Danby DDR6588EE Dehumidifier
From Danby
New unit for 2008! This is Danby's largest dehumidifier featuring a 65-pint capacity. Electronic controls easily adjust humidity settings and fan speed.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #222789 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Brand: Danby
- Dimensions: 80.00 pounds
Perfect for Large, Humid Spaces
I've been using this in a 1500 sq ft basement now for about a month and I honestly have to say I don't know what the previous reviewers on this product were thinking when they ordered. It's a dehumidifier. Every dehumidifier I have ever owned has been loud. That's what happens when you mount a fan and compressor unit together in a small cabinet.
You really need to consider why you need a dehumidifier and for how large an area you are buying in the first place. If you need to dehumidify only a small area in a lived in space, then this is not the dehumidifier for you. This is exactly what it says it is and it does an incredible job. Danby actually list this as "for areas up to 3,700 sq. ft. depending on conditions." I suspect that might be pushing it if you actually tried to use it for that much space, but to be fair I may be wrong on that. For our 1500 sq ft area it turned out to be an incredible find. The basement in our new place had a humidity level of around 65% when we moved in. This is just way too high to tolerate. I needed a quick solution for a basement with an obvious moisture problem (until I can devote the time and bigger money to fixing the various causes of the moisture anyway). Within the first 24 hours of clicking this Danby Dehumidifier on, I saw a drop to around 45%, so 24 hours got me a 20% drop. This is very nice. But it gets better. As time goes on this dehumidifier keeps sucking in water and I have seen numbers as low as 38% down there with an average of 40%. Note that at this point I'm keeping it set on high fan and 45% as the cut-off point (which means it shuts down when the humidity drops to 45% or lower - ideal range for indoor humidity is generally agreed upon as between 40% to 50% - below 35% is considered too dry). So with an average of 40%, even set on 45% the dehumidifier keeps the humidity down below the 45% mark according to my humidity gauge. Nor does it raise temperatures all that significantly. It does put out heat, but not any more than any other dehumidifier in my experience. The reason other reviewers complained about this seems obvious to me - they bought too much dehumidifier for a space that needed far less.
If you are worried about the noise, know that this is rated at 60 decibels. This comes in roughly at the same level as "normal conversation" on the decibel charts. So yes it could be distracting if you plan to put it in a room where you watch television or regularly do things that noise would be irritating. And as a comparison, the average hair dryer or lawn mower comes in at 90 decibels. This thing is just not that loud for use in a basement or other location that does not need silence.
I don't think the unit looks any cheaper than other products out there today. It does have a lot of plastic on it, but then again it's not like I plan on rolling it down a hill in impact test or anything. It just sits there with nothing on top of it, so I don't think in the long run this matters one bit. In fact, thank you Danby for not making the thing overly heavy and overly costly with a metal case!
The one complaint I have: emptying the tank could be smoother. If you don't have drain hose and you use the tank expect to empty it about twice a day in a high humidity environment. This is not a smooth process. The tank slides out ok, but getting it back in takes a little work of lining it up and getting it just so-so to slide back in. Ultimately it does not take that long and it does go in so I consider this a minor annoyance that I could easily solve if I just went out and got a hose. If you have a drain hose and a basement drain to drop it in then this will solve that problem easily (the drain hose makes it a complete no fuss thing and Danby includes a drain hose connector that will hook to any standard hose thread). Considering that this is a 65 pint dehumidifier, this really is the best option for drainage anyway.
The short of it is, if you need a good dehumidifier that will handle high humidity for an area of 1500 sq ft or more, look no further. If you need to dehumidify an area smaller than this, do not buy this. Bigger is not better with dehumidifiers. If you have a particularly moist area like we had then in my opinion overbuying on the rating is a good thing since it helps, but overall think about your needs and look at the ratings before buying and then complaining.
Extremely Noisy
I purchased this product based on the good reviews of Danby dehumidifiers on Consumer Reports. The 60 pint model they tested was no longer available so I went with the 65 pint model. It is extremely noisy! I hate to have in running while I'm in the room. It is impossible to watch TV while it is running. The unit also appears very cheaply made and the water bucket is awkward to remove. I am very disappointed with this purchase and cannot recommend it!
Not worth the features
I agree with the previous reviewer. I had too purchased this because of the great reviews of the 60 pint version and purchased this one because the other was discontinued. This unit is VERY loud and produces a LOT of heat. I have a pretty big room and after running it for 3 hours, the temperature had gone from a cool 72 degrees to about 85. The manufacturer does state that the air temperature will go up a few degrees as with all dehumidifiers but this is absurd. I plan on returning it and finding something else.
