Customer Reviews: Read 274 more reviews...
 Works great! November 1, 2005
347 out of 349 found this review helpful
I installed this unit in my basement about 8 months ago, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
Things I noticed:
If the power goes out, the unit will NOT turn back on automatically (as some other units do.)
If you want to use the continuous drainage (which I highly recommend) via a hose, you have to punch out a plastic disc on the side of the unit. I would have designed a screw-type plug that was replacable, but they didn't think of that. Anyway, once you punch the quarter-size disc out it's out forever.
If you choose to use the continuous drainage feature, you will need to pick up a hose with an inner diameter of 15mm (.59" or just over half an inch.) I went to the local DIY center and found some clear tubing that has worked well.
The unit can operate down to 2-degrees C (36-degrees F), which will be great for continuous operation in the garage to keep the tools from rusting.
Has three fan settings: med, high and quiet. "Quiet" really is quiet, and could probably work just fine in a bedroom. Though, it does warm the room it's in. How much it warms it depends on the humidity setting.
Four settings: The humidty level (humidstat) can be set to "continuous dehumidification" (which is the default setting), 50%, 60% and 70%. The fan will continue to run but the dehumidification processor will turn off when it reaches the selected humidity level. Cool. I mean, that's when the fan will just blow room-temp air.
A full drainage tank will stop the unit and illuminate a "tank full" indicator light.
The unit is not that heavy -- maybe for some, but not nearly as heavy as some people make it sound. It's 30.8 pounds.
According to the instructions: You will need at least 21 cm (about 8 inches) of clearance in front, behind and side to side. Air blows out of the top of the unit, so you'll need to make sure it's clear as well.
There are movable louvers on the top to direct the air straight up, 45-degrees or almost straight ahead.
Power consumption: CFM-25E is 220W // CFM-40E is 330W
I highly recommend this model dehumidifier.
***15-month UPDATE: It is still working like a champ! We haven't had one single problem with it, and I don't foresee ever really having one in the near future. I've been running this thing nonstop and it has only required me to clean the filter on the back (which takes 5 minutes.) It has remained as quiet as the day I bought it. It's awesome!
Excellent balance of efficiency and effectiveness April 22, 2005
161 out of 163 found this review helpful
I currently have 5 dehumidifiers in different locations, and this one is the strikes the best balance of efficiency, reliability, effectiveness, and quietness. There are other models that can pull more moisture out of the air more quickly, but they are invariably much louder and MUCH more expensive to run.
Works well May 10, 2006
128 out of 129 found this review helpful
I purchased this dehumidifier for mainly basement use, but wanted one quiet enough for use upstairs if needed. And, boy is this thing quiet. My refrigerator is louder. I also own a Fedders 45 pint unit and a Whirlpool 65 pint noise maker. The Fedders (Maytag) was the quiet champ untill I purchased the Soleus Air CFM-40E. The Whirlpool removes an amazing amount of water, but can be heard UPSTAIRS when running in the basement. So it is used only when needed. The Soleus Air is so quiet I have to go down the basement stairs and visually check to see if the unit is on. Can't say that for many dehumidifiers. My only complaint is that the fan is always on, even when it has reached the set humidity level. This prevents the short cycling the others do, on for 2 minutes off for 2 minutes or so, but I think prevents an Energy Star certification. At 2.9 amps it draws significantly less than the Fedders 5.6 amps and the Whirlpool's 7.9 amps.
The Soleus Air works great (so far) upstairs in the spring, when it is cool but damp, like the weather this week. Here in Wisconsin it is in the 60's but rainy, so the house is humid. Running the central air is not necessary since the house is not hot. So I use a dehumidifier, which makes the house seem less clammy. I would recommend the Soleus Air CFM-40E to anyone who is looking for a small, really quiet, relatively light, medium capacity (40pint) dehumidifier that simply does what is supposed to do (remove water from air) with out excess noise.
Works great August 19, 2006
43 out of 44 found this review helpful
This is our first and only dehumidifier, and is kept in our very damp basement. At the time we got the dehumidifier, our unfinished cement basement had wet spots which had formed during the very large rainstorms we had in MA earlier this year. The wet spots were not drying up on their own after months of waiting. We had never had this problem before and were not sure what we should do.
It has been very effective in reducing the humidity in our ~700 sq ft. basement from 90+% to a very comfortable 60% (although it took about a week to break 80% due to our wet floors, I assume). It is extremely quiet. I cannot hear it when I stand at the top of the basement stairs; I have to walk downstairs to see if the red light is on or not. We have to empty it twice a day.
My biggest concern before buying this product was exactly how awkward or difficult it was to empty the container - people really seemed put off by it in some reviews. But I have had no trouble at all emptying it. You have to lift the container up just a little to get it onto the tracks, but then it slides right out without any trouble.
Someone else mentioned this as well: it does significantly raise the temperature of the room. Our basement is now 5 degrees warmer than it was before (was usually 65 deg, now is 70 deg). We run it in continuous mode.
My only negative comment about this product is its short electric cord (~6 ft).
Does exactly what I wanted June 30, 2007
42 out of 43 found this review helpful
We purchased this dehumidifier last summer and used it all season. We've been using it this season beginning last month, and it still works like a charm. I like it for several reasons.
First, it's very light for a humidifier, with a carrying handle which makes it easy to move from one room to another in our lower level. There are wheels, but I don't use them, since the weight of the unit is about the same as a medium size packed suitcase. My wife, who weighs a hundred pounds, uses the wheels.
Second, it's extremely quiet. The last dehumidifier we used (a Kenmore, admittedly much larger) was so loud we had to turn it completely off to hear the television. The Soleus has 3 fan levels, Medium, High and Quiet, with a light which indicates the setting. Quiet, as you'd expect, is the lowest fan setting, but set on High the fan noise is not audible across a normal size room unless you're listening for it. Truthfully, there isn't much audible difference between Medium and High, so I leave it on High.
Finally, it's simple to set up and use. There are electronic controls for each function, each clearly labeled. You set a humidity level of Dry to Moist with an intermediate level in between, again with a light which indicates the setting. There's also a setting to run continuously. I have no idea how accurate the humidistat is, or what is meant by Dry or Moist. We set ours on Dry, and after the first day there was a noticeable difference. The carpet is dry as a bone, the musty odor went away, and the room (a family room about 16' X 24') is comfortably dry.
The manual says the unit can pull 40 pints of water a day from the air. I have no way to tell if this is true. The reservoir tank fills in our house about every eight to twelve hours on High and Dry settings. This obviously varies somewhat with the humidity outside, and how well your air conditioning works, etc.
There is a simple float device which triggers a switch to shut off the unit just before the tank reaches capacity, which is about 12 pints, or about 1.5 gallons. A light indicates the reservoir is full (there is a water level indicator on the front, but I can't see it when the unit is sitting on the floor), and the unit shuts off.
You grab the sides of the reservoir with your fingertips where the tank fits into the bottom of the unit and pull straight out, and there is a nice handle on top of the tank to carry the container to empty it out. It's a little heavier than a full gallon milk jug, and I easily carry it with one hand. My wife is quite small and she has no trouble carrying or emptying the tank. When you slide the empty tank back into the unit it sort of clicks into place, and the unit automatically starts running again. Very simple. There's a hole in which to install a hose (not provided) for the unit to drain continuously, but we don't use it, finding the tank more manageable and less messy.
Two things to keep in mind: One, the unit puts out heat because of its operation. Keep it in a vented place, and make sure the louvered vent on the top of the unit is open. The wider the opening the greater the discharge of heat. The heat output in our house, with the louver at its widest point, is about the same as running the air conditioner on fan in your car in summer, without the ac compressor running. In other words there is noticeably warm air venting out of the unit while it's running. It's not warm enough to be any danger to children or pets, but it might increase the temperature slightly in a very small room, and certainly in an enclosed space such as a closet.
And two, there is an air intake on the back of the unit with a simple air filter. The filter has to be removed and vacuumed periodically, or else no air can get through. Air is necessary for the unit to do its job properly, so you have to keep the filter clean. We do this about once a month, but we have a whole house filter on our furnace and air conditioner. The manual is quite clear and easily followed regarding set up, operation and maintenance.
This is the best dehumidifier we have ever used. I just bought a second one to use in our bedroom. I have no idea how long they last, but we're into our second season with no problems. I have seen reviews where the units reportedly did not work, or eventually malfunctioned, but we've never had a single problem. There is a one year warranty.
|
