Energy Star Dehumidifier

[Blue Collar Guy]

So, of course I tried to fix my old energy gobbling dehumidifier. After an hour of "fixing" it , I had to order a new one.. I get the same brand as before, as it gave me 4 .5 years of service. I dont buy it because of the energy star label, I buy it because the white one was $229 and the black one was $169. Its a 70 pint 4500 sq foot capacity thing. It has 2 speeds normal and turbo.
I now know how this thing saves energy. The turbo speed is weaker than the low speed on my old unit. Of course it uses less juice, its doing less work. This is like 100 calorie snacks, they just give you less stuff. It took all day to get my basement to the 40 % humidity level, the old one took maybe an hour, then it just cycled on and off to maintain. IDK about other energy star stuff, but this one is a crock.

 

[Another Reader]

My guess is you do not do the laundry or run the dishwasher in your house. Welcome to the bizarre world of modern appliances, where they are designed to things other than the job for which they were purchased. Dishwashers that take hours to do a load and don't get the dishes clean or dry. Laundry that's not clean and smells of mold. And now a dehumidifier that can't do the job because it was designed to be energy efficient instead of just efficient.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

My guess is you do not do the laundry or run the dishwasher in your house. Welcome to the bizarre world of modern appliances, where they are designed to things other than the job for which they were purchased. Dishwashers that take hours to do a load and don't get the dishes clean or dry. Laundry that's not clean and smells of mold. And now a dehumidifier that can't do the job because it was designed to be energy efficient instead of just efficient.

+1 the dishes sure dont dry like they used to with the old machines. I had the serviceman come to inspect it, he told me thats why they use less water and energy, they work less and do less!

 

[bUU]

+1 the dishes sure dont dry like they used to with the old machines.

It's a dishwasher, definitely not a dish dryer. Our new dishwasher sure does clean better than the old one, and I'll take that over how much better the old one dried.

 

[JoeWras]

Time out, I got a new E-Star dehumidifier last year and it works fine. Fan speed isn't everything, it is all about the cooling coil.

I like my new one primarily because when the compressor isn't on, the low fan speed is barely audible. On my old one, it was LOUD in any fan setting.

Anyway, it does the job and seems to have a pretty good humidistat. Mine is an LG. Your mileage may vary.

 

[6miths]

Have to agree on the dishwasher. New Bosch really gets things clean and can't even be heard when you are sitting right beside it. We have always been air dry only people so wouldn't notice a difference there. My mom still has her Maytag from 1973 which gets the job done but is loud. Recently got a new (used) portable AC/dehumidifer and impressed with the evaporator feature which discharges humid air to the outside and means that the bucket doesn't have to be emptied or run to a drain. I was looking at one the other day that had a discharge pump that would be handy where I am.

 

[target2019]

Air drying dishes is the energy efficient way to go. There is a thing called kitchen towel to absorb/dry what the air doesn't get.

 

[6miths]

Air drying dishes is the energy efficient way to go. There is a thing called kitchen towel to absorb/dry what the air doesn't get.

This has always been our thinking and experience has been that if anything is going to damage things in the dishwasher it is the high heat of the drying process.

 

[ERD50]

.... It took all day to get my basement to the 40 % humidity level, the old one took maybe an hour, then it just cycled on and off to maintain. IDK about other energy star stuff, but this one is a crock.

IIRC, they rate dehumidifier capability in quarts/hour (or some similar rating).

If the new one has a lower rating than the old, there's the issue. You can't just compare efficiency w/o also comparing capacity.

-ERD50

 

[bUU]

This has always been our thinking and experience has been that if anything is going to damage things in the dishwasher it is the high heat of the drying process.

Absolutely. Another benefit of these newer dishwashers is that Plastics, which used to only go on the top shelf due to the heating element that used to be at the bottom of the dishwasher, can now go on either Shelf.

 

[Another Reader]

I don't use the drying cycle of the dishwasher either. My point is many people look for that feature and expect it to work, because it's included. Why include and advertise it if it does not work?

 

[bUU]

That's just it: It does dry dishes just as well as our old dishwasher dried dishes, and does it without a heating element.

 

[Bamaman]

Air drying dishes is the energy efficient way to go. There is a thing called kitchen towel to absorb/dry what the air doesn't get.

My old Kitchenaid dishwasher used forced air dish drying--and it took an hour to run and many gallons of water were used.

My new Bosch washes for 2 hours but uses very, very little water. It also uses silicones and chemicals to shed water spots from the dishes. The heat retained in the dishes (from hot water) is used to "dry" the dishes without using additional energy. The trick is to not open the door when the cycle is over, and letting the dishes sit in the dishwasher until cool. That's as dry as the dishes will get.

 

[samclem]

My new Bosch washes for 2 hours but uses very, very little water. It also uses silicones and chemicals to shed water spots from the dishes.

But these silicones and chemicals are in the rinse aid you add, not a feature of the dishwasher, right? If so, you could have used them in any dishwasher.

The heat retained in the dishes (from hot water) is used to "dry" the dishes without using additional energy. The trick is to not open the door when the cycle is over, and letting the dishes sit in the dishwasher until cool. That's as dry as the dishes will get.

I've wondered about whether openingthe door speeds the process or not. Once the rinse cycle ends and the dishes are hot, the air in the cabinet is at 100% humidity and it won't be removing any water from the dishes until the RH in the cabinet decreases. If we plugged up the air vent, the cabinet would slowly cool, no air exchange would take place, and the RH would stay at 100% indefinitely. If we open the air vent, the moisture laden air gets out and is replaced by cooler but dryer air from inside the house. The exact same thing happens if we open the door, but the air exchange is faster (and I'd think the RH inside the DW drops quicker). But the heat is lost faster as well. I'm guessing that the rate at which the water can evaporate off the dishes (at various temps/RH inside the box) is key to optimizing the drying rate.
I open the door because I usually run the DW after dinner, and with the door open the dishes can better air dry all night.

A really energy efficient dishwasher would vent the damp air outside, esp when outside temps are high. Keeping it in the house costs air conditioning $$ (to remove the latent heat).

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

IIRC, they rate dehumidifier capability in quarts/hour (or some similar rating).

If the new one has a lower rating than the old, there's the issue. You can't just compare efficiency w/o also comparing capacity.

-ERD50

OK I agree with this, but they are/were both 70 pint per day capacity, and they are the same company. the new one is a shell of what the old one was. Its a Danby as far as the manufacturer is.

 

[target2019]

Summer + high humidity: Dishwasher runs before bed. In morning, open door and let air dry.
Winter + low humidity: Dishwasher runs in morning, open door when done and let that wonderful humidity back into the house.

 

[ERD50]

OK I agree with this, but they are/were both 70 pint per day capacity, and they are the same company. the new one is a shell of what the old one was. Its a Danby as far as the manufacturer is.

OK, then something is wrong with the new one. 70 pints/day is 70 pints/day. Efficiency (energy use to get those 70 pints/day), is another matter.

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

I love my new dishwasher, best one I ever had. A GE, nothing special, $450. Takes over 2 hours to do a load, but way cleaner than the old one. Uses less energy and less water. I can leave crud on the dishes and they are clean. Just open door and pull top rack out after cycle and wait 30 minutes. Nice and dry.

 

[ponyboy]

Any new appliance you purchase that has an energy star label...you may be eligible for a rebate from your utility company.

We just purchased a dehumidifier and was able to submit a $25 rebate through my electric company.

 

[jazz4cash]

The new refrigerants seem to do a good job while saving money so dehumidifiers, refrigerators and AC units should show some real energy savings which will be offset when they wear out much sooner than the older ones.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Any new appliance you purchase that has an energy star label...you may be eligible for a rebate from your utility company.

We just purchased a dehumidifier and was able to submit a $25 rebate through my electric company.

OK, ty ill check this out.

 

[RE2Boys]

About three years ago purchased a new dehumidifier for the basement. Went from a 25 pint model to a 40 pint model and it draws half the current of the old one.

But I doubt that the new one will last 40 years like the old one did (and it was still running when I disposed of it). Even 20 years is not expected.

 

[bUU]

But these silicones and chemicals are in the rinse aid you add, not a feature of the dishwasher, right? If so, you could have used them in any dishwasher.

I believe there is still a significant difference in terms of the efficiency of the boosting of the hot water.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

About three years ago purchased a new dehumidifier for the basement. Went from a 25 pint model to a 40 pint model and it draws half the current of the old one.

But I doubt that the new one will last 40 years like the old one did (and it was still running when I disposed of it). Even 20 years is not expected.

I got 4.5 years out of the old one. I took a total of a 5 year warranty on this one, Im positive this one will last 61 months.