Not the most interesting topic, but all the same – an important topic if you care for your classic car.
 
Almost 4 years ago, shortly after buying my Cerbera, I installed a dehumidifier in my garage. It has been running 24/7 ever since, consistently keeping the humidity in the safe zone (50-60%).
(original post here).
 
Well, last week it finally packed up – not bad for 4 years continuous use!
 
So I went shopping for a replacement. Naturally I went back to the same people that supplied the last one.
Just like the previous model, it has an external hose to vent water out of the garage.
 
So how important is a dehumidifier?
 
My car always get serviced at the same time of year (February) and while it is away for a couple of days, I tend to switch off the dehumidifier. Well it only takes a day for the humidity to rise into the high 70s/80s. I noticed metal surfaces starting to get wet, and of course that’s how rust takes a grip.
 
 
 

What does it cost though?

Having a dehumidifier running in your garage is a no-brainer, but is it cripplingly expensive?
As well as buying myself the new dehumidifier, I also bought one of those energy meters, so that I can accurately measure what it was costing. I also bought myself a wireless humidity meter, so that I can keep an eye on the humidity from the comfort of my office.
 
This model has an eco mode, and bearing in mind that it is likely to run more when the weather is wet (which it has since I started costing it):
 

Cost of dehumidifier = £130
Running cost average per week = £10

 
Of course this will vary depending on the weather. So I’ll be sure to revisit and update this post after the winter.
 
Edit: so it’s been raining for a couple of days now, on and off for a few days, but now constantly for the last 24hrs.
 
And I’m pleased to say that after some fine tuning to the level on the dehumidifier, it’s sitting pretty at around 55. My wireless meter says 54 inside the house, 55 in the garage, and that’s holding steady even with all this rain.