I want a QUIET dehumidifier...which won't catch on fire.

September 16, 2013 1:15 PM

The title says it all. EVERY SINGLE dehumidifier I have for my personal use, as well as the ones we use at my workplace's records storage rooms have now been recalled. Has anyone used anything worth buying? I want one which is quiet and will auto-restart/retain settings after a power failure

We had quite a variety of different models being used at our various storage facilities. Everything from an early-2000s Home Depot Hampton Bay (recalled), to a Kenmore/LG (recalled, to a Soleus Air CFM40 (recalled). I also had a Soleus CFM40 for my home and loved how quiet it was. No rattles, no compressor noise, just the sound of air moving, like a small table fan.

Is there a decent non-self-igniting dehumidifier made these days?

posted by OTA to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Best answer: Someone might have a recommendation, but in my experience, they are mostly TERRIBLE. We haven't had any that are officially recalled, but they all break rather quickly, and have terrible warranties, and usually have annoying problems while they live out their short life.

On the basis of the good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, I bought this Frigidaire FAD704DWD 70-pint Dehumidifier in May, and so far it's been working fairly well. The drawer has an annoying habit of sliding open, so I've got it taped shut. It's been working with a drain pump since May without any mechanical problems. It's supposedly rated as Energy Star. Most reviewers say it's performed better than the others they've had.
posted by barnone at 2:48 PM on September 16, 2013

And, I just noticed in the comments that my problem with the opening tank is solved with some sort of adapter that Frigidaire will supply. Will update you if this is true. It's otherwise been good to me so far!
posted by barnone at 2:57 PM on September 16, 2013

Best answer: I've had a Goldstar 3850A20500F for three moves, two or three trips into a storage unit, and about eight years total. No problems; and mine has the digital control for humidity settings.

Fwiw; I think people ignore the side clearance requirements, or place them in small static air spaces, and as if with most electronics; poor ventilation and excess heat causes failures and or fires.

Now out of storage again and desiccating the COS household from the inside out; previously worked wonders with the ATX humidity.
posted by buzzman at 3:51 PM on September 16, 2013

Response by poster: I'm marking both answers as valid, BUT, I'd recommend against the Goldstar (Now often called LG, as their official name is Lucky Goldstar). Unfortunately, LG's dehumidifiers have been absolute junk as of late. Take a look at the Kenmore/LG dehumidifier recalls or the reviews on Amazon. Very failure prone. One other strike against LG: One of my recalled dehumidifiers is a Kenmore (made by LG) and Sears has *NO* intention of providing a replacement and/or full refund. They offered me $70 for a $200 dehumidifier. NOT satisfied.

I don't doubt @Buzzman's comments though -- their older ones do seem to have longevity on their side.

It looks like I'll be buying the Frigidaire FAD704DWD by default. Everything else out there is generally made by Gree (Soleus) or LG. None of it seems to be particularly well-made. Quiet is what I'm searching for, but no one seems to make one. The old Soleus CFM-40 was rated at 43 dBA, the Frigidaire FAD504 & FAD704 are both at 53 dBA. That said, the CFM-40 really was a 25 pint dehumidifier and both of the Frigidaires are 50 & 70 pints.

I'm going to leave the question open/unresolved for now -- I've not purchased anything yet and am hoping a few other people will chime in.
posted by OTA at 9:31 AM on September 17, 2013

Best answer: I have the previous model of the Frigidaire 50 pint dehumidifier. I run the drain line into a condensate pump. It has been running well for 3 years.
posted by plinth at 5:51 AM on September 18, 2013