Dehumidifiers

[Sneakers]

I've had terrible luck with dehumidifiers, and from reading reports/reviews/etc it sounds like everyone else does too. They just don't last very long. I run one 24/7/365 in the basement. My best was the one that just failed, a 70 pint TCL I got at WallyMart 2 years ago. But I had the foresight to get the extended 3-year warranty for $36, because the chances of it failing were pretty good and worth the couple of bucks. Well, it paid off. I filed a claim online with Allstate, the policy holder. Within an hour of filing and answering a few questions, I had an e-DebitCard for $210 at WalMart. I paid $229 for the TCL.

Took the e-Card to WalMart today, found a Midea 50 pint with internal pump for $224, used the e-Card to pay for most of it. Bought another 3-year extended warranty because..... well.... Chinesium junk. We'll see how long this one lasts. Generally, for me, about a year. But if it costs me $15 (warranty cost excluded) every year or two, I'm ok with that.

 

[Grumpy]

Have had 3 dehumidifiers over the 30 yrs I've been in this house. Like you, run 24/7/365 in my basement, guess I have been lucky. Clean it every few months, vacuum it out, then take it outside and throw the leaf blower at it. Current one is probably 7 years old.

 

[Sneakers]

Hope you didn't just jinx it....

 

[Bonehead]

It really is hit or miss with these things. Ran one for over 20 years, another maybe 2 years then poof !

 

[Gilligan]

I have to run one in the cottage pretty much 24/7 unless the AC is on (only when someone is staying in it). Been running 3 years and counting... The smaller model we put in son's boat (liveaboard) crapped out in 3 months.

 

[Sneakers]

Well, interesting thing...
Grumpy said he cleaned and vacuumed his out on a regular basis, I only cleaned out the collection pail and air filter. The new dehumdidifier had a note about checking and cleaning the pump pickup filter, something the old manual did not mention. Insurance company didn't want the old one back, so I checked the failed unit, and sure enough, the pump pickup filter was clogged. Cleaned it out, and it's been running properly for a couple of days with no error.
So, now I have two working units.

 

[Clem72]

I've had terrible luck with dehumidifiers, and from reading reports/reviews/etc it sounds like everyone else does too. They just don't last very long. I run one 24/7/365 in the basement. My best was the one that just failed, a 70 pint TCL I got at WallyMart 2 years ago. But I had the foresight to get the extended 3-year warranty for $36, because the chances of it failing were pretty good and worth the couple of bucks. Well, it paid off. I filed a claim online with Allstate, the policy holder. Within an hour of filing and answering a few questions, I had an e-DebitCard for $210 at WalMart. I paid $229 for the TCL.

Took the e-Card to WalMart today, found a Midea 50 pint with internal pump for $224, used the e-Card to pay for most of it. Bought another 3-year extended warranty because..... well.... Chinesium junk. We'll see how long this one lasts. Generally, for me, about a year. But if it costs me $15 (warranty cost excluded) every year or two, I'm ok with that.

I have had a couple (one 50, one 70 pint) running for many years, (cross fingers) none have ever broke. But I think the key is that I put them on cheaper power outlet timers that don't let them run longer than about 2 hours at a stretch. I don't know if these things have a built-in defrost cycle, but this way I take no chances. Cutting the power while in use doesn't seem to cause any issues. Usually have one going most of the year with a couple of small fans to help the air circulate around my finished basement. Sometimes need to get the second one going for a month or two during the summer when my AC is working non-stop (cycling the dehumidified air out of my basement).

 

[m7lukas]

Speaking of dehumidifier, does anyone have personal experience with Whynter brand?