In drying applications with extremely high humidity levels and simultaneously high temperatures – for instance during water damage restoration – refrigerant dryers are quickly brought to the limits of their capacity (red range). This is where the catchy “rule of 35” applies: drying water damages with more than 35 degrees reduces the lifetime of the dryer to less than 35 %!

This is however not a question of component quality, but pure physics, which applies to all refrigerant dryers on the market regardless of the manufacturer.

Whilst at a moderate humidity level of about 70 % RH most professional condenser dryers can operate in temperatures of up to 35 °C without difficulty, very high humidity values at a simultaneously high room temperature cause considerably more energy to be fed to the humid room air, which then also has to be “worked off” by the refrigerant.

Consequently, the refrigerant pressure in the system is increased enormously leading to destructive load on the compressor.

To be sure, the dehumidifiers will at first continue to operate, but noticeably above their limit “deep in the dark red range”, resulting in an extremely shortened remaining lifetime.