Soleus Air CFM-25E 25-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
by Soleus International Inc.
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List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Soleus Air CFM-25E 25-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Customer Review: I feel like I made a good investment- recommed!
Summary: 4 Stars
I took a chance and it's a win! I knew nothing about dehumidifiers except that I should have one,having lived in a basement apartment for 2 years I've lost more than 1 pair of shoes to mold/mildew in the spare room closet. Soleus was a repeatedly named top brand so I looked here. Free shipping was a selling point as were the noted quietness.
I am happy with all aspects of this machine, portability, working efficiency,variety of settings, appearance. It arrived in just 5 days with Super saver. I plugged in in and in 8 hours had an inch of water in the reseviour. I knew then I had bought a good size, I had been afraid I bought something way too big. I have a 4 room apartment of average/size, nothing elaborate. I rotate it from bedrooms to living area and I can really feel a big difference in air quality when it's been running for just a couple of hours. Of course an inch or so of water every day - more when it's rainy- is proof I need this. Make sure you have the air vent on top pointed open, I missed that at first.
One negative - the castors aren't extremely helpful in rolling this around as you have to tip it at just the right angle and I end up carrying it, they should have put wheels. If my electric bill seems astronomical I will report back.
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*seems to be quite energy efficient as I haven' had any jumps in my electric bill. One note in running it in warmer weather is that it does add some warmth with the outpur air. Still happy with this 6 mos. down the road!
Customer Review: Great Little Dehumidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Soleus model after returning a very noisy LG dehumidifier to Home Depot. Initially I used the Soleus in our bedroom, but had to remove it because it raised the bedroom temperature four degrees while lowering the humidity six or seven percent. Currently the Soleus 25 is running in our living room, and we are very happy with it.
Quiet - This is by far the quitest dehumidifier I've ever met. Even at high speed the sound is easy to overlook and not the least bit objectionable. In the quiet mode you can barely tell the appliance is running.
Controls - The controls are uncomplicated, easy to use, and well placed. The unit shuts off when its bucket is full and restarts when the bucket is replaced. No problems emtying the water.
The bucket on the bottom of the unit has a slender vertical window for showing the water level in the bucket. It's very hard to see in this window though. I use a small flashlight to illuminate it and can only determine water level if the flashlight is held at the correct angle. Since the drainage bucket is plastic anyway, there's no reason the "window" couldn't have been made wider.
I like the aesthetics of the machine, its quiet manner, and its performance. However, I do wish I'd bought a larger machine for its current placement in a large, high ceilinged ;iving room. We may purchase the Soleus 70 pint model also. The Soleus Air CFM-25 is a fabulous product. Consider Soleus models with greater capacity for large areas.
Customer Review: Quiet, durable, effective and efficient
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought a Soleus CFM-25 early in 2006 for use in a 1,000 sq. ft. basement den/bedroom/bath space with moderate moisture problems. It replaced a 20-some year old ugly, bulky, heavy Kenmore unit that still worked, but which made enough noise to hear a floor away. After 3-1/2 years, the CFM-25 has been just about perfect. I'll echo the positive comments made by other reviewers - I have nothing negative to say.
I operate the unit a total of perhaps 4 to 5 months a year with the fan on "medium" at the "dry", not "continuous", setting. It runs through the South's damp Spring and early Fall months, and during extended periods of rain. Without a drain hose, the reservoir usually filled in a day. Attaching a hose to the central A/C's condensate pump through a neatly drilled hole in the wall has made that daily (though easy-to-do) emptying unneeded. Twice yearly, I take 20 minutes to clean the hose, reservoir and filter with a vinegar-water solution. No other maintenance required. I couldn't be more satisfied.
I was, however, surprised at its current price. I'd recommended Soleus to a friend last week and rechecked this thread to see if the unit was still available. I paid about $120 with shipping in 2006 - a big difference from today. But given my wonderful experience so far (coupled with its VERY low noise), since comparable capacity dehumidifiers from other manufacturers have similar or higher prices and generally less good user reviews, my recommendation won't change.
Customer Review: Nice, but with some "issues"
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased two of these units. There were two areas I was not happy with:
1. Neither of them removed any moisture from the air when I first connected them. After the first unit was left running in the continuous position for more than 24 hours, it started to pull some moisture out. After 48 hours, it seemed to work fine. The second unit started pulling moisture out of the air after just 24 hours of continuous running. This was during a very humid period (75 to 80% humidity) so this was clearly some issue with the design.
2. If you loose power, these dehumidifiers do not turn back on. To get them to work after a loosing power, you must reselect the mode you want and click all the buttons again. I have one of these in my camp 150 miles away and one under a crawl space in my house. We often loose power with the result the one at my may only run for a day or two before it is rest and I must go under my house every time I loose power to turn that unit back on. If you never loose power or if this unit is in a living area, then this is not a concern. This does make these useless for the applications I am using them for.
Good points is they only draw about 200 watts and they are very quiet.
UPDATE: I wish I could drop this to one star for AWFUL customer service. They will NOT answer email and they are the rudest people I have ever dealt with after finally reaching them on the phone. I would never purchase from them again, period!
Customer Review: Dehumidifier-so far, so good
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Soleus CFM-26E on 01/08/2008. So far, I have been pleased with the performance. Compared to the older dehumidifiers I've used in the past, the Soleus is much quieter, lighter, and takes up much less floor space. As far as dehumidifying, it has been perfectly adequate for my small studio apartment (about 230 ft sq) running at the lowest power setting. The unit housing is plastic, which may not be durable enough for some situations, but has been OK for mine.
The unit has a handle and can be carried or rolled on two small wheels (like a piece of luggage), though you don't want to do this with a full tank. Oops! Unfortunately, the wheels are so small that the floor must be perfectly smooth and flat for easy movement. The tank is an odd shape, so you have to be extra careful when emptying it to avoid splashing water on the floor.
You can set the unit for constant dehumidify, or three pre-set humidity levels, but these settings only control the compressor--the fan will run constantly as long as the unit is on. Because the dehumidified air is vented from the top through an adjustable-angle vent, the air flow can be obtrusive. Lowering the angle of the vent makes the air flow noisier.
In spite of the drawbacks mentioned, on the whole, I am pleased with this purchase--as I said, so far. This is the kind of appliance I would expect years of service from with proper maintenance. Only time will tell how durable it turns out to be.