Best Dehumidifier to buy?

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wednesday13

wednesday13

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Mar 2, 2008
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So ive burnt/fried 4 dehumidifiers in about 5 years so I figured id ask the masses what your all using? Some I got used, but i'll list the brands that have only run 2yrs or less for me. 2 yrs is the longest ive ran one without breaking so its time for something that will last or is atleast affordable.

Delongi-2yrs
zenith-1year x2
maytag- 1 year
LG- 1 year
 
Do you know what the relative humidity is in the room(s) you are treating? Maybe you are trying to keep it too low and running them needlessly. I have a fart fan in my fish room with a humidistat to operate it. I keep it at 60%. The only time it ever turns on is in nice weather with no heat or AC going. When my AC is on, it pulls the humidity out and when the furnace is on it just keeps humidity where it needs to be. FYI: It is my understanding that a humidifier built in to a furnace keeps the at 70%. I don't know this as fact.

So, unless you have an actual humidity gauge set up in your house you don't know what it is. I wouldn't trust the one that is built into the machine. Some just say "low/med/high".
 
rodger said:
Do you know what the relative humidity is in the room(s) you are treating? Maybe you are trying to keep it too low and running them needlessly. I have a fart fan in my fish room with a humidistat to operate it. I keep it at 60%. The only time it ever turns on is in nice weather with no heat or AC going. When my AC is on, it pulls the humidity out and when the furnace is on it just keeps humidity where it needs to be. FYI: It is my understanding that a humidifier built in to a furnace keeps the at 70%. I don't know this as fact.

So, unless you have an actual humidity gauge set up in your house you don't know what it is. I wouldn't trust the one that is built into the machine. Some just say "low/med/high".
Click to expand...

Agreed...ive been looking into one of those digital meters to set in the basement to get a "real" reading. The last unit i had, had one built in and after running for a day read 20%-40%. For some reason this is the worst time of year for me for humidity. Everythings pretty stable in the summer and winter. With 17 tanks in the basement and a 1700gal open top pool a dehumidifier is a necessity, When they quit running everything gets damp almost immediatly. I have also been looking into air exchangers so i appreciate your idea aswell rodger. Ive hooked up similar setups before like urs for large compressors with a thermastat. Probably couldnt hurt to try both i suppose...

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CichlidKevin said:
Depending on your budget, I'd buy a pheonix or a drieaz product. I work in the water damage industry and both are optimal.
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Ive been reading about the industrial ones also and was curious, thanks for the brand names to check out. Im sure i cant afford them lol, but i may be able to find a used one.

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I bought two of these for two separate rooms. Relatively energy efficient and you can plumb to drain if you don't want to keep dumping the bucket.
Not the cheapest but the old one I was using was pulling 2x as much power and was terrible at pulling moisture out of the air.

One has been running continuous for 6 months and the other for the past 8 months.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JW4XKU/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Reedmaster16 said:
I bought two of these for two separate rooms. Relatively energy efficient and you can plumb to drain if you don't want to keep dumping the bucket.
Not the cheapest but the old one I was using was pulling 2x as much power and was terrible at pulling moisture out of the air.

One has been running continuous for 6 months and the other for the past 8 months.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JW4XKU/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

Thanks Reed! i'll check em out, much appreciated
 
I have humidity issues in the winter time and I'm considering getting an Energy Recovery Ventilator or a Heat Recovery Ventilator. Some smaller models (for <1200sq ft) sell for less than $500.

The fantech se704n sells for <$500: http://residential.fantech.net/resi...air-quality/ervs-energy-recovery-ventilators/

Wednesday, it sounds like you have gone through 4 dehumidifiers and are on your 5th...what's your total cost on those 5 units and what's the cost to run them? I think if these ERV or HRV units actually work, they may be worth a look. The model I am looking at (fantech se704n) only uses ~40 watts; they basically just use a small fan. I know the dehumidifiers I was looking at were drawing upwards of 600 watts. The energy savings (assuming heat loss to the room isn't too bad) should make it a good investment.

Now go install one and tell me how it works out for you so that I know what to do...lol.

But seriously, I have been reading that these are awesome units for people running lots of tanks with humidity and stagnant air issues. I'm going to keep researching... my fish room gets smelly and humid in the winter and it would be nice to have fresh air.
 
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