How to Choose the Best Air Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers for Basement, Room and Other Home Use

Feb 16, 2009 Yuen Kit Mun

Dehumidifiers are large, difficult to dispose of, and consume significant amounts of electricity. They should therefore be chosen with care.

Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air and can:

help with mold and mildew problems
remove musty smells
improve comfort (used with air conditioning, or as an alternative to air conditioning)

They have been around for decades and are hardly high technology. Unfortunately this doesn't mean that current dehumidifiers have been perfected. Shoppers still need to be careful to avoid disappointment. Popular brands include Soleus, Danby, LG, Whirlpool, Haier, Delonghi, Frigidaire, Amcor, GE, Maytag and Goldstar.

Dehumidifier Capacity

Dehumidifiers are often rated according to the maximum amount of water they can remove from the air in one day.

A 40-pint (19-liter) dehumidifier (average size for home use; 20 to 60 pints is common) should be able to remove 40 pints of water a day. Obviously, the actual amount will depend on the air humidity level and the airflow or circulation in the room.

The internal water collection tank can be smaller than the rated daily capacity, so a 40-pint dehumidifier might not have a 40-pint tank. Most dehumidifiers have a bypass feature to allow the water to be continuously drained out through a hose, so that the internal tank does not need to be manually emptied daily.

Humidifier Noise Level

Excessive noise is a common complaint. This will be less of an issue if the dehumidifier is placed in an unoccupied basement.

Unfortunately noise levels (decibels) aren't always specified by manufacturers. Shoppers will have to search the Internet for subjective impressions in product reviews.

Humidifier Warranty

Warranties for dehumidifiers range from 1 to 5 years. Buying a dehumidifier when the manufacturer is not confident it will work more than a year is obviously risky.

Dehumidifiers are heavy. Even if a defective unit is under warranty, shipping charges (normally paid by the owner) to return the unit will be high. Buying from local merchants who allow local carry-in of return, is safer.

Minimum Dehumidifier Temperature

Homeowners in cold climates should look out for dehumidifiers that are designed to work at low temperatures. Some units can work in 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) and still not frost up.

ENERGY STAR

Standard dehumidifiers use a few hundred watts of electricity, and are commonly switched on for hours every day. Electricity costs (and environmental concerns) mean that power efficiency should be considered.

Dehumidifiers that are ENERGY STAR qualified will have achieved a minimum level of efficiency (amount of water removed per kilowatt hour).

The ENERGY STAR label doesn't guarantee the best efficiency. It is a convenient shopping guide and will be good enough for most homeowners. It is possible for a non ENERGY STAR dehumidifier to be as or more efficient, but the shopper will need to do more research to confirm this.

Automatic Humidifier Shutoff

Some models can be set to switch off once a preset level of humidity has been reached (humidistat control). This will save on electricity costs.

Others have timers than can be set from one to 24 hours. Even those without timers can be controlled with generic wall switch timers. However some dehumidifiers still need to be manually switched on when power is restored, meaning that wall timers cannot be used.

The Best Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers aren't complex products. The most important factors to consider are:

Reliability (reputation, number of years warranty, plus details of warranty terms and conditions)
Power consumption
Noise

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The copyright of the article How to Choose the Best Air Dehumidifier in Home Management is owned by Yuen Kit Mun. Permission to republish How to Choose the Best Air Dehumidifier in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Dehumidifiers Can Help With Mold Problems

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