DescentBB

I’m looking to de-humidify a small area something less than a square foot.

What I’m thinking is using a TEC (peltier) in a small box attached to the one I wish to de-humidify, attaching the TEC to a condensing plate inside the smaller box and using axial fans to distribute the air between the two, then just letting the water drip out of a small hole.

Is this something that can work, electronics is my thing, not air conditioning.

Normally I would just buy the parts and do some experimenting, but my budget is a little tight, so I want to get some idea if I could make this happen before I spend any money.

Also any tips or ideas would be great.

Thanks in advance, as always.

Yes, assuming you keep the hot side of the TEC cool enough (sticking a heatsink+fan on it would definitely help). There are even commercial dehumidifiers you can buy that use them, just don't expect it to be particularly efficient or powerful.

Yea, I looked into commercial units because my time is limited right now due to being my busy season, but I couldn’t find anything that fit my needs.

So building one is my only option.

The Unit, sans the insulation.

I'm using two 12 volt generic 40x40mm units running at 6 volts each, so far so good. Good dew point.

I have them in series powered by a converted ATX PS, so I'm really hoping not to have to add a power control unit.

But if in the future if I do need to get more voltage to them, I can add a simple transistor control unit, and put them in parallel.

FATAL ERROR…

Well the unit does what it is supposed to do, but the fact that it lowers the temp. in the film box, causes moisture to form on the film bag, and the film as soon as I open the box to use the film.

Started thinking how to resolve this, but now it’s becoming a complex issue.

The fact that there is not enough moisture accumulation on the condenser plate, to dispose of by dripping out means if I were to use a hydrostat, the moisture would simply re-evaporate each cycle and defeat the purpose. (area is only a quarter of a square foot)

I had planned on simply wiping that plate every now and then to get rid of the moisture. (the unit is held in place by some horizontal clamps, so this is easy, without opening the main box)