Most helpful client reviews
510 of 514 humans found the following review helpful.
Perfect arrival, installation, effectiveness
By Dave Tennis
I expended a night reviewing dehumidifiers at Consumer Reports, amazon, and elsewhere to grasp what I must use for a damp basement after the 2010 east coast winter. I realized, finally, by plowing through all the hype, that the “70 pints” does not refer to the volume of the bucket, but the rate at which the dehumidifier may remove water vapor from the air: 70 pints per day, but the buckets are all the same, regarding 2 gallons. That needs to be made clearer in the review and advertising. For a block-wall basement, with French drains, in an area with high water table, or for any room where liquid water appears, you need the most eminent rate so the unit cycles on and off. Otherwise, you badly waste power.
This unit (Frigidaire FAD704TDP) was not reviewed by Consumer Reports, but by others who were concerned with drying rates and noise. This unit is closely silent! It filled a 2-gal bucket in just a few hours in a 40×60 foot basement with no liquid water but with damp block foundation. Overnight, the divergence was remarkable; in two days time, it was arid and liveable without further odors. It cycles in 1-3 hours, depending on rainfall, when set to 40% humidity, and I would suppose that higher or lower settings may be necessitated at other times of year.
I built a clear vinyl hose from elements at hardware store, and piped the water to the little sump attached to the house HVAC. The unit had to be placed on an 8″ box (wooden), with casters to keep it from rolling off. Being competent to see the hose water was primary as grunge will appear; when not hosed out, this finally blocked the hose and discomfited the dehumidifier. The built-in air filter is not designed to remove mold spores to prevent this problem.
A very good product, confidently recommended.
182 of 183 people found the following review helpful.
Worked great, but didn’t hold up.
By David Snyder
I in truth liked this dehumidifier for the season and a half that it lasted. I employed it in a basement and connected a drain hose for ceaseless operation. It had no trouble keeping my basement at 50 – 60% humidity and I actually never had to do anything except check and clean the filter each few weeks. I felt the noise level was reasonable for a basement. The bucket was a little tricky to remove, but since I had it hooked up to a hose that didn’t bother me too much.
Unfortunately it seems like no one may build a dehumidifier that lasts anymore. This one didn’t fail completely, but it appeared that something went faulty with the humidistat or electronics. After the difficultnesses started the unit always displayed the humidity as 95% and ran continuously. I checked the hose and there was still a great deal of moisture being got rid of so I think the compressor was still going strong. Since I had an extended warranty (I purchased this from HH Gregg) I returned for repair but they decisive it was too pricey to fix and now I will have to replace it. I may take a chance on another Frigidaire, or perhaps the Soleus 70 pint model.
I am giving this three stars because altho it worked well at first, I think an appliance like this will have to last for 5 years at a minimum, and likewise if something does go wrong these ought to be repairable. That energy star rating means not one thing if there are a stream of these headed to a landfill because they don’t last.
UPDATE 06-02-2010: I decisive to go with this unit as a alternate for my former Frigidaire 70 pint unit. Just a warning, the unit I got looks somewhat different… more like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-70-pint-Dehumidifier/dp/B001UH91OI/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1275532106&sr=1-20 I in the first place thought this might be old stock, but the date of invent was 3/10 so I ought to be mistaken. Hopefully my warranty will transfer because I have a sentiment I will be going through this all again in a couple years.
61 of 63 people found the following review helpful.
Great dehumidifier
By P. Comeau
I purchased the 70pint version last year after my old dehumidifier passed from physical life and I started getting mold and mildew in my basement. I have a 200 year old home with a basement approximately 5 feet beneath ground depth so reasonably damp. This unit’s been great so far and I love the fact you may set the humidity level (I keep at 50%). With all the rain we had in the northeast this past March it’s been running steady for over 4 weeks but without issue. I have it drain direct to my sump.
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