What are some good dehumidifiers?

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desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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So it looks like the Korean companies have started invading the appliance-making business. How does like an LG dehumidifier compare to whirlpool or maytag or whatever else is out there?

What is the best brand for dehumidifiers? I'm thinking either getting two large units or getting like 4 smaller units.

I already have some older ones and they make a lot of noise/heat. How much better are newer models?
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
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FWIW, massive recall on Kenmores (cheap Whirlpools). Cue the Talking Heads.
 
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edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
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I had a 20yo yard sale special. It was clogged with dust and sold for $10.
I used it for 2 years and decided to check it compared to newer models as far as efficiency.

I got a newer ~$200 LG and it works a hell of a lot better and consumes less power too.

I worked out the numbers and decided that it paid for itself after 1 season. (compared to my old one)
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
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FWIW, massive recall on Kenmores (cheap Whirlpools). Cue the Talking Heads.

False

Not the recall part, but that Kenmore is cheap Whirlpools part. All of the recalled units were made by LG.

To elaborate, Kenmore is a Sears store brand and can be made by any number of larger brands. Not just whirlpool and not just LG.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
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False

Not the recall part, but that Kenmore is cheap Whirlpools part. All of the recalled units were made by LG.
Re-badged as Kenmore....got it.


Looks like Kenmore uses different manufacturers for their products.
 

acheron

Diamond Member
May 27, 2008
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I got a Frigidaire off of Amazon a month or so ago; it's been good so far though obviously I don't know how long-term reliability is.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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I had a 20yo yard sale special. It was clogged with dust and sold for $10.
I used it for 2 years and decided to check it compared to newer models as far as efficiency.

I got a newer ~$200 LG and it works a hell of a lot better and consumes less power too.

I worked out the numbers and decided that it paid for itself after 1 season. (compared to my old one)

is there like a site that compares efficiency?
 

Sho'Nuff

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2007
6,211
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Check out the santa fe line of dehumidifiers sold by thermastor. They are very expensive (cheapest one is ~$1000), but they are much more energy efficient than the little units that you can buy at a big box store and generally perform much better. Most of the plastic units report capacity based on a hot room having near 100% humidity. In those conditions you could fart and water would start coming out of the air. As the temp drops, it gets harder and harder to pull water out of the air, and those cheapo units just won't perform to specs. Any whole house dehumidifier (Santa Fe or otherwise) will easily outperform the little plastic units in real world conditions.

Also, a single large santa fe unit could take the place of 2, 3 or even four of the smaller units. The sante fe impact XL has an energy factor of 4.2L/kWh, which is something like 2.5 times better than is required for the energy star rating! And they can be ducted so that they can dry out a much larger area.

http://www.santa-fe-products.com/

http://www.dehumidifierexperts.com/

As for heat, well, that is a byproduct of condensing water out of the air (dehumidification). Dehumidification converts latent heat in the water vapor to sensible heat when the water vapor is condensed. If you condense a lot of vapor (which dehumidifiers are designed to do), a lot of heat will result. That said, a more efficient unit will put out less heat because it will expend less energy to dehumidify the air, and will probably run for less time.

For the record, I am not affiliated with thermacor in any way. I do own a sante fe classic though and it is just awesome. Dried out my basement in a flash.
 
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kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
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Just got a SoleusAir dehumidifier myself, this thing is way better than the cheapies I've seen in the past. 70 pints a day, and it even has a built in pump and included hose to get rid of the condensate, will pump the water vertically to 16 feet!

Not having to dump a reservoir is nice.
 
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RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
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Just got a SoleusAir dehumidifier myself, this thing is way better than the cheapies I've seen in the past. 70 pints a day, and it even has a built in pump and included hose to get rid of the condensate, will pump the water vertically to 16 feet!

Not having to dump a reservoir is nice.

We bought a Soleus a few years ago and it worked great.
 
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