Good dehumidifiers are rare...

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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
Fortunately I didn't have any in house flooding after a week of rain but I did have some seepage through the cinder blocks so I figured I should invest in a basement dehumidifier.

After spending 3 hours Friday & 3 on Saturday looking online and in 4 stores for a highly rated dehumidifier, I was very disappointed in what I learned. All of the brands except one have the same problem (according to the customer reviews). They all seem to break down within the first year. Even the higher priced ones have shown themselves to be...well...cheap! Brands like Frigidaire, Kenmore, GE, Danby, Royal and a few others, all developed problems shortly after they were put into use.

I did manage to find one made by "Winix" (I'd never heard of them) that is highly rated by customers AND independent research companies. And, to top that, I found it at on a site for $70 less than Wal Mart! :yikes: Walgreens; And it includes free shipping! :faint: Of course they DID stick me with a $15 sales tax.

This brand is not carried in any stores (no wonder people are shopping more online). I went to 4 local stores and they only carried one or two brands (the cheap ones of course). So I'm wondering if any of you have had a good or bad experiences with dehumidifiers and, if so, which brands & models...:buddies:
 
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General Lee

Well-Known Member
I'm trying my luck with a Frigidaire special from Lowes. Needed one quick so.....been running 24/7 for 10 days so far.
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
I've gone through one 40 pint model sionce I've been in this house (5 years) and our 70 pint is now 3 or 4 years old and the new 50 pint is one year old. All Kenmore.
 
GWguy

GWguy

*
I got a Goldstar from WallyMart almost 10 years ago, haven't had a single issue with it. I empty it once a day in the summer.

But I guess I got lucky. I looked up the reliability of this model, and like all the rest, it has a very poor track record.

My friend went thru 3 Haier units in on year. He kept getting them replaced under warranty. Finally gave up and got something else which hasn't broked yet.
 
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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
I'm glad to hear that you folks have had success with your units. Maybe I shouldn't put too much faith in the customer reviews then? I do give the benefit of the doubt to the item if the reviewer writes an ignorant review. That is: someone who berates the item because it wasn't shipped fast enough or for something that has nothing to do with the functioning of the unit. Thanks for the input folks!
GWguy said:
...But I guess I got lucky. I looked up the reliability of this model, and like all the rest, it has a very poor track record. My friend went thru 3 Haier units in on year. He kept getting them replaced under warranty. Finally gave up and got something else which hasn't broked yet.
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Ok then, that really says something about the reviewers doesn't it? What else do we have to go on but the reviews unless we know someone who has a brand that they'd recommend (which I didn't). What's really confusing now is the fact that some independent reviewers said the same thing the customers said. What a mess, eh? :jameo:
 
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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
Well my "Winix" dehumidifier came Wednesday and I've been using it since then. It seems like a powerful unit (50 pints). Looks really nice too. It has pulled a bunch of water out of the basement, it works nicely to heat the rooms (now that it has been cooler outside) and the air even smells cleaner. The electric pump is really nice too! :buddies:

Winix WDH851 - 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump | Walgreens
 
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pelers

pelers

Active Member
Glad you found something. Might also check to see if a hose can be connected to it to drain into a sink or something (if you have one in your basement).
 
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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
pelers said:
Glad you found something. Might also check to see if a hose can be connected to it to drain into a sink or something (if you have one in your basement).
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Thanks! This unit uses 2 types of drain hoses. One is a gravity fed garden hose and the other uses the pump to drain water through a piece of small plastic tubing.

When the water cannister is full, an electric pump comes on and drains the unit completely. I only use the pump when the unit is in the laundry room because I have a sump hole there to accept the water. When the unit is in other rooms, I just let the water cannister fill up then I empty it. So far I love this unit! Hope it lasts...
 
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General Lee

Well-Known Member
ItalianScallion said:
Well my "Winix" dehumidifier came Wednesday and I've been using it since then. It seems like a powerful unit (50 pints). Looks really nice too. It has pulled a bunch of water out of the basement, it works nicely to heat the rooms (now that it has been cooler outside) and the air even smells cleaner. The electric pump is really nice too! :buddies:

Winix#WDH851 - 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump | Walgreens
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I have a 50 pint Frigidaire. If I let it run on "continuous" I have to empty it 2x day. The last several days I've had it set on 40% humidity and I have to empty it once a day. Definitely pulling moisture out of the air in the basement. More than I expected.
 
itsbob

itsbob

I bowl overhand
General Lee said:
I have a 50 pint Frigidaire. If I let it run on "continuous" I have to empty it 2x day. The last several days I've had it set on 40% humidity and I have to empty it once a day. Definitely pulling moisture out of the air in the basement. More than I expected.
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I bought one from Lowes 2 years ago, set it to 55%and have a hose running into the sump. It still runs 24 hours a day.

I'd rate that as a good de-humidifier.
 
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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
meddauna said:
i bought this one last week Amazon.com: Frigidaire FAD504DUD 50-Pint Dehumidifier: Home & Garden . oddly, when i bought it last week the price was 169, it's gone up since then. works well so far.
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I saw that one also but the reviews said it had problems right out of the box so I didn't want to take a chance. That's why I started this thread. Hope it does well for you.

The price changing thing is what I hate about Amazon. I was reading the reviews on another product and the price went up while I was looking at the details! :faint:
 
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gw204

New Member
I don't even know what make or model the one I have is. It got submerged in saltwater for hours when my grandmother's basement flooded because of Isabel's storm surge. During our cleanup efforts, Dad put it in the trash pile. I pulled it out, took it home, powerwashed it, let it dry and it's been working great (although a bit noisy) ever since...
 
Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
I have a 30+ year old Kenmore in my house in Philly running everyday, and have a new Lowes Frigedaire 50 pint at the house in Md. So far, so good with that one. I'm impressed with how quiet it is, and how much water its pulilng out.

Hopefully, I won't need the Frigedaire in the house in Md for 30 years.
 
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ItalianScallion

Harley Rider
Ponytail said:
I have a 30+ year old Kenmore in my house in Philly running everyday, and have a new Lowes Frigedaire 50 pint at the house in Md. So far, so good with that one. I'm impressed with how quiet it is, and how much water its pulilng out. Hopefully, I won't need the Frigedaire in the house in Md for 30 years.
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No doubt! Those older ones are work horses. We used to have a Frigidaire dehumidifier back in the mid 60's and it was still working in 2002 when I gave it away.

Nothing made today will be around in 40+ years. Look at what happened with Troy Bilt products. They're all built by MTD with only a name difference. The original quality is gone for good and that's why I'm having soo much trouble getting my bright red, TroyMTDBiltCraftsmanYardMachine snow blower to run. This is also why most of the new dehumidifier reviews are negative. They're all built by one cheap manufacturer and multiple names are put on them...just like most TV's are today.
 
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