Honeywell Home-Resideo Whole House Dehumidifier - 65 Pints/Day at 80° F/60% RH - On-Board Control

I bought this to replace a similar Aprilaire that failed three times in three years. This model is rated at 65 pints/day, the Aprilaire was a 70 ppd unit. Both are 110v/10 amp-ish setups, identical 8 inch ducting, and about the same overall size, so this was a simple swap. Same shelf, same ducting, same dedicated outlet, same drain.

Both weigh about 60 lbs, so we're looking at very competitive models.

The install was easy, though the wiring diagram in the manual was hard to follow for a connection to my main HVAC unit. I use this option to trigger the HVAC fan when the Honeywell comes on to move MUCH more air in the basement. Figured it out, but it was not a no-brainer.

The best feature of this unit is the ducting options. You can set this up using it's own intake/output (not the best option), own intake but ducted into the main return, or scavange from the main return and exit back to either the main return or main supply. The diagrams for these options are clear and easy to follow. My only gripe is that for the scavange from main return and exhaust to main supply requires an additional flapper valve, not included. Really?

The operation is very similar to the Aprilaire though a bit louder. My sense is the compressor is beefier. My shelf is lag-bolted into the wall studs, and that made for a bit of an echo chamber for the unit. I could hear it upstairs if I listened carefully. I installed a 2" x 2" piece of carpet padding under each foot, and that made a big difference. No one can hear it upstairs now.

Basement is not a leaker, (2500 sq ft) but the humidity would climb into the 65% range in the winter (NW Florida), probably due to kid's showers. Note that heat pumps do no de-humidify in the winter! This unit easily keeps humidity between 50 and 55% without running continuously. I only run it at night when Gulf Power gives us a 30% discount on power.

I would have considered the 90 ppd unit if I didn't want to re-use the ducting, as the 90 uses 10 inch ducts. Probably a wash in power consumption with the bigger unit running less often but pulling more amps. For my application, the 65 is adequate. If you have a damp/leaking basement, the 90 might be the way to go.

The built in humidistat works fine, and they offer external ones as well as replacements for your thermostat that include a humidistat option. Since my unit is connected to the HVAC ducting and the room it's in gets great flow, I didn't need to remotely locate a sensor.

The one feature I wish it had...auto run/sample. I had a unit before that would run the HVAC fan for 5 minutes every hour to sample the humidity, then decide if it needed to crank up the compressor. That gave me great circulation. This one only comes on when the continuously sampled humidity rises above the setting. No clue how it samples continuously without running either its internal fan or the HVAC fan, but it works.

Overall, this works like a champ, costs $100 less than the totally unreliable Aprilaire, so if it lasts I'll be super happy!

This stand alone unit is sheer perfection!...I ducted to a music room wall in my basement to keep humidity at 51% ( normal summer humidity was at 72% in that area of basement), a short while after install , perfection attained!....Piano happy!