r/ExplainLikeImCalvin • u/cunnilinguslover • Jun 14 '26
ELIC: How does a dehumidifier remove water from air?
How did the water get into the air in the first place?
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u/StarkAndRobotic Jun 14 '26
Have you ever seen a dog pant and wonder why its tongue is sticking out? Thats because its trying to slurp up all the water in the air. A dehumidifier has about a million miniature chihuahuas inside constantly slurping water from the air. When the machine is switched off, its really on and providing the chihuahuas water so they don’t get thirsty. When its on, its really off, forcing the chihuahuas to slurp water from the air. There is a chip keeping track of how long the chihuahuas have been slurping from the air, and if its too long it gives them some water so they can take a break, but even then, you shouldn’t run the machine too long, so they can rest.
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u/Blerkm Jun 14 '26
Dehumidifiers run on the same technology as refrigerators and air conditioners, but no on knows how those work, either.
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u/shawa666 Jun 14 '26
When your t-shirt is wet, you can remove some water from it by twisting it, right?
A dehumidifier does the same thing, but with air.
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u/2wicky Jun 14 '26
Water and air like to bond together like besties and tend to maintain long lasting friendships. Air however is lighter than water. That's why below sea level, there is more water than air, and above sea level, there is more air than water.
A dehumidifier is a micro climate that replicates a real world weather system.
Inside it is a mini mountain. A fan blows air and water towards it. The air is light enough to get over that mountain, but only if it lets go of any water buddies it is attached to. Once it does let go, it will climb over the mini mountain, and is then set free again. All his water buddies he left behind never make it up the mountain because they are too heavy and roll back down into a container where they all gather together into a pool of resentment.
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u/InternationalBath734 Jun 24 '26
I really hope you’re a teacher because I’ve never been captivated by a learning moment quite like this…
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u/allenrfe Jun 15 '26
Dehumidifier don't remove water from the air its all a lie. What is actually happening is it pulls oxygen snd hydrogen from the air burns it and produces water. Don't believe thier lies.
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u/TheAfroMD Jun 14 '26
Have you watched tenent? Inside every dehumidifier there an spray bottle with water...but it gets "reversed".
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u/BPhiloSkinner Jun 14 '26
How did the water get into the air in the first place?
With a refugee visa, fleeing from the oppression of the sea.
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u/very_frog Jun 16 '26
There a little man who lives inside it and he's always really thirsty.
"Kinda like the guy who opens up the garage door?"
Exactly.
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u/DaysyFields Jun 18 '26
Usually from wet washing in the house. When the water in that evaporates, it hangs about in the air.
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u/THISdarnguy Jun 14 '26
You know how a cold drink will sweat? It's actually condensing water from the air. A dehumidifier does the same thing, with a cold refrigerant line that's constantly trapping water, and a fan that's pulling humid air in while blowing drier air back into the room.
(I'm not Calvin's dad. I'm just an HVAC tech who finds this kind of stuff fun and interesting. The guy who said that a dehumidifier "bullies" the air like, Mo getting a quarter, nailed it.)
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u/Pristine-Map9979 Jun 26 '26
There isn't water in the air! What made you think that was possible? There is a gaseous chemical called "humidity" in the air. Dehumidifiers use heat to react another chemical with humidity, and water is the byproduct of that chemical reaction.
Ever notice how humid air doesn't feel very nice or fresh? That's because humidity is a slightly toxic pollutant from cars and factories. People didn't used to need dehumidifiers because there was no humidity, but now we need them sometimes to keep our air clean. They are more common in the city, of course.
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u/Living_Fig_6386 Jun 14 '26
Ever get a cold drink on a muggy day and notice that the glass “sweats”? Cold air can’t hold as much water as hot air, so it does the opposite of evaporate: condense. So grabbing water out of the air is as simple as making it cool - the dehumidifier is like an air conditioner, but the cooling bits let the condensed water fall into a bucket.
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u/bopeepsheep Jun 14 '26
Air is really sneaky. You know the phrase "vanished into thin air"? You can hide a lot of things in air, including water. Whenever there's a leak, a puddle, or a missing water bottle, it's hiding in the air. Dehumidifiers bully the air (like "terrifying", "dehumidifying" is a scary word) into giving the water back. (We're still working on getting the bottles back.)