More efficient dehumidification?

Daox · 09-26-16, 08:16 AM

About a year ago, my dehumidifier in my basement that I've had for the past 8+ years (ever since I bought the house) broke. Mechanically its fine and runs, but the electronic controller is shot. When you plug it in, it kinda freaks out and the display flashes in an unintelligible way. So, my very kind father in law recently gave me a dehumidifier that he had laying around in his garage. However, it has now been a month and HOLY COW, my electric use has gone through the freakin roof! I'm typically under 300 kWh in the summer and now I'm over 800 kWh. I expected my usage to be higher, but not nearly triple. I do understand it had to run to pull the moisture out of the whole basement, but this is ridiculous. I know the unit is fairly old as well.

So, I am in search of a more efficient dehumidifier. It is nearing the end of summer, and I don't run the dehumidifier during the winter because it just isn't needed. Thus, I am looking for any and all suggestions on what I can do for next summer. I'm contemplating everything from just buying a new unit to a smallish project (like fixing my older but more efficient unit) if there is a decent benefit. Unfortunately, I don't have time for a large scale project. So, I'm looking for your suggestions on what to do in this situation, features to look for on a new unit, etc. Thanks!

Here is the tag from my old (broke) dehumidifier. 1.77 L/kWH rating.

Here is the tag from the dehumidifier I got from my father in law. 1.15 L/kWh rating.

As you can see, my broken unit is much more efficient than the unit that I was gifted.

09-26-16, 08:16 AM	#1
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	More efficient dehumidification? About a year ago, my dehumidifier in my basement that I've had for the past 8+ years (ever since I bought the house) broke. Mechanically its fine and runs, but the electronic controller is shot. When you plug it in, it kinda freaks out and the display flashes in an unintelligible way. So, my very kind father in law recently gave me a dehumidifier that he had laying around in his garage. However, it has now been a month and HOLY COW, my electric use has gone through the freakin roof! I'm typically under 300 kWh in the summer and now I'm over 800 kWh. I expected my usage to be higher, but not nearly triple. I do understand it had to run to pull the moisture out of the whole basement, but this is ridiculous. I know the unit is fairly old as well. So, I am in search of a more efficient dehumidifier. It is nearing the end of summer, and I don't run the dehumidifier during the winter because it just isn't needed. Thus, I am looking for any and all suggestions on what I can do for next summer. I'm contemplating everything from just buying a new unit to a smallish project (like fixing my older but more efficient unit) if there is a decent benefit. Unfortunately, I don't have time for a large scale project. So, I'm looking for your suggestions on what to do in this situation, features to look for on a new unit, etc. Thanks! Here is the tag from my old (broke) dehumidifier. 1.77 L/kWH rating. Here is the tag from the dehumidifier I got from my father in law. 1.15 L/kWh rating. As you can see, my broken unit is much more efficient than the unit that I was gifted. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.