Dehumidifiers.. do good ones exist anymore?

[skeer]

The past half dozen years or so here in middle-upper MIchigan it's been increasingly feeling like it's the Deep South. High humidity, and the number of days with High humidity and temps over 80* are increasing. We all know why.
So.. like quite a lot of people here our house lacks Central AC. Fighting the humidity, especially in the basement is never ending so my complaint is this: In the past 5 years we've bought 3 different dehumidifiers for the basement. All sized accordingly around the 1200-1500 sq. ft. range. After a year to two they just stop dehumidifying.. The previous unit I believe had the humidistat fail.. I was unable to find a replacement online. This current one I had the case apart yesterday, no obvious signs of coolant leakage, compressor runs seemingly strong, fan blows the spit out of your mouth but the coils are weird. The inlet for both cold and hot sides are very cold and hot. But once you get past the second level in those sets of coils it's no longer really cold or not but lukewarm.
I'd assume if there was a blockage then the compressor would stop (thermally, overload or otherwise) but it doesn't. The Toshiba will run full bore with compressor all night and not drop the detected humidity levels in any perceptible manner.

So dropping another 200 clams to replace something 6 months outside of warranty is not my idea of fun.

 

[Voi]

Subscribed. Need a few myself.

 

[jimy]

I’d like something reliable as well!

All I can add is that one of mine was dripping tons of water. After taking the water pan out I saw a hole that was stuffed with muck. Back in business after that.

And last winter I took the other one apart and cleaned the condenser and any other dusty muck I could find. So far it is ok. Both are about three years old.

 

[mike93lx]

I have two mideas that have been running fine for a few years now

 

[BigGarage]

I bought this one in 2019. I only plug it in in the summer and don't use it in the winter. It works great, doesn't lose settings when unplugged and keeps the basement at 50% humidity (or wherever I set it). It has a hose that I run to a drain so it needs no attention from me unless the air filter gets dirty.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VBWKJZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Dennis

 

[rbrtmchl]

I had Frigidaire dehumidifiers go south on me in 2016, again in 2019, again in 2020. When I purchased the new Frigidaire dehumidifier in 2019, I did something that I do not normally do. I purchased an extended warranty. I’m glad I did. The new-in-2019 Frigidaire crapped out in 2020. Using the extended warranty, the appliance store gave me a credit. I used the credit to purchase a Honeywell 70-pint TP70WKN dehumidifier. It has a pretty good warranty, 5 years limited to the sealed system. So far, so good, but realistically speaking, I don’t think they make them like they used to. I’ll be happy if it lasts 5 years.

 

[Max]

I got tired of cheap dehumidifiers that only lasted a year or less. So I bought an Aprilaire similar to this guy:

Aprilaire E080CS Dehumidifier

The Aprilaire E080 dehumidifier is great for medium sized crawl spaces. It can also be used in basements and controlling humidity in the whole house.

diy.crawlspaceninja.com

So far so good after three years of use. They are having a sale on the 4th only. No connections other than being a customer…

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Hisense is pretty good.

 

[floyd]

Check these out. Made in WI. I was close to pulling the trigger on one for my shop but ended up going with a mini-split. I may still get one for my basement though.

Santa Fe Dehumidifiers | Built to Last | Free-standing and Whole-house

Santa Fe manufactures free-standing and whole-house dehumidifiers. Safe, clean and healthy air begins with Santa Fe.

www.santa-fe-products.com

 

[Kpaige]

Here is what I use. I have a matching controller and it attaches to a flexible duct to output away from the unit itself. Works very well

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I had a GE from Home Depot that lasted 8 years, and I'm now on a Midea from Walmart on it's 3rd year and going strong. They don't last 20 years anymore, so don't get your hopes up. If I get 5 years from them, I'm happy (enough).

 

[Dr_Pippin]

I bought this one in 2019. I only plug it in in the summer and don't use it in the winter. It works great, doesn't lose settings when unplugged and keeps the basement at 50% humidity (or wherever I set it). It has a hose that I run to a drain so it needs no attention from me unless the air filter gets dirty.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VBWKJZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Dennis

I have this same one at my house, where it runs for half the year. I also have one in my veterinary clinic in the grooming area where it runs 24/7 and it works HARD due to all the dogs being dried with forced air. No issues with either.

 

[skeer]

Im eyeing the Mideas for sure for the next one. This Toshiba is super puzzling though, compressor is running, fans blowing.. no obvious signs of coolant leakage, and the humidistat seems to be working as it should. Intake tubes for the cold and host sides are indeed, cold and hot. But the rest of the two tiny radiator assemblies are not very cold or hot respectively. It's almost as if there's blockages, but that can't be the case can it? I mean.. if coolant isn't being pumped thru the compressor then the compressor would shut off or at least fail horribly right?

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

I got tired of buying a new dehumidifier every couple of years, so I got one of these. Pretty spendy new, found mine on CL for $400.00. I guess when I think about it, a couple grand for this compared to spending a couple hundred every other year really doesn't seem that bad. This will probably out live me.

 

[TJMtl]

I have a Santa Fe, works great and can be connected to hvac ducting.

 

[NakeDiesel]

I run one under my house and one in my shop. Both areas are spray foamed and it's the only way to get the moisture out of those areas.

shop dehumidifier


under house
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DLST5HP/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[lynnbilodeau]

I see someone already mentioned Frigidaire (Electolux).

I have had very good luck with Frigidaire appliances in the last 25 years. We put in all new appliances using that brand in 2015. The fridge was a bit noisy, but one phone call and a service visit took care of that. Everything else has been quiet and trouble free.

I bought his 3 years ago for our "ping pong" room downstairs which is about 550 square feet. Even though it is only partially below grade, we were getting a LOT of moisture. This pulls out about 2 to 3 gallons a day. Have it set at 50 and it stays there. No more musty smell. Currently we just empty the bucket daily. It is a very clean, dust free space, so even though the air filter light comes on based on hours of use, I have never had to clean it. Always pull it off and take a look.

Plan is to run a hose through an exterior wall into a garden area so we don't have to mess with emptying it. But, given all my recent health issues (both shoulder joints replaced in 2020, two heart surgeries) and just getting old, I have not taken the time to do that yet. The exterior wall is 19.5 inches thick brick cavity construction from 1902. Also, I will have to run electrical for an outlet on that exterior wall, as there currently is not one, and I refuse to run an extension cord across the floor. Hopefully this fall. YMMV.

 

[ez-duzit]

I have had excellent service from my Frigidaire dehumidifier.
Frigidaire FFAP5033W1 High Humidity 50-Pint Capacity Dehumidifier

 

[lynnbilodeau]

That is the same one I am using.

 

[gregs]

Some what related question. Anybody operate a dehumidifier with central a/c? I'm in Florida and we both work and leave the house by 8 in the morning and back at 5-6. The thermostat goes to 81 during the day and switches back to 79 at 4. House is comfortable when we get home. Was wondering if there would be any benefit to running a dehumidifier during the day and possibly raising the a/c temperature? Just a use less energy question.

 

[gleman]

I have two 45 pint Maytags that are going on 15 yrs. old. They need to run from about mid-July to September.

 

[gleman]

Some what related question. Anybody operate a dehumidifier with central a/c? I'm in Florida and we both work and leave the house by 8 in the morning and back at 5-6. The thermostat goes to 81 during the day and switches back to 79 at 4. House is comfortable when we get home. Was wondering if there would be any benefit to running a dehumidifier during the day and possibly raising the a/c temperature? Just a use less energy question.

I'm not sure I'd save any money but the house should be more comfortable when you get home.

 

[ludakris04]

I don't dare say anything about mine.... don't want to jinx anything......

 

[konabiker]

I went through 2 of these dehumidifiers since April 2022, Fridgedaire FFAD5033W1. Both had code EC on the control panel. The first one died last summer. I called a local repair man who was on the Fridgedaire service repair list. He said can't fix it, Fridgedaire does not sell parts. It was just out of warranty so they gave me a discount on a new one.

The second one, purchased in August 2023, got the dreaded EC code today. I called Fridgedaire again. #2 was still under the one year warranty. They agreed to send me a third one if I upload the receipt. OK, great, but it still costs money to dispose of these things in my area. I don't know if I want a third one.

I also have a small Hisense model DH5022K1W. It seems to be working ok after about 10 months. May switch to Hisense next time.

 

[Buckaroo5]

I went through a number of dehumidifiers (Danby, Frigidaire, etc) and started buying Honeywell's. Have had one going for 5+ years, another for 3+ years. Getting ready to buy a third one for another location.

 

[rebelranger]

Check these out. Made in WI. I was close to pulling the trigger on one for my shop but ended up going with a mini-split. I may still get one for my basement though.

Santa Fe Dehumidifiers | Built to Last | Free-standing and Whole-house

Santa Fe manufactures free-standing and whole-house dehumidifiers. Safe, clean and healthy air begins with Santa Fe.

www.santa-fe-products.com

NOT MADE IN USA! Engineered in WI but not USA made

 

[Sumboodie]

Buy a decent unit. $200 is buy a bargain basement home jobber unit.

 

[Sumboodie]

decent units will run around 2k

 

[nicholsmf]

I've had great luck with the Aprilaire in my crawlspace and the Santa Fe in my shop.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Any reason crawl space type units can't work in your shop?

I have a welding fume extractor for venting the warm exhaust.

 

[chinboys]

Why don't you try using a window or through-the-wall 5K BTU air conditioner unit?

Position the unit or its condensate drip for easy access to remove.
Just set it up a few degrees cooler than the existing room temperature and on economy mode.
Yes, looks ugly and is noisy but will work and last quite a bit longer.

Some background:

The biggest load and energy use for an AC or a dehumidifier is latent heat removal (phase change or removing saturated water vapor relative to its temperature). That is the unit will take more time to remove humidity than to lower the air temperature.
The biggest difference is the dehumidifier has a "smaller" evaporator, condenser, and air movement device (fan) relative to its cousin, the self-contained AC unit.
The dehumidifier is designed to remove humidity without cooling the air.
The AC unit will dump heat as it dehumidifies and cools so one has to observe the condition where humidity drops and cooling equals that of the heating.
Or dump the heat somehow and watch the thermostat while leaving the unit in the economy mode so as to not cool the air.

 

[dogdog]

Wash and clean your dehumidifier helps prolong the life

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I had a GE from Home Depot that lasted our first 10 years here, running pretty much non-stop in the basement except for the dry winter months. When that died we bought a Midea from Walmart which has been running now for 3 years, no issues.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Why don't you try using a window or through-the-wall 5K BTU air conditioner unit?

If you're referring to my post #30, I already have a mini-split air conditioner that will freeze me out if I set it accordingly. But the best it will do in terms of reducing humidity is 60%. Which, at the desired temp of 70degF is cold and clammy.

Tried all the suggested settings and 60% is the best it will do, no matter what. Factory confirmed the capacity of the mini-split is correct for my space. R-19 insulation everywhere, insulated big door, and one casement window with heavy curtain.

I'm located in southeast Michigan which can be very high temp and humidity in the summer months. Cold and clammy is no fun. Dehumidifier is my only option left.