The pint is a fairly common unit of measurement. It is used to measure the volume or capacity of both liquid and dry substances. Although not an SI unit, the pint is still widely used in various scenarios. It is the unit you are most likely going to find printed on a container of milk or for those who pay enough attention it is the unit printed on most dehumidifier units. This typically causes some confusion and raises a lot of question for those trying to buy dehumidifiers.
When pint is printed on a dehumidifier, most people erroneously assume it is the dimension of the machine. Some also take it to mean the measurement of how much water the dehumidifier tray can contain before it becomes full. This is indeed not true. However, before we go into what the pint means as it relates to the dehumidifier lets define what the pint means as it relates to more popular units of measurement.
The Pint as a Unit of Measurement
The pint is the unit of measuring volume. It is used by both the imperial system of measurement and the United States systems although the definition varies slightly in both cases. In both cases, the pint is equivalent to about 1/8 of a gallon. However, since there are slight differences in the size of the gallon in the US and in the UK, the pint (which is 1/8 of the gallon) varies slightly in both cases.
In the US, the pint is about 473mililitres. But in the UK it is about 568mililitres. The United States metric system also identifies another type of pint known as the dry pint. This is equivalent to about 551ml. With this definition in mind, it is easier to understand how much a “pint” is as far as a dehumidifier is concerned
How much is a pint in dehumidifier?
It isn’t uncommon to find a capacity printed on a dehumidifier written in liters or pints per 24hours. This isn’t referring to the size or dimension of the dehumidifier itself. To better understand this, one has to know what a dehumidifier really does.
A dehumidifier reduces the humidity of the air by getting rid of excess moisture in the air. Damp air is passed into the appliance and water is removed from it before the dry air is returned back into the air. The capacity value stated on a dehumidifier refers to how many pints of moisture the machine is able to remove from the air within a 24-hour period.
Thus a dehumidifier with a capacity of 10 pints will be able to remove up to 4730mililitres (about 4.7 liters) of water from the air in a day. This value is also directly related to how much living space the dehumidifier will be able to cover. For the 10 pint example above, the dehumidifier is ideal for 500 sq. feet space.
Conclusion
Since capacity is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a dehumidifier, it is important that one understands how the pint is measured and what is really means as far as the dehumidifier is concerned. This will make a comparison of different types of dehumidifiers possible and aid the process of choosing the one that suits your need the most.