Dri Eaz 1200

by Larry R
(bc)

I am a contractor and have 3 Dri Eaz dehunidifiers and to start with the units were good with no problems however after a year or so they are always in the shop getting fixed!

There are two main problems and one of them is the control panel. The switches are built in to the control panel and they are light duty switches so they break easy so you have to fork out 2-3 hundred dollars for a new control panel because it is all one unit.

The second thing is the purge pump switching is defective and the unit floods the floor when it fails.

My opinion is for what you pay for these units they are absolute complete GARBAGE!

Avoid buying them at all cost.

Honeywell DR90A1000

by James Estes
(Nicholson, PA)

I installed a Honeywell DR90A1000 for a customer on 4/17/11. I had two callbacks for noise and one for coil iceing. The time for the service calls is a loss. The defrost thermostat is bad and is not sold as a replacement part. The documentation is for the DH90 and is garbage. I must remove the unit and use another manufacturer. Honeywell is producing residential junk and has inadequate quality controls. The internal coils cannot be cleaned without removal of molded styrofoam insulation. The coil fins were damaged on receipt. This unit is NOT equal to the DH90! Make sure you know what you are buying. The company is very short on information and support considering the pricing of the units.
I have 20+ years in HVAC and have rarely been aggrevated like this.
James

SantaFe Advance Dehumidifier P/N 4025699

This unit is used in the southeast US. Summers are hot and humid. I have owned the Santa Fe Advance for 5 yrs now. Overall it does as advertised. I have an 1800 Sq Ft sealed crawlspace. This unit is placed in the middle and maintains an average 41%RH at center and 51%RH around the perimeter during the summer at 76 degrees in the crawlspace.

The unit is VERY NOISY and its location is near my bedroom. I cannot stand this thing running at night (one level house). I have an appliance rated timer and only run it from 7AM to 10PM. Since the dehumidifier is an auto start system cutting power is not an issue, especially since the power is cut for 9 hrs. Also, the humidity only increases about 10% during the off time. When I first used the unit in the summer, it would easily reduce the humidity to 39% cycling on and off as needed. Around the second year the unit would seem to run longer to reach the same humidity. By the 3rd year it never gets the humidity below 41% in the 15hrs it runs, during the summer. Winter months are not as bad and the unit reaches its target setting and cycles on and off as needed. It's possible Freon may be low, but according to the manufacturer if the evaporator coil is not freezing, then Freon is OK.

The source of the excessive noise is the compressor and the way it is insulated on the frame. If I take the filter out and push my finger on the top edge of the compressor there is about a 20% noise reduction. Why can't the manufacturer find a way to make this thing quieter? Also the way the outer casing is attached with the plastic buckling at the bottom lets air in bypassing the filter. Also the compressor vibration causes the casing to rattle amplifying the noise. I have adjusted the screws trying to get the case not to rattle.

This unit is by far better than the retail home units, in that it works for long periods many years. I just wish it was quieter.

Would I buy this unit again? Depends. There are other crawlspace dehumidifiers around the same price rated at lower decibels I would probably try first. I don't care how good the unit is, if it is noisy and you can't stand it running, you are trading one problem for another. There has to be a more quiet unit out there that works as well.