This DeLonghi DD45P Dehumidifier is so far advanced over other dehumidifiers I have owned over the past 15 to 20 years, it is like a newly invented appliance for 2010.
It's the pump stupid! Why haven't all dehumidifiers been designed with automatic pumps from the get-go? Did appliance designers think that a homeowner would gladly trade a dry basement for the chore of emptying a bucket of water every day?
The initial set-up was relatively easy after I read the instructions twice. The controls are understandable and fairly intuitive.
This is a smart dehumidifier compared to the older manual dumbbells I have owned. The display reads your room temperature. The unit can be set on auto, to run until it brings the humidity level in percent numbers down to a level you decide. It can be set to run for a selected time period or just run continuously at one of its two different speeds, high and not quite as high. It has delayed start and delayed stop if desired. If you choose to not pump the condensate to a nearby drain or out the window, don't turn on the pump, and it will fill its built-in bucket instead. All this and energy star rated to boot.
The pump works well. The supplied condensate hose, which is 3/8" OD clear vinyl, runs up a corner wall in my basement about 8ft, then about 8ft more along the ceiling of my adjoining laundry room, and 4ft down into a laundry tub. I did have to add 8ft more hose to make the distance, but the pump handles it all very nicely. I bought this model for the pump and I consider this purchase as one of my better moves. It has been running 24/7 for about 6 weeks, and I just forget its there. My fingers are crossed.
The only negative features (in my opinion) are that the hose for the pump comes out the front of the unit near the base and the tiny wheels don't lift the unit high enough up off the floor to run the condensate hose under the unit towards the back so its not so visible.
My current DeLonghi (40 pt) has gone on the fritz so I bought the newest model DD45P. The sensors on the old one (6 years old) have gone wacko, and the defroster (heater coil) seems constantly engaged, thereby pumping out super heated air... not good during the summer months here in the Northeast where 90 degrees+ has become the norm. The new DeLonghi arrived last week and has a more compact design than the old one, seems to be performing well, however, the 2 speed fan is problematic to me. DeLonghi should have stayed with the 3 speed fan as on the older models; that would REALLY have improved the "quiet" factor. Also the 24 hour timer feature is laughable... please, for this price, let me program more than one block of time. I love the pump, however, as an owner of a previous model who has taken the old one apart, be warned that what is growing inside the older unit has got to be unhealthy!!!! Yuk! If only replacement parts were made available at a reasonable price, my old one could be kept working! I need 2 for my large basement area, so I think I will be buying an additional one of a different brand to see if it performs any more efficiently and lasts longer!
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The unit itself works great, except...
When I was researching dehumidifiers, the description of the DD45P said it has a 24-hour timer. I was under the assumption that I could program it, for example, to run for 8 hours, stop for 8 hours, run for 8, stop for 8, etc. In other words once I programmed it would maintain that cycle continuously until I turned off or changed the timer. My previous LG dehumidifier worked that way; I could program a continuous cycle. But not the DD45P. The program works for just once cycle; you have to reprogram it at the end of the cycle if you want it on timer again. And that's not the worst. You program it to start when the unit is in off mode; enter the number of hours after which you want the unit to turn on. However, to enter the number of hours after which you want it to turn off, you must wait until the unit turns on. You can only enter minimum increments of 1/2 hour for both on and off. So here's the scenario: Go down to the basement (where most people keep their dehumidifier), program it to start in 1/2 hour, go back upstairs, go back downstairs 1/2 hour later to program the turn off time. Repeat this daily or multiple times during the day if that's what you want. Of course you can run it without a timer; it then runs 24/7. But for energy-saving purposes a continuous timer would be nice.
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The unit is very effective at removing moisture from the air. But the fan continues to run after the desired humidity is achieved. This in my mind is not very energy efficient. Also,the unit has a timer which you can only program the run time i.e. (turn the unit on. program the length of time you would like it to run and then it shuts off.It will not turn on again until you manually turn it on). I think a clock that you could program the on/off times would be a better feature.
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DEHUMIDIFYING ABILITY: Absolutely fantastic. It has lowered the humidity in my downstairs (roughly 1000 sq. ft) from 65% to 45% in roughly an hour at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
NOISE: It has a low and high speed. On low, it sounds like a pedestal oscillating fan on high. On high, it sounds like a typical window air conditioning unit on high. I know these are inexact measurements, but what I am trying to convey is the noise does not bother my wife and I at all.
EASE OF USE: I am a technically inclined person, but I can't see anyone having any difficulty operating this unit. There is a power button, timer button (for delayed start and shutoff), Pump (for toggling between tank and pump modes), Humidity + and -, and display button. Pretty self explanatory what all of these buttons should do.
FEATURES: The built in pump works fantastic, and the ability to use it in tank (manually empty tank) and free drain mode makes it universal for all consumers. My biggest (only really) complaint about this unit, is the timing function which I will discuss below:
TIMER FUNCTION: This feature is pretty terrible. You can only set the unit to shut itself off on a delay when it is currently running or have it delay starting when it is currently off. There is NO scheduling an on and off time and certainly no days of the week settings. This will be a deal breaker for a lot of customers, however I am able to simply turn it on several times per week manually.
CONCLUSION: If the unit had even had a basic 1 day on/off scheduling timer, I would give it 5 stars. Overall, the price for what you get it good especially when you consider it has a built in pump.
As a chiropractor, which means to do by hand, I loved this ashtray for my husband who smokes the occasional cigar. It is heavy duty, won't fall off the table outside and will not break if it does fall!
