Soleus Air CFM-25E 25-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
From Soleus International Inc.
The first portable dehumidifier on the market, weighing less than half that of other models. It has built-in wheels and a carrying handle, allowing it to be transported with little effort. With 25 pint large capacity front removable water bucket.
Amazon Sales Rank: #50349 in Kitchen & Housewares Color: White Brand: Soleus International Inc. Model: CFM-25 Dimensions: 13.00" h x 19.00" w x 24.00" l, 32.00 pounds
Unconventional but miles ahead This dehumidifier seems to be substantially superior if you have a living space to dehumidify or care about the amount of energy you use. It is, however, quite different from any other dehumidifier I have used. First of all, the controls are much simpler. You can only choose continuous dehumidification or three measured settings: 50%, 60%, and 70% RH. I thought I'd miss the continuous variability of my old unit, but these settings are the only choices I would really use. As a general principle, this seems like a better design because its easier to achieve accuracy at reasonable cost with three discrete measurements vs. a whole range. And I'm pretty sure it won't get stuck in the "on" position like the mechanical controls on my old noisemaker. Its light enough for an average guy to pick up, while my old unit would give me a hernia. While it wouldn't exactly add to my decore upstairs, it looks far better to my eye than most units. Its not going to satisfy the people that like industrial, in-your-face appliances. Speaking of noise, the Soleus is really quiet. The box says 39 db(A), but it seems like even less on the lowest fan speed. Its quite acceptable background noise for a bedroom or for watching a movie and night and day quieter than a standard dehumidifier. The fan, as B. Hughes noted, does run continuously. However, Home Energy magazine's 2002 article on basement humidity indicates this is better for efficiency as it tends to even out the humidity in your conditioned space. It certainly does a better job of keeping corners dry. The big selling point for me is efficiency. The Soleus excels here in several ways despite the fact that Soleus seems to have not bothered to get an Energy Star rating. Both the Canadian and US governments participate in the Energy Star program but the Canadian one actually gives you some useful dehumidifier data on their web site. By my calculations, the Soleus is roughly twice as efficient as the better models in its size class (measured in terms of liters/KWH, the CFM-25 rates about 2.4, while the *best* units on the Candian Gov't site in its size class clock in at 1.3. Obviously, Energy Star sets an exceptionally low bar for dehumidifiers). Additionally, most manufacturers only offer units too big for a small space, which means that they have to short cycle and won't reach their peak efficiency. The CFM-25 is much better sized for many smaller houses. Finally, here's some data I couldn't find anywhere -- but fortunately I have a nice watt meter. The fan on my CFM-25 takes 22 watts on low and 28 on high. My meter shows a power factor of 1, which is as good as it gets. On the low fan speed with the barely audible compressor running, that jumps up to about 205 watts and a PF of 0.9, which is still pretty good. I couldn't find a greener, easier to live with dehumidifier anywhere and am very happy this the CFM-25. Almost perfect We have spent this summer attempting to find a tolerable dehumidifier. Of the 5 brands we brought into our home this was the only one reasonable to use in a space where people live. It is truly quite. It actually pulls the water out of the air. It does not leak. It does not produce astounding amounts of heat. It's draw backs are: 1. Even though it is weighs about half that of those dehumidifiers using the traditional compressor technology, it is still rather hard to move due to having casters instead of wheels. 2. The water catcher is more cumbersome to remove with grace than in other brands. Extremely Poor Customer Service - Avoid this Company I was extremely impressed by all the great reviews that this dehumidifier received which prompted me to make my own purchase. The first unit I received would not collect any water, not even a drop. I noticed that another consumer who wrote a review had a similar problem. Since the 1-800 number for customer service for Soleus would not return my call, I had to contact Amazon.com for a replacement. I might note that Amazon.com reacted extremely quickly to my concern and I had my replacement Dehumidifier the following day after I contacted them. Unfortunately, the 2nd unit produced similar problems. The only way the unit would collect any water was if it was operating in the "continuous" mode. When one of the humidity levels was selected for the operating mode, once again, not even a drop of water would be collected and despite the user manual clearly indicating that when the humidity level was reached the unit would automatically turn off, it never did.....it would run constantly (which is a waste of electricity) and it wasn't even collecting any moisture from the air. Well, I attempted to contact the Soleus 1-800 number again to only reach a voice mail service AGAIN. I called this number at various times of the days and I never reached a person, only their answering machine. Naturally, I left my return telephone again as well as a good time of when to return my call M-F. Several weeks elapsed and I received no return telephone call. I then e-mailed the company and a few days later I finally received a return call from one of their customer service representative. This company originally attempted to suggest that the dehumidifier was operating normally. Since I was certain that it was not, I asked to speak to his supervisor and I outlined once again what the problem was. This supervisor provided me with instructions to perform a "test" and asked that I call them back the next day to advise if the unit was collecting water. The unit did not collect any water during the test therefore I called the company back. I should mention that rather than providing a 1-800 number to call them back, they provided a toll number for California hence I was forced to pay for the call several times. The company acknowledged at that point that "yes" the product was defective. They also offered to send me a replacement however I was instructed that I would have to absorb the cost of the shipping. I informed the customer service rep. that I was not paying for the shipping for this defective product and I asked if they would provide a return mailing label for postage. He claimed he was unable to authorize payment for the shipping and I told him I would like him to confer with his supervisor and call me back. Three days elapsed before I received a call and the Supervisor also advised me that they would not pay for the shipping to return the product. I patiently explained to him that I was willing to try a replacement product again, despite the fact that it would be the 3rd unit, but only if they absorbed the cost of the postage. I wasn't about to pay $25-$30 in postage when I already paid over $125 for a defective product. I also told this supervisor that if they would not pay for the postage, I was going to contact Amazon.com and request a refund, not a replacement hence they were going to loss my business. The supervisor would still not provide return postage. Long and short of this message, the customer service for this company is beyond terrible. You are unable to contact them at your convenience because the 1-800 number never reached a person but instead an connects you to an answering machine. In addition, this company is extremely slow in contacting you back, it's possible that you won't receive a return call until you contact them through their e-mail address. Lastly, don't be surprised if they attempt to tell you that the unit is operating properly when you know that it is not. To top off this story, the supervisor at Soleus had the audacity to suggest that he could provide his e-mail address for me to contact him in the event I had any problems in returning the unit AGAIN through Amazon.com. Naturally, I declined his offer. I have a lot more confidence in Amazon.com in taking the proper corrective action in this case than I do in Soleus to intervene on my behalf if I did run into any problems. I'm happy to report that Amazon.com did the right thing again and they are sending me a mailing label to return this defective unit. I am not getting a replacement again nor will I ever buy anything in the near future from the Soleus Company. If you don't want to experience any major headaches, I would steer clear of this company.
