Preventing damp and the build-up of moisture can often be remedied by simply opening a window. But in unheated spaces, such as a garage with valuable cars and bikes, this is not an option.

One of the biggest worries for many vehicle owners is how to keep their garage dry in the winter months to avoid damage to upholstery from the damp, cold British winter. Nothing is worse than returning after the winter, or even just a few weeks, to be welcomed to a musty smell, which is an indication of a damp or mould problem. Simply opening a window is not a solution, and this is where a dehumidifier comes in. It will reduce the level of humidity in the air, by sucking it in from the room at one end, removing the moisture, and then blowing it back out into the room again.

In response to these problems and after several years of feedback from customers, Meaco the UK’s leading dehumidifier specialists, recently launched the DD8L Zambezi dehumidifier, designed and developed to address the many problems car owners were encountering. Many car owners were finding that compressor dehumidifiers would not work well at temperatures below 15-degrees, and there were often problems with the machines icing up. The DD8L Zambezi addressed these issues, functioning consistently well at all temperatures, plus introduced many new features to address the problems these customers were having.

Director of Meaco, Chris Michael, explained: “Every day we have people who call us to say that they are suffering from mould or musty smells, and want protection over winter.  Zambezi can do that easily and has the added advantage of adding some warmth to the air, which is helpful during the winter months. As it is a desiccant dehumidifier it does not have a compressor, refrigerant or cooling coils, which makes it lighter, quieter and kinder on the environment when it has to be recycled at the end of its lifespan. Zambezi builds on the success of the 2014 and 2015 Which? Best Buy Meaco DD8L dehumidifier, and adds in unique features suggested by customers that result in it featuring 6 unique World Firsts.”

One of the most requested features from customers was to have a Daily Run Timer to turn the dehumidifier on and off at particular times, so taking advantage of off-peak electricity hours. Zambezi DD8L is the first domestic dehumidifier in its class to offer this unique Timer + control.

With a garage locked-up for long periods, another concern was that the water needed to be drained away continuously and auto-restart if there was a power cut, re-starting in the correct mode. Zambezi will drain straight into a sink via a hose, and if there is a power cut it will turn itself back on and start working again when the power is restored, and the humidistat ensures that it does not try to over dry and energy usage is conserved. Another world first, the Meaco Control 20+ ensures that if the owner has left the dehumidifier in the wrong setting Zambezi will automatically adjust itself to achieve the humidity conditions the owner desires.

In line with Meaco’s socially aware ethos, and what makes Zambezi unique, is for every sale £2 goes to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation to assist their elephant conservation work in Africa. “Our hope is that it will raise awareness not only of the benefits of dehumidifiers as a way of improving our customer’s quality of life but also the life of Africa’s orphaned elephants,” said Chris Michael.

The Meaco DD8L Zambezi retails at £249.99 with more information from www.meaco.com ENDS.