Keep it running all day long and the costs could mount up, but this is an excellent dehumidifier for situations where a refrigerant model just won’t work. The best dehumidifiers you can buy in 2023 1. De’Longhi Tascuigo AriaDry Multi 16L: The best dehumidifier for small to mid-sized homes The water condensed out of the air collects in a reservoir at the bottom of the dehumidifier. Most of the models we tested didn’t have a built-in pump to automatically remove the water. Unless you have a floor drain, no pump means you’ll need to empty the water reservoir yourself. Having an easy-to-remove, carry, and empty reservoir was a major part of our usability testing. What To Know About Buying Dehumidifiers How Does a Dehumidifier Work? Auto Restart - if the unit turns off unexpectedly due to the power being cut, it will restart with the previous function setting automatically when the power resumes. The key difference to an air conditioner is that the air is rewarmed before it gets returned to the room. So, moist air goes in, and drier air comes out at about the same temperature as it started.

A dehumidifier is like an air conditioner. It has a cooling compressor linked to cooling coils. A fan pulls air across these, cooling it down, and condensing out some of the water it contains. This drips down into a collection reservoir. It’s slightly louder and consumes more power than the equivalent refrigerant, but can also run more effectively over shorter periods. That makes it a good bet for drying clothes or using in an outside office, garage or workshop where damp is becoming a problem, and it’s relatively lightweight and portable to boot.An A/C system, whether it’s a whole-house system, window air conditioner, or portable air conditioner, will remove some humidity.

Low temperature setting and/or auto-defrost: These features are helpful if the dehumidifier will be in a cool place, as they help ensure the unit can operate properly in cooler temps. The control panel design also elevates this model above most of the competition. The large display and touch-sensitive buttons are easy to see and use. You probably won’t need to reach for the manual to get this LG up and running. Each model was assessed for how easy it was to use the controls. Portable dehumidifiers should also live up to their name and be easy to move!Because humidity is removed by cooling the air, dehumidifiers work best when it is warm. All the dehumidifiers we tested have minimum operating temperatures of around 40°F. This means they’ll work just fine in most basements. If you have an unconditioned space that gets colder than 40°F, compressor-based dehumidifiers won’t work for you. All dehumidifiers have filters to keep dust off the heat exchangers. The Frigidaire has the sturdiest of those tested. In other cases it felt like the filters or clips that held them in place would break sooner or later. Don’t get too excited about this dehumidifier’s smart capabilities. You can connect it to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, but the app is little more than a glorified remote control with only basic scheduling features and no way to integrate with existing air quality meters you might have hooked up. That aside, it’s a well-designed and effective dehumidifier, capable of extracting up to 20 litres per day into a larger-than-average six-litre tank. We found this surprisingly easy to remove from the rear of the machine when full, with a built-in handle for carrying. Pumps: Attached to the hose, a pump can send water up to a sink or window. Many can move water up to 15 feet. A large humidifier removes 40 to 55 pints of moisture at 65°F, or 70 to 90 pints at 80°F (about 1,200 to 1,500-plus square feet).

Most models also include a drain opening that can connect to a hose. When the reservoir is full, any extra water collected runs down the hose. This avoids the hassle of reservoir emptying. It’s only possible if you have a floor drain or a place for the hose to discharge. For a typical room temperature of 68°F to 70°F a relative humidity of 30% to 50% is considered comfortable. Some dehumidifiers have a comfort setting that automatically keeps humidity in this range. Do Air Conditioners Dehumidify?Features: Dehumidifiers have many features to consider, but these are the ones our pros recommend focusing on: We only test condensing models, since they capture more moisture than desiccant models (which use a water-absorbing material) or thermoelectric dehumidifiers (which use an electric charge to "attract" humidity). The Hisense has reservoir removal from the front of the unit. While the reservoir feels a little flimsy, it’s easy to carry and empty without spilling.