Best Whole House Dehumidifier Reviews: HVAC and Portable
Table Of Content
It can be overwhelming for homeowners to sift through the options and determine which dehumidifier best fits their unique needs. That moist, sticky feeling is especially uncomfortable in your bedroom, which is where this wheelable dehumidifier comes in—literally. I love that it comes with pre-programmed humidity levels for the bedroom, living room and more, which is so helpful for those of us unaware of what the ideal moisture levels in a room should be. If you’re going to be installing a dehumidifier in your central air/HVAC system, make sure you take into account every room with ventilation. If you’re buying a standalone unit, you’ll want to think about which rooms actually circulate air with the room where the dehumidifier will be stationed.
Best Dehumidifier for Basements
It’s a bit more expensive than others on this list, but its various perks, including the ability to easily check on it from your phone, make it worthwhile. It can pull up to 70 pints per day from the air, and if you rig it to a hose to drain, it can operate nearly as effortlessly as a central air system. If you’re tight for cash and need to cover lots of ground, you might find that you can make do with this unit. For large, wet spaces, like an unfinished basement where moisture collects on the floor and walls, you need a dehumidifier that can remove at least 50 pints of water per day from the air. This Honeywell, the largest in our test, can handle as much as 70 pints.
How do I know when the humidity level is optimal and I no longer need to run a dehumidifier?
Do you need a dehumidifier in the winter? Advice from HVAC experts - Homes & Gardens
Do you need a dehumidifier in the winter? Advice from HVAC experts.
Posted: Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
You can just vacuum out the pre filter, and the main filters are replaceable so you can get a longer working life out of your machine. Like the Cube, the FGAC5045W1 carries an Energy Star Most Efficient rating. If you’ve ever used the words musty, muggy, dank, fuggy, wet, mildewy, or the dreaded moist to describe the air in your home, you may get relief from a dehumidifier. Besides providing a comfortable living or working environment, a dehumidifier offers two other primary benefits.
The 10 Best Dehumidifiers for a Fresh, Dry and Mildew-Free Home
Then again, if you have a sink or drain nearby, you can also set it up to continuously drain through the included hose. Whole-house dehumidifiers are installed to work in conjunction with a home’s heating and cooling system or HVAC. The humidity levels in the environment are controlled by pulling in the warm, moist air into the unit, which is then cooled. This will result in the moisture in the environment being condensed into water droplets. We experienced the connectivity issue, even when using a known 2.4 GHz network, and we were never able to use the app. Buyers can place the sensors in different areas of the home, and the dehumidifier will run only as needed to maintain the desired humidity level in those areas.
Whole House Dehumidifier Care and Maintenance
The Cube reduced humidity just as well as most other 50-pint machines we tested, lowering humidity by about 13% over the course of an hour when set on high and by about 11% on low. The tank collects the moisture that the dehumidifier draws from the air. The tank usually holds one or two gallons of water, so you have to empty it several times throughout the day to ensure that the dehumidifier can continue to run up to its rated pint capacity. The tank size you need for your dehumidifier depends on the area you want to control. Rooms with more square footage like basements or living rooms may require a larger tank size, while smaller-capacity dehumidifiers may work fine for bedrooms, bathrooms, or laundry rooms.
The pints of moisture extracted per day from the air depend on the model purchased. Based on the model you can get a whole-house dehumidifier that can extract 65, 90, or 120 pints per day. The most attractive pro to this dehumidifier is the Energy Star rating. Buying a product that is Energy Star certified will help you to save the trouble of increased utility bills and energy.
Do I need a whole-home dehumidifier or a portable dehumidifier?
This process condenses the moisture out of the air and collects it in a reservoir. Look for features such as auto-restart, auto-defrost, and adjustable humidity settings to make operation more convenient and practical. Finding the best whole-house dehumidifier can be challenging because numerous brands and models are available, each with different features and specifications. This smart model (which differs from the aforementioned Honeywell model with the built-in pump) is Wi-Fi enabled and has a compatible app that makes it a breeze to control when you're away from home. Or you can just ask Alexa to handle things remotely while you’re lounging on the couch, since it works with her, too. I'll be honest, the fact that it's also not an eyesore earns it extra points from me.
In addition to its exceptional performance in our water removal test, the Honeywell's accurate humidistat helps it maintain steady humidity levels. And it includes an onboard pump, so you can continuously drain water vertically or horizontally, up to 15 feet. This dehumidifier was a top pick in our tests because it has so many simple, helpful features that make it easy for daily use. A digital readout helps you monitor the current humidity and customize how much moisture you want in the air.
Excessive moisture isn’t just bad for your health — it can also damage your property. Consistent dampness can cause rot that damages wooden structures and jeopardizes the integrity of your home or commercial space. Dehumidifiers can help protect the interior of your home, your electronics, furniture, and textiles. Yes, whole-house dehumidifiers require regular maintenance, including filter cleaning and replacement. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for recommended maintenance intervals. A whole-house dehumidifier draws in moist air from your home’s HVAC system and passes it over a refrigerated coil.
The extraction rate is measured in pints per day (PPD), and for smaller, portable units, this may also be in ounces per day. This 296 pint dehumidifier has an efficient compressor which allows it to remove almost double the amount of moisture of other whole home dehumidifiers. It will run as needed to maintain the desired humidity level across your entire house and will shut off if there are any issues. It does come with a drain hose but you'll need to position it above the floor drain outlet so the excess moisture can be properly removed from your home.
The built-in humidistat can be programmed to maintain a consistent humidity level, or the dehumidifier can be controlled with one of several Honeywell thermostats and humidistats (sold separately). While all dehumidifiers have filters of some sort, the Santa Fe Ultra98 boasts a high-efficiency MERV 13 filter that can trap 90 percent or more of airborne particulates that measure up to 3 microns in size. As a comparison, an average human hair is about between 75 and 100 microns thick. So not only does the Ultra98 remove unwanted humidity, it also banishes airborne pollutants.
The pump in question has a 15-foot drain height so that you can put this little guy almost anywhere on any floor of your home. When space is limited, or you know exactly what you need and where it goes, the Santa Fe Ultra is the best vertical ducted whole house dehumidifier. I was slightly surprised by the energy efficiency of this central dehumidifier given the high PPD rating. The AprilAire E130 Pro is best for those looking for a dehumidification for large homes or commercial spaces. It is slightly disappointing that this dehumidifier has no pump drainage and it relies on gravity drainage. If you live in a relatively dry climate where a dehumidifier is only necessary a couple of times a year, a whole-home dehumidifier may be unnecessary.
If your home’s high humidity comes from a leaky wall or roof, the only long-term solution is to fix the root cause. We’ve covered a lot of home-moisture scenarios—from routine to catastrophic—in guides to items such as wet/dry vacs, as well as in a firsthand account of cleaning a flooded basement. Lead author Rachel Rothman has extensive experience conducting hands-on testing of dehumidifiers, leveraging her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. In her former role as chief technologist and director of engineering at the Good Housekeeping Institute, Rachel helped develop the testing protocols for the category. With regard to indoor air quality, she is a leading advocate for the adoption of rigorous industry standards. Rachel has also tested dozens of dehumidifiers in recent years at her home.
Comments
Post a Comment