By 

C. Rieger “C. Rieger” (Virginia) –

  

I putchased this unit as it was specified as having three features I wanted in a basement unattended dehumidifier a) auto restart on power failure b) continous gravity drain and c) automatic defrost. When I received the unit and hooked up the continous drain hose the unit continued to fill up its bucket and auto stop when the bucket filled up. I checked several times to make sure I had hooked up the auto drain as per istructions which were very straight forward. Finally convinced I had hooked up the hose correctly I called Danby customer care in Toronto. Got through to them very quickly. The person I spoke with explained that, yes, this model was having ” manufacturing problems” and many units were not auto draining, but they were working on a “fix”. He offered to take my name and mail me the fix as soon as it was out. When I asked him how long the fix has been worked on and when it would be available , he responded ” for several months” and ” any week now”. Well not willing to wait for the “fix” I asked and got my money back from the reseller I had bought the unit from. So before I would buy this unit ( which appeared quite solid) if the continous drain feature is important to you I would check and make sure the “fix” is in.

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Ed Hoar (Delaware, Ohio) –

  

This unit cost more than my other choices, but I have had my previous dehumidifier for over 30 years and I thought energy consumption was going to be a significant part of the cost. The unit appears well made, is easy to carry around (although heavy) and the humidity controls are simple.
When on a hard surface, the unit is easy to roll about.

I do not use nor expect to use the timer function or the remote control.
The unit came in half the time promised, and I was able to install it before departing on a trip.
The setup was easy and the instructions adequate. I use the drain rather than the bucket. I like the way the drain is solidly attached to the unit rather than to the bucket. The hose is an unimpressive plastic unit but I think the attachment is a standard bib thread so I expect if there is a problem I can attach a standard hose.

The display is easy to read but a little awkward as it displays five items with only two displays. The humidity is normally displayed on one unit and pressing the up down buttons changes the humidly set point. Thus checking the humidity set point may change it. The labels for the buttons are iconic so I was puzzled by the timer button which I don’t use and didn’t expect. The unit can be set to start in the future and run for a limited time. Why I can’t imagine. Save the instructions for this function. A reasonable improvement would be to place the basic instructions on the back of the unit so 20 years from now you can find them.

The power failed once since installation and the unit came back on to default settings which are reasonable although I need to lower them. Remembering the set point through a power failure would be a nice improvement. Although I can tell the humidity has noticeable improved since installing the unit, I can’t comment on how well it works. I don’t empty the bucket nor can I hear it as it is in the basement. The only noise is the fan noise which seems reasonable. The air exit is straight up which means a minimum of distraction or blowing papers around.

I did not give this unit the 5th star because I do not observe it in action nor can I compare it to other units.

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Warning. I purchased a Danby dehumidifier after excellent consumer report reviews and research. It worked GREAT for one summer. But by fall I noticed this thing wasn’t working as good. I saw less water being drawn out. I thought it was because temperatures were dropping in Chicago, so I packed it up for the winter. Well spring comes and it didn’t work at all. I called Danby and they stated to send it to a local shop. I searched for days to find a shop. Most companies stated it just takes too long to get parts from Danby and they stopped doing repairs. After calling Danby again, I found a shop in North Chicago area, I live in the south suburbs. So I packed this heavy piece of machinery, yes it weighs about 80 pounds, in my CUV and fought traffic on the Dan Ryan. Got a call back a few days later stating the warranty wasn’t valid and it would cost around $150 to repair. Luckily the owner was legit and stated that these things never last long. He gets many complaints and he recommended I purchase a new dehumidifier instead. Don’t buy a Danby in the US. It is too tough to get parts and their warranty is a joke, 6 months. I noticed now they are 1 year, but Whirlpool units have up to 5 years. If you buy this unit get an extended warranty, I didn’t and regret it. I would just stay away from Danby dehumidifiers.

I just purchased a Frigidaire unit from Amazon with a 3 year warranty. So far it is working like a champ and it is MUCH LESS noisy. Now I am realizing I made a huge mistake buying a Danby. I thought all dehumidifiers were noisy, my whirlpool I replaced was loud and the Danby was even louder. The Frigidaire unit makes so much less noise. So another reason to stay away from Danby.

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