I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

I want to make sure all my guns stay nice and rust free.

Thanks

TMT

Too_Many_Tools fired this volley in
:

I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

Yep, I do. We extensively use them in corrosive atmospheres. That tends
to separate the wheat from the chaff in a big hurry.

I have a few recommendations.

If you can, seek out a commercial-quality rig with steel coils/steel fins
rather than copper/aluminum. Both GE and Frigidaire make heavy-duty
commercial versions like this. They're a bit less efficient because of the
reduction in thermal conductivity of the coil material, but they last
forever and ever. Also look for units with large piston pump hermets,
rather than the teesy scroll type compressors -- they'll handle the odd
power surge better. And look for one that's purely mechanical -- no
digital controls.

There's another tack you can take to make your own dehumidifier that tends
to be more robust than the consumer variety -- re-fit a window A/C unit to
the purpose.

All you have to do is either re-route the cooled air flow back to the
condensor, or lacking the mechanical skills to do that, just plop the unit
down on a stand in the room to be dehumidified, leaving plenty of clearance
all-round. The evaporator will cool the air and condense moisture, the
condensor will re-heat the air, and the net temperature gain will be only
the amount of heat the power consumption of the unit produces. You can
control the heat gain by routing part of the hot air side to outside the
room. However, that has the effect of causing an air exchange from outside
to inside, so unless you route it _all_ out (as in, "use the unit as an
AC), you'll diminish your returns.

In either case, when you get a new unit, take it apart. Using epoxy paint,
apply several coats to every single bit of exposed copper or brass on the
low-pressure side (they get wet from condensations, thus corroding more
rapidly than the high-side fittings), every electrical connection that is
open to air, and over any swaged fittings, so the paint fills the gap
around the bell. Also SEAL the covering over the hermetic electrical
fittings on the compressor -- don't allow any atmosphere to exchange
in/around that fitting. That spot is a high-failure-rate node on a
refrigeration system used in an hostile atmosphere.

Until we undertook this strategy, a consumer-quality dehumidifier would
last roughly six months in our environment. With it, about two years.

Our two highest-capacity systems are now powered by two-ton window units,
instead of built-to-purpose dehumdifiers. The work better, remove moisture
faster, and are more robustly built than the purpose-built varieties.

LLoyd

Keywords:
In article , Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

I want to make sure all my guns stay nice and rust free.

We've had a Fedders 45 pint for several years, and it works reasonably
well. The problem is that the water table is perilously close to the
depth of the basement, and it has to work pretty hard. This time of year
with all the rain we've had in the Boston area, it runs almost
continuously to try to keep the humidity below 50%. We'd like to keep it
even lower because the floor tiles keep lifting. The other problem is
that if there is a power glitch, th electronic control shuts off & you
have to restart it manually. Not a big deal unless you are away on
vacation for a week. The humidity in the basement can shoot up to 70% or
higher overnight, and a lot of expensive things will rust quickly at that
level.

We are in the process of buying a Santa Fe 106 pint unit. It draws 6.8
amps vs 5.6 Amps for the Fedders, but has significantly more than twice
the capacity. It's a LOT more expensive, but we are hoping it will keep
the basement dryer while drawing a lot less energy (which mostly heats up
the basement). They have gotten very good reviews:

http://www.buzzillions.
com/dz_1048596_thermastor_santa_fe_classic_basement_re views

Doug White

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

I want to make sure all my guns stay nice and rust free.

Thanks

TMT

Can't really help with a recent purchase. I bought a Ebac domestic
dehumidifier about 13 years ago and it's still going strong keeping my
machine tools rust free. I'm in the UK so don't know if Ebac do stuff
in the US.

On Jun 25, 11:53*pm, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

I want to make sure all my guns stay nice and rust free.

Thanks

TMT

Thanks for the responses so far.

The reason why I mentioned RECENT is it would appear by the reviews on
line (try taking a look at the reviews at Sears) most of what is being
sold is trash.

TMT

On Jun 26, 5:44*am, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:
Too_Many_Tools fired this volley :

I have been looking for a new dehumidifier recently since an old one
finally died.

WOW...based on the reviews I have been reading most offerings are pure
junk.

Anyone have experience with RECENT dehumidifers that they would
recommend?

Yep, I do. *We extensively use them in corrosive atmospheres. *That tends
to separate the wheat from the chaff in a big hurry.

*I have a few recommendations.

If you can, seek out a commercial-quality rig with steel coils/steel fins
rather than copper/aluminum. *Both GE and Frigidaire make heavy-duty
commercial versions like this. *They're a bit less efficient because of the
reduction in thermal conductivity of the coil material, but they last
forever and ever. *Also look for units with large piston pump hermets,
rather than the teesy scroll type compressors -- they'll handle the odd
power surge better. *And look for one that's purely mechanical -- no
digital controls.

There's another tack you can take to make your own dehumidifier that tends
to be more robust than the consumer variety -- re-fit a window A/C unit to
the purpose.

All you have to do is either re-route the cooled air flow back to the
condensor, or lacking the mechanical skills to do that, just plop the unit
down on a stand in the room to be dehumidified, leaving plenty of clearance
all-round. *The evaporator will cool the air and condense moisture, the
condensor will re-heat the air, and the net temperature gain will be only
the amount of heat the power consumption of the unit produces. *You can
control the heat gain by routing part of the hot air side to outside the
room. *However, that has the effect of causing an air exchange from outside
to inside, so unless you route it _all_ out (as in, "use the unit as an
AC), you'll diminish your returns.

In either case, when you get a new unit, take it apart. *Using epoxy paint,
apply several coats to every single bit of exposed copper or brass on the
low-pressure side (they get wet from condensations, thus corroding more
rapidly than the high-side fittings), every electrical connection that is
open to air, and over any swaged fittings, so the paint fills the gap
around the bell. *Also SEAL the covering over the hermetic electrical
fittings on the compressor -- don't allow any atmosphere to exchange
in/around that fitting. *That spot is a high-failure-rate node on a
refrigeration system used in an hostile atmosphere.

Until we undertook this strategy, a consumer-quality dehumidifier would
last roughly six months in our environment. *With it, about two years.

Our two highest-capacity systems are now powered by two-ton window units,
instead of built-to-purpose dehumdifiers. *The work better, remove moisture
faster, and are more robustly built than the purpose-built varieties.

LLoyd

Thanks...excellent advice.

TMT