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Makers testing dehumidifiers in overly favourable conditions: Hong Kong watchdog

Consumer Council finds discrepancies in performance of devices tested in standard environment compared with more humid conditions used by makers

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The Consumer Council tested 14 dehumidifiers as part of its latest monthly report. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has urged dehumidifier manufacturers to stop publicising claims from tests involving overly favourable conditions after finding that the devices were less efficient in normal household environments.

The Consumer Council tested 14 commercially available air dehumidifiers as part of a monthly report published on Monday, assessing elements such as “daily dehumidifying capacity”.

The term refers to the maximum amount of moisture a device can remove from the air within 24 hours.

The watchdog tested the machines in two different types of conditions.

The first type was a standard environment where the temperature was 26.7 degrees Celsius (80.1 Fahrenheit) with relative humidity of 60 per cent, while the second matched typically manufacturer-favoured test conditions of 30 degrees and 80 per cent relative humidity.

When tested in conditions favoured by manufacturers, the devices reported a higher capacity of as much as 82 per cent, the watchdog said.

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