Dehumidifiers – Looking for quality
bsawers
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
We dehumidify from May to September in a finished basement, roughly 1000 square feet.
My last dehumidifier lasted 14 months from purchase. I had paid a little extra for the Toshiba Energy Star model instead of the other options at the big box store.
Two options:
1. Buy another dehumidifier for $200 to $300 but pay for the extended warranty.
2. Spend 2x or 3x on a dehumidifier with a longer warranty.
If I am replacing dehumidifiers every year or even every couple years, the cost is the same. A dehumidifier that lasts longer should be better for the environment, but only if it really lasts longer.
Any thoughts?
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Don't know that it matters. I have a dedicated, ducted dehumidifier that costs >$1800 retail. I'm on my third one in less than 24 months...
3 in 24 months? Mind sharing the brand so we know what to avoid? lol
I'm hesitant to do that because the mfg has been "cooperative."
On the one hand, all manufacturers experience mistakes, and the differentiator is what they do about them. On the other hand, they handled one replacement 100% satisfactorily, but the other one I'd rate at 50% satisfactorily. Obviously my assessment is biased.
The lesson to take away is all the dehumidifiers are subject to failure.
I'd look for the most efficient, then do the balance of the evaluation by cost/ warranty period and terms, and buy the most appropriate combo that suits your needs, and not worry about brand.
I've long been intrigued with the Daiken Quaternity line, because they're designed to function as a dehumidifier. There are two coils in the head and it can run where one cools and one heats, exactly like a dehumidifier. In addition to having a minisplit with a third function -- heat, cool and dehumidify -- presumably it would provide a dehumidifier with minisplit reliability.
Unfortunately they seem rare in the wild, I've never seen a report from an actual user. I can't find someone local who installs them. And for a 9K BTU unit the parts alone are over $3,000. So I'm a little reluctant.
DC, do you know if the Quaternity models are still a model that Daikin manufactures and focuses on? I feel like when I google it, I sometimes get the imperssion that it's either discontinued or otherwise been relegated to the bottom of the heap. I don't think a new version of it has come out in many years.
They definitely seem like an orphan product, but they are available:
https://hvacdirect.com/daikin-quaternity-9-000-btu-26-1-seer-ductless-mini-split-heat-pump-system-ftxg09hvju-rxg09hvju.html
Notice that the model linked to is $3000+. On that site the cheapest 9000 BTU mini split is less than $650. So you really pay a premium.
Yeah, I remain interested in those... love the concept. I used to live in the southeast and would have loved one. Now I'm on the west coast and only need minimal dehumidification 1-2 months per year (and even with zero dehumidification, home humidity rarely exceeds 60%), so I simply couldn't justify the extra cost over a Mitsubishi or Fujitsu.