UPDATE 08/09/11 - Bad John requested an update... so here goes... after 4 months, still very satisfied. During the colder months, it never really did go much lower than 48% when the temperature was around 60 in the basement, it got down to around 45% RH and that was as good as it could do. Although 45% humidity at 60 degrees was certainly acceptable. For the past few weeks we have had outdoor temperatures running between 80 and nearly 100 degrees with beastly humidity (at least for the northeast). My basement has been in the mid to upper 70's and I have the control on the dehumidifier set for 45%. It is currently 75 degrees and 40% humidity, at least according to the thermometer/hygrometer sitting on the shelf 3 feet away from the unit. The unit cycles off and on rather frequently, but it does not run continuously, although that is obviously a very subjective observation that would be influenced by outdoor and indoor temperatures, RH, rainfall, and water infiltration into the basement drainage/sump, as well as the setting of the dehumidifier controls. So overall, I would still recommend this as a solid choice. Longevity remains to be seen, but so far, so good...
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
My initial synopsis of this unit based on 3 hours of ownership:
PROS:
o VERY quiet... makes you wonder if it is really working at first
o Very simple, straightforward, and intuitive controls
o Auto-restart in the event of a power failure
o Superbly packaged, double boxed and excellent manufacturer packaging
o Competitively priced
o Ingenious "continuous drain" option
o Feels solid and the casters work well (at least on a concrete floor)
NEUTRALS:
o Air intake on front and exhausts out the top
CONS:
o Made in China but then you really don't have much of a choice nowadays
Read on if you want to see why I have stated these PROS and CONS... otherwise, just seriously consider this unit
THE EPEXEGESIS:
I have owned and/or observed several dehumidifiers over the years... my parents had an Amana (I think it was) that they had for *years*, it worked fine but was quite noisy and eventually gave out. Now they have another brand that I don't remember at the moment which also works fine but is somewhat noisy. I've had a couple of different dehumidifiers, too. A couple of my friends have Frigidaire dehumidifiers that they have so far had good luck with for three or four years, and I *almost* bought one but the "sales associate" at the big box store (rhymes with blows) that I went to was so much less than helpful that I decided I would just order from Amazon, since they had the same model for $40 less even with shipping. The previous dehumidifier I own I payed a crapload of money for (like approaching one thousand) and it didn't even run correctly for two years. I'm currently talking to the company that I bought it from to see if it can be serviced... but that's another story which is not looking too rosy at the moment.
Anyway, after leaving the big box store with no joy (and no dehumidifier), I came home and decided to reconsider other dehumidifiers that I had looked at on Amazon. I had read that dehumidifiers with a rotary compressor were far quieter and more efficient than the conventional reciprocating-compressor-based models. I had previously stumbled upon this Supentown dehumidifier in my explorations on Amazon. I agonized over the decision, and had it narrowed down to three choices, the Frigidaire, a Danby, and this one. I *finally* decided, based on the wildly varying reviews that I read on Amazon and elsewhere, that it was really a total crap shoot and that I would go with this dehumidifier, also due in some part to satisfy my curiosity as to whether the rotary compressor would really live up to the reputation of which I had read.
It arrived today while I was at work, and this evening, I unboxed it and got it set up. The packaging was exemplary, it was double boxed and was in pristine shape. I hooked up a continuous drain hose, which in itself is an ingenious implementation. On one of my previous dehumidifiers, you cut the "plug" out of a garden hose threaded stud that was molded into the bucket of the unit... cheesy and meant that there was an inch or so of water that always stood in the bucket... plus it came out the side of the bucket, so it was ugly and never pointed in the right direction. I hated the design from the get-go. This unit has a rubber plug on the back which you pull out and then you slide a short piece of clear plastic tubing in through the hole and it slides over a nipple that would normally drain into the bucket, so no water ever enters the bucket, it just goes straight out the drain hose... VERY nicely thought out and executed. They provide a male threaded outlet stud that you use two screws to fasten into the hole on the back of the unit, then attach a standard garden hose connection. (Actually you slide that male threaded stud onto the clear plastic tubing before you slide the tubing into the back and onto the nipple I mentioned previously.) Once I got the drain hose outlet installed, I got it plugged in and turned on. I kid you not, I cannot even hear the compressor running. It makes me wonder if it is even working!!! The only sound I hear is the fan; it is on the "turbo" setting and is like a strong fan noise, but FAR FAR FAR quieter than any of the dehumidifiers I have ever owned or experienced. Reminds me of the noise made by the old "carousel slide projector" that my parents owned back in the day. On "normal", it is even quieter. I just went down to check it, and it showed a "P1" on the display, which the manual stated that it was in a "defrost" cycle, and would resume normal operation once it had defrosted. I stood there until the compressor came back on, and it is just a low hum that is audible when you hear the difference but is very quiet and unobtrusive.
One thing that you have to remember is that dehumidifiers are less efficient as the temperature drops... my basement is at 60 degrees right now, and I *believe* that dehumidifiers are rated at their water removal capacity at a temperature of 80 degrees or maybe a bit warmer. But I digress, and in any event, it is chugging away down there and I will be very interested to check the hygrometer that sits on a shelf nearby tomorrow to see how far it has dropped from the initial 51%... it has dropped to 48% in the short time it has run, so I am very hopeful to see the results.
So... the bottom line from my initial impression is that this is a VERY nicely thought out, designed, and executed unit. Of course the other attribute that I am highly interested in is its longevity, which unfortunately, as they say, "only time will tell". I'll make an effort to come back and update my review in the future, but there are a few drawbacks to that concept: Firstly, I may not remember, Secondly, I may not last as long as the dehumidifier (hope so but hey you never know), and Thirdly, at that time this model may no longer be available which means this review will be pretty much of no use... Sunpentown SD-65E Energy Star 65-Pint Dehumidifier'
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