As mentioned, the water tank stores 4.8L and simply slides in and out of the body of the unit. On even the heaviest day of testing I didn’t have to empty it more than once, although I’ve generally been working at room temperatures of around 22°C with humidity levels starting at around 62-67%. If you’re dehumidifying a seriously damp space or one that’s been flooded, then you may have to empty more often. The unit also supports continuous drainage, although you’ll need your own hose and a nearby drain or sink. Basically, if you have a larger house with large rooms and a damp problem, then this is the kind of dehumidifier you should look at if you want to deal with the issue. But is it up there the best? Of course, it’s also quite expensive and for smaller rooms and spaces you can save some cash with a more compact 10-12L dehumidifier. But when you need serious drying power, you need a dehumidifier that’s up to the job – and here the Arete One has you covered.

Automatic defrost – for use in lower temperatures, this feature increases water extraction whilst saving energy. If you press the Smart Humidity mode button repeatedly, you can cycle between the available humidity targets, ranging from 40% to 70%rh, with a continuous option if you just want to keep dehumidifying, no matter what. Laundry mode – makes the machine run at full speed for 6 hours to help dry your clothes and then switch off to save energy I tested it overnight in an unheated, external utility room that’s horribly prone to condensation, and it did a solid job of keeping the drips at bay. If you’re looking for a dehumidifier for a conservatory or garden room, this one should be up to the job for most of the year, although I’d still recommend a desiccant dehumidifier for use in colder areas and colder months.We should point out that I took these sound readings using a smartphone app inside a home with wooden floors, and that sound levels will vary depending on your carpet, curtains and furnishings. Meaco’s own noise measurements, taken in a sealed chamber using calibrated microphones at 1m from all four sides, measured noise levels at between 38dB and 40dB for the 20L model and 40 and 42dB for the 25L model.

Yes there is an option of a charcoal filter to remove smells and volatile organic compounds from the air The Meacodry ABC 10L Dehumidifier performs brilliantly without giving you a headache thanks to its noise levels, which remain below 40dB. The appliance is also cheap to run with the manufacturer highlighting it’ll use just 2.45 pence worth of electricity per hour, based on 15.2p/kWh. All costs includes parts, labour, call out and delivery charges, so you can rest assured there are no hidden costs. For smaller units we may ask you to return it to our UK repair centre. Normally, you wouldn’t do this – the ideal humidity is usually 40% to 60% and within a few degrees of 50% is fine. However, if you’re trying to deal with mildew, mould or damp patches, then you’ll want to keep it a little lower.Yes – it’s an excellent dehumidifier, especially for larger spaces. I don’t have the MeacoDry ABC or Inventor EVA II Pro 20L to hand to make direct comparisons but the Arete One is right up there with them in terms of performance and is either competitive or slightly better on noise and power consumption. Taking a tour of that interface for the first time reveals core controls that are brilliantly simple. Once you’ve tried it out then setting up the Meacodry ABC 10L Dehumidifier for different rooms is dead easy. Central to this is the humidistat button, which allows you to configure your preferred humidity removal level. It’s possible to set target relative humidity in increments of 5%, which is pretty precise really given the reasonably budget appeal of the machine. Automatic defrost - increases water extraction whilst saving energy when used in lower temperatures