probably find things much better from May-Sept (when the wind direction changes and a south-westerly wind is prevalent... which also means less pollution from Guangdong!)
If I were you, I'd wait for the first few days of the south-west monsoon - you will know it when it comes, as you will be soaked in sweat if you just walk up two flights of stairs outside! - and then decide about the dehum: chances are the drying effect of running your aircon will be enough. If you don't yet have aircon, get it installed swiftly - most expats run it between 12 and 24 hours daily from May-Sept. As a footnote, if you're from a country like the UK, where domestic aircon is unknown, try to get used to living with the aircon at as high a temperature as you can bear, such as 24 or 25 degrees - better for your skin and for your respiratory health (as well as for your wallet and the environment!). If you once get used to running it at 20 degrees, as most locals do, it is very difficult to change your bad habit later (that's one reason why many locals sniffle continually from May-Sept, so my doctor says).
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weh
19 yrs ago
Most of my friends use a dehimidifier for only a month or so each year. Once the temps rise the aircons become much more effective at removing moisture from the air. That's all we need.
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I use a dehumidifier a few hours everyday just to be sure we don't get moldy walls and stuff.
Our 42/F windows are almost always moist the past few days, but not to the point that our walls and floors sweat. I air out our flat a few hours everyday as well (by opening some windows, and turning on the electric fan), and keep the exhaust vent in the bathroom switched for maybe an hour after showering.
We also have those dehumidifying boxes inside clothes and shoes cabinets as another mold precuation. I'm asthmatic during this season so I tend to be paranoid about keeping the humidity in our flat reasonable.
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As pointed out above, whether to get a dehumidifier or not at this stage will depend on your air conditioning usage and the particulars of your apartment. I hardly use air conditioning (probably on less than 10 days a year, definitely on less than 20), so dehumidifiers are pretty much a must.
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I agree with TC, you "ain't seen nothin' yet!" Since we've been here the worst months were June to the end of September. I really recommend at least one dehumidifier and using the disposable ones for cupboards, closets and your vehicle, which can also get moldy especially during the summer. As others here have told you, running the air conditioners does decrease the need for the dehumidifiers, but sometimes you need both or just one or the other too.
We live in brand new building, and I my neighbor, who doesn't use dehumidifiers, had discovered mold all over her walls!
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Don't worry about your walls so much as your leather goods (shoes, belts, bags, jackets, etc.). If you have been noticing humidity inside this past week (which is nothing), you will soon be able to conduct botany experiments on the varieties of mold growing in your closets.
It will be worth your money to invest in a few dehumidifiers. At the very least, run one in every room where you store clothing.
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Moonbear is right; last Spring, we left some leather sandals out for a month in a semi-enclosed area by our front door, and they had grown a half-inch of multi-colored mold(red,black,green,gray, white-I've never seen all those colors!!!)-truly amazing! It looked like a moss garden! Fortunately (touch wood!) we've never experienced the indoor mold, but we've heard stories-and my neighbor's moldy walls were disgusting and smelly too. If it gets to that point, you know it could begin growing in your cupboards and closets. It just needs a little dampness to grow, and it doesn't matter if it's dark or light-it can take off. (I researched the subject after moving here a couple years ago.)
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