Dehumidifiers.

[mattl]

Brings back memories...  I too once had a <a name="start_35954.536683">Soleus, because it was supposed to be quiet.  While it was quiet, it was a poor performer at best, in an average sized basement.  Sent it back.  However it might be a good fit in a living area if the humidity is not overpowering as it can be in a basement.
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[mattl]

Funny, after I posted that I went and looked to see if Soleus was still around, I guess they are, went to Amazon to look at a couple, and today got an email from Amazon with lots of units 25% off, actually some were good deals.  Amazon does a pretty good job of tracking you and trying to get you to come back.

 

Funny thing, some of the Soleus units look like re-badged Frigidaire units- I wonder who makes them...

 

[toggleswitch]

YES I had a wake-the-dead Whirlpool. I left it when I sold my house.

Apparently it short-cycled due to the frost-control (on the evaproator coil). The plug would get mighty hot.

Changed the plug, didn't believe it was dangerous, but didnt want it nontheless!

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have a "Wake The Dead" Whilrpool that was here when I bought the house.  I use it during the rainy season and between A/C and Heater seasons when the basement gets a little dank. 

It is loud, roaring loud.  A few years back I though it had given up on me.  The compressor would overheat within a few minutes of being turned on, and then would proceed to short cycle after that. 

 

I was so happy, I was going to get a new one.  But then the frugal part of me said there must be something causing it, and heck I'm going to get a new one anyway.  So I tore it apart.  I had had the front of a few times to clean the evaporator portion, but this time I took off the side panels and the foam blocks and looked at the condensor.  It was plugged with dust.  I gave it a good sucking with the Kirby, put it back together; and it's still running.

 

It still rattles, and drones, the fan sounds like a jet taking off; but it works.  I have to empty the bucket about three times a day during the rainy season, and it sucks electricity like a full sized air conditioner.  But it works.

 

[henry200]

Is this turning into a Whirlpool bashing thread?

I had a "wake the dead" Whirlpool too.  Actually I had two of them.  I always had a problem with dehumidifiers icing up in the cool basement so I bought a Whirlpool which was supposed to operate in a cooler environment.  After two days of running without a drop appearing in the bucket, and the humidity in the basement getting worse than ever, I opened it up to find the coils completely iced-over so I returned it as defective.  They gave me another of the same model which worked better but then I got a recall notice saying there was a fire hazzard.   After waiting all summer and half the winter and getting NO response from customer service via mail, email or phone, although they kept sending warning notices about the hazzard(!) I gave up and bought a Frigidaire, which has been serving me faithfully for several years now.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Is this turning into a Whirlpool bashing thread?

No, I didn't mean to at all.  I was just following the thought that the machines are very noisy.

 

 

 

[henry200]

"bashing"

No offense was intended......it just appears we're all in agreement that those Whirlpools are noisy beyond necessity!

 

[drewz]

No bashing here, just being truthful. I am a Whirlpool/Kenmore fan from way back, and older Whirlpool dehumidifers and Kenmore clones were great. However the last batch (Slanted Front Grills) are terrible. As I stated earlier they work great but thank goodness they are in the basement.

The tin cabinets themselves are a major part of the problem they actually bend when you try and pick them up, (I think they needed to be infused with the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Whirlpool/Kenmore Quiet Pac III pads </span>before the cabinets were placed around the works!

 

[gansky1]

it ain't just Whirlpool...

I have a "Wake-The-Dead" Frigidaire from 1998, bought when we moved to this house and the basement felt like a terrarium.  I run it nearly constantly from around mid-March until the weather begins to get drier feeling in September or October.   With all the washing machines and a room-full of service & sales literature, catalogs and brochures, I have to keep it running even with central a/c.   It's very loud but does work.  I keep thinking that "when it dies, I'll look for the quietest unit I can find"  though that may be a bit of a problem it looks like.  

 

[polkanut]

My parents have an old Coldspot dehumidifier that has been faithfully chugging away forever.  It is not too loud, and does a great job.  It does draw quite a bit of electricity though.