Meaco DD8L Zambezi dehumidifier

We put the latest kit through its paces £ 259.99

For the past few winters I’ve relied on Meaco’s excellent DD8L Junior dehumidifier to keep my boat’s interior dry and mould free, so it didn’t take much convincing to get me to test this new, improved version.

The guts of the new Zambezi are much the same as the Junior model in that it uses a rotating desiccant disc to suck moisture out of the air at a rate of up to 8 litres per day before depositing it in a 3-litre built-in tank or feeding it out through a permanent tube. However, the operating system is packed with new features based on feedback from customers, many of whom are boat owners.

Foremost among these is a new timer system that allows you to set it to switch on and off for a few hours each day rather than running it continuously. This can be used in combination with the built-in humidistat that measures the moisture in the air and automatically switches it on and off to reach your preferred level. A new ionising system also helps sterilise the air around it, neutralising mould, bacteria and odours up to 10m away with the aid of rotating louvres that direct the warmair outlet around the boat. Best of all, it remembers whatever settings you programme into it. So even if power is temporarily lost, for example, if your shorepower cable is removed, as soon as it’s replaced, it will automatically switch back on and restore your previous settings.

That’s important not just because it will keep your boat free of damp and mildew without you constantly having to check it, but also because the digital control panel of the Zambezi is its only weakness. Compared to the Meaco

2It might seem an odd time to service an engine, but there are two major benefits. The first is that it will sit through the winter with fresh oil in it and the coolant should be topped up with antifreeze and at maximum strength. Secondly, you won’t be desperately trying to organise a pre-season service at the same time as everyone else.

4At its easiest, this means turning on the taps until all the water is gone. However, be aware of low points in your plumbing that might hold water and drain those separately. If you have a hot water system then your calorifier will need emptying via its drain valve. And finally, remove the head from your transom shower and drain the hose (being so exposed, these are the first to freeze and crack).