My personal review of the Soleus CFM-40 E 40-Pint dehumidifier

My Review of the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier

Okay so I finally got tired of having plumbers come over to check out why the hell we keep getting mold buildup on the walls on the first floor of our home and the basement too. Like most women I guess I’m not that knowledgeable about how things like these actually work. But after paying out over $2,000 for repairs that did not solve the problem I finally got an honest suggestion from a family friend. It turned out what I needed was a humidifier.

Well I’ve never had to look at a humidifier before and so I simply assumed all I needed was to just go grab one that would fit into my budget. Well what a disaster that first unit turned out to be. Let’s just say I blew $185 for nothing.

It turned out that there was far more to choosing a humidifier than I could have ever imagined. So I took some time to really get under the hood so to speak of what makes a solid humidifier and how they work before I would part with another dime of my money. Well after a few days my research finally led me to the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier.

What to look for when buying a dehumidifier.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that there a few important things to keep in mind when buying a dehumidifier. These are:

• The capacity of size of the unit
• What are the options for water removal
• Placement, basically where do you intend to put the unit
• What is the operating temperature of the space for the unit
• What is the relative humidity of the space in question
• The energy factor of the unit

Now if like me you simply run out and purchase the first dehumidifier you see without understanding the above points you are destined for trouble and not to mention will be most likely very unsatisfied with your purchase. So to avoid all the frustration I suggest you stick with me while I go over all the above in detail and then finally show you why the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier proved to be the absolute best buy in its class and price range.

Capacity – Does size really matters?

When it comes to choosing a dehumidifier size does indeed matters but it’s not really the size of the unit that you should be looking at. What you really need to focus on is the capacity of the unit you choose.

Dehumidifier capacity is normally measured in the number or pints of water that the unit can remove within 24 hours. Two factors determine this and they are the size of the space or room you intend to dehumidify and the preexisting conditions of that space prior to you dehumidifying it. Basically just how damp or humid is the room or space that you need to dehumidify.

Now when I began my search I found this a bit daunting so I suggest you use the chart directly to the left to help you nail down your capacity needs. But if you’re still at a loss when it comes to sizing your unit just keep in mind that the most popular size is a model with a capacity of 30 to 50 pints.

Also Experts usually recommend that you buy a larger dehumidifier as oppose to a smaller one. An exception to this though is if the room in question is simply too small like say a bathroom for example. The reason why is because larger models can lower humidity in a faster amount of time.

What are your options for water removal?

Most humidifiers use a removable plastic bucket that holds the water removed from the air and stores it until you throw the water out. Because of this you really need to pay attention to the bucket size of the unit you intend to buy. Also you will find that most of these portable units also have the option to be self draining. Basically this means that you will have a drain hose connection on the bucket which will allow you to simply drain the water directly. But this is only useful if you are placing the unit in a space where you have easy access to drain pipes or maybe a sink like in a laundry room or basement for example.

One thing to note is that the larger the bucket size the less often you will need to empty the unit but this does come with an extra price tag. I found that the larger the bucket size the higher priced the unit tended to be. You should expect to pay roughly around $140 for a 25-pint dehumidifier and $325 for a 70-pint dehumidifier.

Where do you intend to place your humidifier?
Don’t overlook this very important point in your selection process. You will find that some dehumidifiers come with a top mounted air discharge and this means that you can theoretically put these units right up alongside walls. But I would suggest that you try to avoid doing this. Call me paranoid but I feel much better knowing my dehumidifier is sitting in a safe spot away from my wooden panels. But another more important reason is that you will get the best results from your unit if it has a good range of air circulation. This means keep a clear distance from walls and furniture.

Most dehumidifiers have top-mounted air discharge and can be placed against walls, but if you do not have top-mounted discharge, make sure the dehumidifier is located away from walls and furniture, so that air can circulate freely around the unit. This will result in better operation of the product. I strongly suggest that you keep your top-mounted discharge unit at least 10 full inches away from all obstructions on all sides. And by the way if you choose to go with a dehumidifier that exhausts out the back then increase the safe air circulation zone to 14 inches on all sides.

One thing of note you should really get a dehumidifier that has caster wheels that will make it very easy for you to roll it from room to room when needed.

Also please keep the unit away from direct sources of dirt and dust because this will seriously clog up the coils and grills on the dehumidifier. One more tip on placement, make sure you keep the space the unit is in closed off while you’re running the dehumidifier because this will also help to keep the machine running efficiently which will reduce your electricity usage big time.

Lastly remember this is an electrical device and so you need to observe all the manufacturer warnings regarding electrical safety. Never set up water drainage or disposal near electrical circuits or other electrical devices and make sure you have the outlet the unit will be plugged into properly grounded.

OK so what about Temperature and the like…

Basically before you purchase your unit you will need to have a good idea of the average temperature of the room or space you plan to place the dehumidifier.

Unless you live on the west coast or basically in an area where the climate is pretty warm all year round you will want to get a dehumidifier that can function efficiently at low temperatures and that has a built in automatic defrost feature. So this means that if the room or area in question tends to fall below 65 degrees F. you will need to get a unit that is Energy Star certified to 45–40 degrees.

Frost can form on the condensing coils if the air temperature drops below 65 degrees, and this eventually will end up negatively affecting the performance of the unit by causing the compressor to cycle on and off repeatedly without removing moisture from the air. If this happens, the unit should be switched off and allowed to defrost before it is turned back on and this is where the automatic defrost feature comes in big time. Well designed dehumidifiers come with an anti frost sensor, which will automatically turn the unit off if the air temperature drops below a certain point. But again this means you will pay a bit more for this unit but although you may pay a little more for the automatic defrost feature, it will spare you the expense of replacing a unit damaged from iced coils.

So what the heck is this Relative Humidity (RH) and Humidistat and do I really need to care…

Actually you should take the time to quickly understand relative humidity and how it affects your choice of a humidifier.

Remember that humidity is nothing more that the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air and this is usually referred to as Relative Humidity (RH). RH is the amount of water vapor actually present in the air compared to the greatest amount of water vapor the air can hold at that temperature. The optimum RH level for a building is generally considered to be between 30% and 50%. Anything above this range may promote bacteria growth. (In colder climates, during the heating season, humidity levels should be in the range of 30% to 40% RH to prevent window condensation.)

To help control relative humidity, many dehumidifiers include a built-in humidistat, a device that allows you to set the desired RH level that you would like for the room. Once the room reaches the desired RH level, the dehumidifier will cycle on and off automatically to maintain the level.

If your dehumidifier does not have a built-in humidistat, or a humidistat that does not show RH levels purchase a hygrometer (a gauge that measures relative humidity) separately and hang it near the dehumidifier. The hygrometer will measure RH levels, and enable you to monitor when to turn the dehumidifier on and off.

How do I determine the Energy efficiency of a humidifier?

Even though these units tend to be smaller in size to other appliances like say a dishwasher you still need to take into consideration how much energy your humidifier will consume on a daily basis.

The energy efficiency of a dehumidifier is measured by its energy factor, in liters of water removed per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy consumed or L/kWh. In general, a higher energy factor means a more efficient dehumidifier. Energy factors can be easily located on the label material of your humidifier. Just keep in mind that the bigger the unit the more efficient it tends to be.

So there you have the basics of what you need to look at when considering a humidifier.

But how does the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier stack up against the above list?

Good question so let’s take a look at why I decided to go with the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier.

The Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier can remove up to 40 pints of water per day which is just fantastic and not to mention it only weighs in at 31 pounds. It also comes with an easy to access removable front reservoir bucket and if needed you can also use the continuous drainage port.

One thing I really liked with this unit was the full bucket indicator alarm which lets you know when it’s time to empty the bucket. But let’s just say you went deaf or simply forgot to empty the bucket. Well no big deal because the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier also has an automatic shut off that prevents any overflow from happening in such cases. Plus you should know that this unit comes with a washable air filter. This is critical because you really need to clean this filter a couple times per week with mild soapy water to prevent bacteria build up.

The Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier comes with the all important adjustable humidistat. Remember you need this to automatically adjust the unit to match the relative humidity of the room you’re using the unit in. This is an incredible time and energy saver because of the automatic defrost feature that’s built right in. Of all the units I checked out this one was one of the quietest units while in full operational mode. I could actually carry on a conversation with my daughter right next to the unit while it was on full blast.

Now at 31 pounds this unit is not the heaviest but it still has weight to it and so it’s nice that it has an actual carrying handle plus the caster wheels. This way you can wheel it all over the house if carrying it is too much for you.

As for size it only measures 14-1/2 by 10-1/4 by 21 inches (WxDxH) which is pretty decent for such a powerful and efficient humidifier.

If you’re big about going green then you should love the fact that the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier uses the no CFC refrigerant which goes a long way to protect the environment and reduces the pollution footprint of the unit.

How much should you expect to pay?

The Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier is available on the company site for $249.99 but you really shouldn’t be paying any more than $190 for this humidifier. The cheapest I saw this for was at Amazon and is where I actually got mine. They seem to consistently have it for under $200.

What’s Included

• 40-pint dehumidifier with removable reservoir tank; optional continuous-drainage port
• Full-bucket indicator alarm; automatic shut-off prevents overflow; washable air filter
• Rotary compressor
• Adjustable humidistat; whisper-quiet operation; automatic defrost
• Built-in wheels and carrying handle provides easy portability
• Measures 14-1/2 by 10-1/4 by 21 inches (WxDxH)
• Power Supply : 110/120V (60Hz)
• Watts: 350W
• Rated Current: 1.8A
• Capacity: 40 pints
• Air Flow : 88 CFM
• Weight: 30.8 lbs.

Does it come with a warranty?

Yes the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier is backed by 1-year warranty

What others are saying

This humidifier has received rave reviews from most consumers online with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from most reviewers on Amazon and the Soleus website.

Here are some of the comments to date:

• “Excellence balance of efficiency and effectiveness”
• “Does exactly what I wanted”
• “My basement feels drier already”
• “Works like a charm”
• “Sucks all moisture out of the air to make living space nice and dry”

Any complaints?

I found very few complaints for this humidifier on consumer sites online. One customer did express concern that if the power goes out and comes back on the unit will not automatically start back up like some units. But honestly I think you can simply work around this seeing that this will be at home most likely.

Where can you buy the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier?

You can buy this Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier from Amazon. At the moment they include free shipping and based on my research they do seem to have the best deals when compared with other online merchants. Click here to view on Amazon.

Where can you read more reviews the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier?

The best place for reviews from people who actually use the product is Amazon. Click here to read more.

P.S. Forgot to mention another great thing about Soleus Air and why I decided to go with their product line – Just check out their commitment to the environment with their Going Green Program.