Customer Reviews: Read 264 more reviews...
 Works great! November 1, 2005
B. T. Denyer (Midwest, United States)
336 out of 338 found this review helpful
I installed this unit in my basement about 8 months ago, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
Things I noticed:
If the power goes out, the unit will NOT turn back on automatically (as some other units do.)
If you want to use the continuous drainage (which I highly recommend) via a hose, you have to punch out a plastic disc on the side of the unit. I would have designed a screw-type plug that was replacable, but they didn't think of that. Anyway, once you punch the quarter-size disc out it's out forever.
If you choose to use the continuous drainage feature, you will need to pick up a hose with an inner diameter of 15mm (.59" or just over half an inch.) I went to the local DIY center and found some clear tubing that has worked well.
The unit can operate down to 2-degrees C (36-degrees F), which will be great for continuous operation in the garage to keep the tools from rusting.
Has three fan settings: med, high and quiet. "Quiet" really is quiet, and could probably work just fine in a bedroom. Though, it does warm the room it's in. How much it warms it depends on the humidity setting.
Four settings: The humidty level (humidstat) can be set to "continuous dehumidification" (which is the default setting), 50%, 60% and 70%. The fan will continue to run but the dehumidification processor will turn off when it reaches the selected humidity level. Cool. I mean, that's when the fan will just blow room-temp air.
A full drainage tank will stop the unit and illuminate a "tank full" indicator light.
The unit is not that heavy -- maybe for some, but not nearly as heavy as some people make it sound. It's 30.8 pounds.
According to the instructions: You will need at least 21 cm (about 8 inches) of clearance in front, behind and side to side. Air blows out of the top of the unit, so you'll need to make sure it's clear as well.
There are movable louvers on the top to direct the air straight up, 45-degrees or almost straight ahead.
Power consumption: CFM-25E is 220W // CFM-40E is 330W
I highly recommend this model dehumidifier.
***15-month UPDATE: It is still working like a champ! We haven't had one single problem with it, and I don't foresee ever really having one in the near future. I've been running this thing nonstop and it has only required me to clean the filter on the back (which takes 5 minutes.) It has remained as quiet as the day I bought it. It's awesome!
Excellent balance of efficiency and effectiveness April 22, 2005
Patrick Smyth (North Carolina)
157 out of 159 found this review helpful
I currently have 5 dehumidifiers in different locations, and this one is the strikes the best balance of efficiency, reliability, effectiveness, and quietness. There are other models that can pull more moisture out of the air more quickly, but they are invariably much louder and MUCH more expensive to run.
Works well May 10, 2006
Justin Wolf (Oshkosh, WI)
126 out of 127 found this review helpful
I purchased this dehumidifier for mainly basement use, but wanted one quiet enough for use upstairs if needed. And, boy is this thing quiet. My refrigerator is louder. I also own a Fedders 45 pint unit and a Whirlpool 65 pint noise maker. The Fedders (Maytag) was the quiet champ untill I purchased the Soleus Air CFM-40E. The Whirlpool removes an amazing amount of water, but can be heard UPSTAIRS when running in the basement. So it is used only when needed. The Soleus Air is so quiet I have to go down the basement stairs and visually check to see if the unit is on. Can't say that for many dehumidifiers. My only complaint is that the fan is always on, even when it has reached the set humidity level. This prevents the short cycling the others do, on for 2 minutes off for 2 minutes or so, but I think prevents an Energy Star certification. At 2.9 amps it draws significantly less than the Fedders 5.6 amps and the Whirlpool's 7.9 amps.
The Soleus Air works great (so far) upstairs in the spring, when it is cool but damp, like the weather this week. Here in Wisconsin it is in the 60's but rainy, so the house is humid. Running the central air is not necessary since the house is not hot. So I use a dehumidifier, which makes the house seem less clammy. I would recommend the Soleus Air CFM-40E to anyone who is looking for a small, really quiet, relatively light, medium capacity (40pint) dehumidifier that simply does what is supposed to do (remove water from air) with out excess noise.
 Stopped working after 2 months, poor support from Soleus Air December 1, 2006
Wendy Rees (New Hope, PA)
96 out of 108 found this review helpful
I have purchased items from Amazon for years and this is the first time I have felt compelled to write a review. I did a lot of research and thought this product would solve my problem. It was fine until it stopped working after 1.5 months of use. Soleus Air customer service agreed that I had received a defective product. They would replace it, but only when I returned the defective (heavy) unit at my own cost. I was rather surprised as we all agreed this unit was defective. The person I spoke with sugggested I write an email to "management" requesting my shipping be paid. I did but have had no response and it's been 2 weeks. I have a dehumidifier on its way to me, but they are holding my VISA number until I return the defective one.
What a disappointing purchase and experience with a company.
 Don't waste your time with the other brands June 21, 2006
John (Michigan USA)
67 out of 68 found this review helpful
I tried a Haier 65 pint and it was louder on its low setting than this one is on its high setting. The Haier also started short-cycling after about 5 days of operation. After that bad experience, I spent a couple of hours reading every review of dehumidifiers I could find, and decided to go with the Soleus based on the fact that it was supposed to be the quietest. WHAT A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the Haier!
I would give this model 5 stars, but it has these "deficiencies" when compared to other models:
1. No temperature and humidity display. Ok, I agree, it doesn't affect the operation, but it's one of those things I did like about the Haier. Granted, on the Haier, all the display did was show me that the thing stopped working.
2. The hose connection needs to be punched out and is not a threaded connection for a garden hose, although my garden hose slips over the connection just fine when I cut off the hose end.
3. The unit does not return to "on" after power goes out. I really wanted this feature so that I could put the unit on a timer to run for x hours every day.
4. It's not Energy Star rated. It is only 330W though, which is much less than other similarly sized models.
In summary: Don't waste your time with all the other models available. The Soleus works fine and I can't hear it in the next room even when the fan is on HI.
PS: Look around and you may find a deal like I did. I paid just 139 at a big box.
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