Such a thing as long lasting dehumidifier?

[MUD DAWG]

I'd like some help finding a dehumidifier that's build to last more than 5 years. My first Danby lost it's charge after 5 years. It wasn't worth fixing. Then I got another Danby, a little bigger and "Premier" model. And it didn't even last 3 years. Same thing, refrigerant leak. Danby customer service says, yeah that's short lived, but won't do anything about it. Lots of online reviews complain about the short lives of dehumidifiers that need replacing every 3 to 5 years.

I don't mind splurging for a commercial unit, or a high end make that's built to last. Any ideas? I'll definitely never ever buy another Danby. This is for my basement BTW, not garage.


Cheers

 

[JRC3]

I have one of these in my crawlspace. It's been chugging away for 3 years now. Looks like it now comes with a better warranty than when I bought it. Also looks like they've also redesigned the controls too. I don't use the pump so I can't comment about that. The main reasons I chose it was the adjustability in the controls, set it and forget it memory even on power outages, and it was rated down to 40 degrees or something.

I really bounced around about a true crawlspace unit but figured I'd try it for the price. Also figured if I got at least 5 years out of it then I got my money's worth. So far so good.

It's come down in price too, I gave $300 on sale from $325 or so.

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...7103338432.htm?tid=-266487754830279066&ipos=6

 

[77thor]

No such thing as a long lasting dependable dehumidifier anymore.

I've actually had the best luck with Danby's than any other brand.

 

[MUD DAWG]

No such thing as a long lasting dependable dehumidifier anymore.

I've actually had the best luck with Danby's than any other brand.

2 failed Danbys is enough for me. Time to give someone else a shot.

I really wish they'd charge more, even 50% more, for something that lasted 10 years. It would MUCH better value than replacing this stuff so often. This is one of those times I'd love for a government agency to severely crack down on low quality appliances that release refrigerant into the air.

 

[dogdog]

have you ever cleaned your dehumidifier other than the standard cheese filter ?

 

[yeldogt]

I have two of the smaller Santa Fe's at two properties. It's not just the length of time they last -- it's about capacity and efficiency.

The small ones with the built in tanks have limited capacity --- if they run most of the time you need a higher capacity unit. They also can eat a fair amount of power w/o ever removing all the humidity.

Properly sized -- the units run and stop. getting the humidity in the air down low enough to pull water from walls and contents.

 

[MUD DAWG]

have you ever cleaned your dehumidifier other than the standard cheese filter ?

Is there anything else to clean aside from the filter, and taking a vacuum with brush to the coils?

I have two of the smaller Santa Fe's at two properties. It's not just the length of time they last -- it's about capacity and efficiency.

The small ones with the built in tanks have limited capacity --- if they run most of the time you need a higher capacity unit. They also can eat a fair amount of power w/o ever removing all the humidity.

Properly sized -- the units run and stop. getting the humidity in the air down low enough to pull water from walls and contents.

The last Danby Premier worked really well while it lasted. The house is well within it's size specs, and it was a so called smart unit that'd turn the fan and compressor on as required. I had it draining directly into the sump pit in the basement

I don't think I have a sizing issue, but cheap Chinese parts and soldering is very hard to get around.

 

[Showkey]

Is there anything else to clean aside from the filter, and taking a vacuum with brush to the coils?
.

In a shop environment........pull the cover off every 6 weeks and clean.

 

[Bretny]

Is your sump pit sealed? It may be draining into the pit then picking up moisture from the pit again causing it to run more.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I don't mind splurging for a commercial unit, or a high end make that's built to last.

To answer your question, here's a commercial unit. I see these used all the time on my construction projects and they pretty much last forever. However, they're not cheap...$2300.00. https://www.amgair.com/hi-e-dry-100-dehumidifier.html

 

[dogdog]

Is there anything else to clean aside from the filter, and taking a vacuum with brush to the coils?



................

I don't think I have a sizing issue, but cheap Chinese parts and soldering is very hard to get around.

Yes, if your place have a lot of fine dust/dust / lint.... you'll needed to some how clean the coils... I wash mine with a garden hose or shower head in bath tub.....and about as black as it gets the water that run out of it... my Frigidaire is a 75 pint and China made... it is even on the recall list because of the fire hazard... guess what the fire hazard was due to? If you let the condensers plugged up... it will get pretty hot there.. Not sure... YMMV... I have posted a pic of mine when I take it out to give it a bath. taking apart the shells were a bit challenging. But I don't own a Danby...

Would the commercial unit better fit for you... maybe... they might be better setup for cleaning.., if you let it get plugged up.. it will still melt those solders no matter where it is made...

there was a thread about this discussion..... some months back as well..

Proper maintenance is the key.. Mine runs almost 24/7 in the Summer times... and works great... after cleaning.

 

[dogdog]

This thread... I post the pic of it before cleaning.. and those tings in front is not the filter... it's dust covering the condenser / evaporator...

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392309

 

[JimNC]

I have a couple Drieaz Revolution LGR, one is 5 yrs old, the other is 3. Not going to jinx it by saying anything else except that they do pull out a lot of water.

 

[Jim greengo]

Turn on the a/c.

 

[JRC3]

Turn on the a/c.

Hope that's a joke.

Location: Ontario, Canada

 

[Jim greengo]

Hope that's a joke.

Location: Ontario, Canada

Well that's the primary purpose of air conditioning is to remove humidity.

 

[Showkey]

Turn on the a/c.

Hope that's a joke.

Location: Ontario, Canada

“Well that's the primary purpose of air conditioning is to remove humidity.”


BUT............That does not work if the temperature is already low........like a basement that might be 60-65* with 70-75-80% humidity. Dehumidifier is the only real solution for that situation. When the home AC is running the basement air circulation through the AC system does allow shutting the dehumidifier down or off.

My shop is in the wooded shaded area. Well insulated with the doors closed the peak summer temperatures inside temperature hold between 65-75*. But the humidity can easily get to 75%......dehumidifier in this situation holds 50% humidity.

 

[MUD DAWG]

Hope that's a joke.

Location: Ontario, Canada

LOL. I might as well just leave the door and basement windows open all winter.


On the topic of maintenance, I truly hope this is my dumb fault for not doing more. That's something I can correct, cheap quality designed to last 2 years is out of my hands.

 

[dogdog]

LOL. I might as well just leave the door and basement windows open all winter.


On the topic of maintenance, I truly hope this is my dumb fault for not doing more. That's something I can correct, cheap quality designed to last 2 years is out of my hands.

I think they are just design to be cheap not for best of maintenance and definitely if it is a consumer dehumidifier they don't expect a lot of dust to clog it from a dusty garage.....

Me... not sure why my place is dusty... I just wash the SH_T out of everything once a while... most of the time I got lucky, and some times it just breaks... for example my Hunter Fan... I it gets dusty all from running all Summer, I would wash it every summer, and finally it went kaput this summer.. fun while it last 10 years... on a consumer fan

Same thing with my laptop or desktop tower

Most consumer just throw them out after it is clogged and blowing warm air... but you are GJer... or TGJ... or at least this forum... should be expecting more.... well I would get my **** kicked if I ask how to use a screw driver other than poking..

 

[jonshonda]

There are dozens of threads on GJ regarding dehumidifiers.

 

[454cid]

Mine are the old early 80's with woodgrained metal cabinet models. I need to replace a blower motor on at least one of them.

 

[yeldogt]

Is there anything else to clean aside from the filter, and taking a vacuum with brush to the coils?




The last Danby Premier worked really well while it lasted. The house is well within it's size specs, and it was a so called smart unit that'd turn the fan and compressor on as required. I had it draining directly into the sump pit in the basement

I don't think I have a sizing issue, but cheap Chinese parts and soldering is very hard to get around.

The question is how much did it have to run ? They are not designed to run all the time -- or even 12 hours per day. It's a duty cycle situation. The consumer units are also not built to run in colder room temps. They are designed to remove air moisture -- where moist air is migrating to a lower area of a house -- not clear out a problem crawl space or basement.

Bumping up to a better unit will get you better performance at lower operating costs -- obviously in a colder room the dehumidifier has to work down to colder temps .. most can't do this.

If electric rates are low and the consumer unit work -- just replace them every few years.

 

[timtimtim]

I've had terrible times with dehumidifiers as well. I've resorted to just purchase whichever one Costco is selling and using there great return policy to take it back when it breaks.

 

[MUD DAWG]

The question is how much did it have to run ? They are not designed to run all the time -- or even 12 hours per day. It's a duty cycle situation. The consumer units are also not built to run in colder room temps. They are designed to remove air moisture -- where moist air is migrating to a lower area of a house -- not clear out a problem crawl space or basement.

Bumping up to a better unit will get you better performance at lower operating costs -- obviously in a colder room the dehumidifier has to work down to colder temps .. most can't do this.

If electric rates are low and the consumer unit work -- just replace them every few years.

I definitely know and agree with duty cycles and not over working anything. The last dehumidifier was a 70 pint, and given the house size and relatively dry conditions, I'd say the dehumidifier wasn't overworked at all. During the winter it would hardly ever come on, and in the summer I highly doubt it ran more than 8 hours per day. The basement doesn't get overly cold or hot either.

I'm not overly concerned with a unit that consumes more energy, or one that costs more to buy, but damn it 3 years is way too short of a lifespan.

Question: Has anyone tried putting in a piercing valve and refilling with some non-toxic environmentally friendly refrigerant? Fixing the leak is best option obviously, but if it's in a really bad spot, then it might be repairable. And of course I'm not suggesting refilling freon or any other ozone depleting or harmful refrigerants.

 

[b-boy]

I have one I bought about 10 years ago that's still running in my basement. It drains right over my floor drain. When I moved into the house 3 years ago, I bought a second unit to replace the first. This one had all the bells and whistles, including a pump. After 1 year, I put the old unit back in service. The new unit wasn't doing it's job, and the pump had already crapped out.

 

[bobdole4u2]

I definitely know and agree with duty cycles and not over working anything. The last dehumidifier was a 70 pint, and given the house size and relatively dry conditions, I'd say the dehumidifier wasn't overworked at all. During the winter it would hardly ever come on, and in the summer I highly doubt it ran more than 8 hours per day. The basement doesn't get overly cold or hot either.

I'm not overly concerned with a unit that consumes more energy, or one that costs more to buy, but damn it 3 years is way too short of a lifespan.

Question: Has anyone tried putting in a piercing valve and refilling with some non-toxic environmentally friendly refrigerant? Fixing the leak is best option obviously, but if it's in a really bad spot, then it might be repairable. And of course I'm not suggesting refilling freon or any other ozone depleting or harmful refrigerants.

I think they already come as propane or butane or ammonium refrigerant units. Besides, if there's no leak why would you need to put any in? The compressors are **** from China made to a price point. That's what usually goes. They're very very simple machines that look a whole lot more complicated than they really are. If they live in very damp conditions, there's a good chance it's just the on/off switch contacts that have rusted out.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[MUD DAWG]

...there's a good chance it's just the on/off switch contacts that have rusted out.

Oh how I wish it was that simple. The compressor and fan run fine, but the condenser doesn't get hot and evap doesn't get cold. Sure symptoms of no refrigerant