Hello, I am trying to find resources on energy efficiency comparisons between buying multiple portable dehumidifiers (say 3 50 pint units for example) compared to a whole home dehumidifier? Do you have any insights between those two different approaches?
Paul Pilgrim
April 22, 2023 5:07 pm
I need to get the humidity to 10% or less, the dryer the air the better. Will any of these consumer/household units do this? My space is 160 sq/ft, but approximately 2500 cu/ft. It is fairly well sealed, cracks filled etc. from the outside, so once dehumidified it should not take much to keep it there. I just don’t know if any of these type units are designed to go to 10% or less. In all my searching i cannot seem to find any specifications about this.
For your application I would recommend a desiccant unit. Search for “Extremely low humidity levels” in this guide for more information on lowering humidity to extremely low levels.
Mark
April 14, 2023 4:02 pm
HI,
I live in Northern Virginia in a house with a 40’l x 6’w x 4’tall very humid crawl space in the back.
In the crawl space I’m just installed a GE 20 pint dehumidifier. I’ve also 2 others 20 pint GE dehumidifiers inside the home that continue working now just like they did before installing the unit in the crawl space. I want to catch as much humidity in the crawl space possible.
How many dehumidifiers you recommend me to use in this rectangular crawl space and where ?
Thanks a lot!
Mark.
Doug MIlls
April 5, 2023 12:05 pm
What is your dehumidifier recommendation for my 1550 sq ft unfinished basement? I have bought many 70 pint dehumidifiers over the last 20 years, and none of them have lasted much longer than 2 years. As an example of moisture problem, any plastic tub left on the floor overnight will leave a wet imprint underneath the tub.
I would recommend the FFAD5033W1 for your application.
Chris B
July 19, 2022 2:57 pm
Please explain the difference between “square footage capacity” and “container capacity”. This is totally unclear to a newbie, and the 50pt Frigidaire (for example) does not seem to provide the former. Is “sq ft capacity” actually a silly number? If so, why do people publish it, and should I only use pint capacity as a measure of what size I need? Is that the real measure? Also, how does this relate to how humid my area is? Thanks.
We recommend you buy the highest capacity (given in pints) dehumidifier you can afford, regardless of the size of the space or the humidity level of the space. We explain our reasoning in our general buyer’s guide.
KE Chow
April 6, 2022 7:20 pm
Are their any SAFE options/specific dehumidifiers that will allow me to control a dehumidifier ( turn on/off adjust humidity ) if I am away from home ? I’m a snowbird & must run a basement dehumidifier in my Georgia home when I’m up North for the summer. Otherwise I will have to run it unattended for months on end.
Rafael
February 27, 2022 3:43 am
Hello ,I’m looking for a Honeywell smart Dehumidifier with pump if you can let me know if they make it on that way Thank you
Tom M
August 6, 2021 12:39 am
Looking for a dehumidifier to remove moisture in a small area where wood is stored. Want to get the RH down to 30% or less. Ideally the unit would have the ability to run in temps above 100 deg F. Not concerned about cold temp operation as I can heat the chamber. Do you have any recommendations or equipment type?
Brian Anderson
July 23, 2021 11:13 am
This website is amazing! I have a 5ft by 5ft well pump room in my home basement that also has water softener in it. In Michigan summer the room is constantly at %80+ RH. All the water piping condensates very bad. I tried a small room dehumidifier and it did not lower RH. Can I use a more powerful 50 pint dehumidifier in such a small room (25 sf)? Or is it a fire hazard? I put a vent in the door of the room and it did not help. Can you please offer me advice for this small room with high humidity
Hi, I have a Frigidaire Model FAD704DWD 70 pint dehumidifier.
I have had this for 2 months now.
But, a few days ago it started to display 88 on the display.
Sometimes a number 99.
What does that mean?
Thank you
Ann
August 3, 2020 2:40 pm
why does the Dehumidifier FAD704DWD keep showing a 99 and a 88 code?
those codes are not shown in the owners manual??
thanks
rick
July 29, 2020 4:20 am
Thanks for the info on your website! The question I have is regarding the amount of water that a dehumidifier can remove.
I want to install a dehumidifier in a small bathroom with no ventilation. The bathroom gets mold on the walls because of this. What size should we be getting? There is not a lot of space, but the smaller units do not extract a lot of water (measured in ounces and not pints), and I’m concerned that the smaller units won’t extract enough water.
Sorry, what I was I was trying to get at with that poorly-phrased question was that I’m trying to come up with a very rough idea of cost per day to run a dehumidifier. If dehumidifiers pull an average of 570 watts when running, and let’s say I assume it runs 8 hours per day on average at that 570 watt level, and my electricity costs 15-cents per kwh (kilowatt hour), can I translate that into cost per day with this equation?: [(570 X 8) divided by 1000] X fifteen cents = ~ 69 cents per day. I realize from your articles that there are many variables that make actual cost to run impossible to calculate, but I’d like to at least estimate it using those assumptions.
That is for an instance in time with the unit’s compressor fully cycled on.
Al Pollack
May 5, 2020 4:31 pm
Hello. You have a great, informative website here! I have a 2014 Frigidaire FAD504DWD unit that I brought over from my parents house. It worked well last summer but now it always seems to have the compressor on and generate heat whether the fan is on or not. I turn it on and set the humidistat to 50. The fan runs for a brief time, then shuts off and the digital readout is “30”. Am I just now noticing the auto-defrost capability, or is this unit malfunctioning? Thanks for your assistance!
-AJP
It sounds like your unit is malfunctioning. I advise calling the manufacturer to troubleshoot the issue.
Carla Hoskins
April 4, 2020 6:00 am
I read & comprehend why using a larger than needed 70 pint for the size room is more efficient to run and less costly than the 50 pint Frigidaire. I want to determine if this concept would still apply to only roughly 310sf space with medium to high summer humidity. It is a storage style building made livable efficiency. Due to age of building the construction materials and insulation is poor and shower area not adequately ventilated. This and Oklahoma summers lend to its humidity issues.
Yes, we would still recommend a high capacity unit for your application.
Christopher Chin
January 27, 2020 2:21 am
Hi,
You have an awesome blog here, convinced me to get a 70 pint over 50 pint.
My question is what is the energy-efficient and proper way to use the dehumidifier every day? I don’t want to leave it on 24 hours/day and don’t feel the need to. However, should I set the 70 pint dehumidifier to 50% and leave it on for 1 hr every day? I’m not sure what’s the best way to use the dehumidifier.
The dehumidifier will automatically shut off when the room reaches the desired humidity level so you can leave it on 24/7 and it will only run at full power draw when necessary.
J Sanchez
January 13, 2020 1:47 am
Hi,
I’m using the Frigidaire 70 pint degimidifier to dehumidfy an area of 1,100 SF. The equipment took a lot of time to go from 80% to 55% RH. Once it reach the set pint it shuts off for about 10 minutes when RH rises to 60% and keep workong for about 25 minutes. It seems that in an hour it is working for 50 minutes. If I project these to a 24hr period (please, correct me if I’m wrong) the equipment is on for 20 hrs. That represent a lot of consumotion. Here in Puerto Rico the kwh cost is 22 cents and is expected to increase. If I put another 70pint dehumidifier what energy consumption should I expect having both working together? Half less (say 10 hours on?) if so, the cost would be the same as there is the double of energy consumption. Please advise. Thanks in advance.
In your case we would look towards better insulating the environment where the dehumidifier is being used and/or working to remove the source of the humidity if that’s applicable here.
RALPH CARTER
May 29, 2019 4:42 pm
I question the effectiveness of packaged desiccant dehumidifiers used in clothes closets and similar closed spaces. These spaces are clearly air permeable. They leak around doors and possible through their walls. Outside humid air intrusion will be a continuing action. The desiccants will rapidly reach their saturation point and lose any possible effectiveness. I find the recommendation and advertising of these products misleading. In a hermetically sealed enclosure they would be expected to work.
Yes, humid air will leak through but not fast enough to make much of an impact. Small desiccants do work effectively in very small spaces like closets.
Have a question or comment? Let us know below.
how do i install new air filter
Hello, I am trying to find resources on energy efficiency comparisons between buying multiple portable dehumidifiers (say 3 50 pint units for example) compared to a whole home dehumidifier? Do you have any insights between those two different approaches?
I need to get the humidity to 10% or less, the dryer the air the better. Will any of these consumer/household units do this? My space is 160 sq/ft, but approximately 2500 cu/ft. It is fairly well sealed, cracks filled etc. from the outside, so once dehumidified it should not take much to keep it there. I just don’t know if any of these type units are designed to go to 10% or less. In all my searching i cannot seem to find any specifications about this.
For your application I would recommend a desiccant unit. Search for “Extremely low humidity levels” in this guide for more information on lowering humidity to extremely low levels.
HI,
I live in Northern Virginia in a house with a 40’l x 6’w x 4’tall very humid crawl space in the back.
In the crawl space I’m just installed a GE 20 pint dehumidifier. I’ve also 2 others 20 pint GE dehumidifiers inside the home that continue working now just like they did before installing the unit in the crawl space. I want to catch as much humidity in the crawl space possible.
How many dehumidifiers you recommend me to use in this rectangular crawl space and where ?
Thanks a lot!
Mark.
What is your dehumidifier recommendation for my 1550 sq ft unfinished basement? I have bought many 70 pint dehumidifiers over the last 20 years, and none of them have lasted much longer than 2 years. As an example of moisture problem, any plastic tub left on the floor overnight will leave a wet imprint underneath the tub.
I would recommend the FFAD5033W1 for your application.
Please explain the difference between “square footage capacity” and “container capacity”. This is totally unclear to a newbie, and the 50pt Frigidaire (for example) does not seem to provide the former. Is “sq ft capacity” actually a silly number? If so, why do people publish it, and should I only use pint capacity as a measure of what size I need? Is that the real measure? Also, how does this relate to how humid my area is? Thanks.
We recommend you buy the highest capacity (given in pints) dehumidifier you can afford, regardless of the size of the space or the humidity level of the space. We explain our reasoning in our general buyer’s guide.
Are their any SAFE options/specific dehumidifiers that will allow me to control a dehumidifier ( turn on/off adjust humidity ) if I am away from home ? I’m a snowbird & must run a basement dehumidifier in my Georgia home when I’m up North for the summer. Otherwise I will have to run it unattended for months on end.
Hello ,I’m looking for a Honeywell smart Dehumidifier with pump if you can let me know if they make it on that way Thank you
Looking for a dehumidifier to remove moisture in a small area where wood is stored. Want to get the RH down to 30% or less. Ideally the unit would have the ability to run in temps above 100 deg F. Not concerned about cold temp operation as I can heat the chamber. Do you have any recommendations or equipment type?
This website is amazing! I have a 5ft by 5ft well pump room in my home basement that also has water softener in it. In Michigan summer the room is constantly at %80+ RH. All the water piping condensates very bad. I tried a small room dehumidifier and it did not lower RH. Can I use a more powerful 50 pint dehumidifier in such a small room (25 sf)? Or is it a fire hazard? I put a vent in the door of the room and it did not help. Can you please offer me advice for this small room with high humidity
Insulate the exterior walls
Hi, I have a Frigidaire Model FAD704DWD 70 pint dehumidifier.
I have had this for 2 months now.
But, a few days ago it started to display 88 on the display.
Sometimes a number 99.
What does that mean?
Thank you
why does the Dehumidifier FAD704DWD keep showing a 99 and a 88 code?
those codes are not shown in the owners manual??
thanks
Thanks for the info on your website! The question I have is regarding the amount of water that a dehumidifier can remove.
I want to install a dehumidifier in a small bathroom with no ventilation. The bathroom gets mold on the walls because of this. What size should we be getting? There is not a lot of space, but the smaller units do not extract a lot of water (measured in ounces and not pints), and I’m concerned that the smaller units won’t extract enough water.
Thank you
I would recommend a 22 pint compressor based unit for your application.
Very informative analyses, but you do not mention Santa Fe or Aprilaire units.
Any reason?
Simply because the focus of the website is portable dehumidifiers and both companies do not make portable units.
When you say a dehumidifier draws, for instance, 570 watts of power, is that per hour?
Sorry, what I was I was trying to get at with that poorly-phrased question was that I’m trying to come up with a very rough idea of cost per day to run a dehumidifier. If dehumidifiers pull an average of 570 watts when running, and let’s say I assume it runs 8 hours per day on average at that 570 watt level, and my electricity costs 15-cents per kwh (kilowatt hour), can I translate that into cost per day with this equation?: [(570 X 8) divided by 1000] X fifteen cents = ~ 69 cents per day. I realize from your articles that there are many variables that make actual cost to run impossible to calculate, but I’d like to at least estimate it using those assumptions.
Your math and line of thinking that got you to that math is correct.
That is for an instance in time with the unit’s compressor fully cycled on.
Hello. You have a great, informative website here! I have a 2014 Frigidaire FAD504DWD unit that I brought over from my parents house. It worked well last summer but now it always seems to have the compressor on and generate heat whether the fan is on or not. I turn it on and set the humidistat to 50. The fan runs for a brief time, then shuts off and the digital readout is “30”. Am I just now noticing the auto-defrost capability, or is this unit malfunctioning? Thanks for your assistance!
-AJP
It sounds like your unit is malfunctioning. I advise calling the manufacturer to troubleshoot the issue.
I read & comprehend why using a larger than needed 70 pint for the size room is more efficient to run and less costly than the 50 pint Frigidaire. I want to determine if this concept would still apply to only roughly 310sf space with medium to high summer humidity. It is a storage style building made livable efficiency. Due to age of building the construction materials and insulation is poor and shower area not adequately ventilated. This and Oklahoma summers lend to its humidity issues.
Yes, we would still recommend a high capacity unit for your application.
Hi,
You have an awesome blog here, convinced me to get a 70 pint over 50 pint.
My question is what is the energy-efficient and proper way to use the dehumidifier every day? I don’t want to leave it on 24 hours/day and don’t feel the need to. However, should I set the 70 pint dehumidifier to 50% and leave it on for 1 hr every day? I’m not sure what’s the best way to use the dehumidifier.
Thanks,
Chris
The dehumidifier will automatically shut off when the room reaches the desired humidity level so you can leave it on 24/7 and it will only run at full power draw when necessary.
Hi,
I’m using the Frigidaire 70 pint degimidifier to dehumidfy an area of 1,100 SF. The equipment took a lot of time to go from 80% to 55% RH. Once it reach the set pint it shuts off for about 10 minutes when RH rises to 60% and keep workong for about 25 minutes. It seems that in an hour it is working for 50 minutes. If I project these to a 24hr period (please, correct me if I’m wrong) the equipment is on for 20 hrs. That represent a lot of consumotion. Here in Puerto Rico the kwh cost is 22 cents and is expected to increase. If I put another 70pint dehumidifier what energy consumption should I expect having both working together? Half less (say 10 hours on?) if so, the cost would be the same as there is the double of energy consumption. Please advise. Thanks in advance.
In your case we would look towards better insulating the environment where the dehumidifier is being used and/or working to remove the source of the humidity if that’s applicable here.
I question the effectiveness of packaged desiccant dehumidifiers used in clothes closets and similar closed spaces. These spaces are clearly air permeable. They leak around doors and possible through their walls. Outside humid air intrusion will be a continuing action. The desiccants will rapidly reach their saturation point and lose any possible effectiveness. I find the recommendation and advertising of these products misleading. In a hermetically sealed enclosure they would be expected to work.
Yes, humid air will leak through but not fast enough to make much of an impact. Small desiccants do work effectively in very small spaces like closets.