Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
marlowe55

Santa Fe dehumidifier worth the cost?

Peter Cohn
12 years ago

I've inquired about this once before, and now it's a year later and I haven't been able to figure this out!

Is it worth the extra $800-$900 to buy a Santa Fe dehumidifier, vs. a Danby or other model in the $200 range?

I have a very humid basement. There are water penetration issues that I'm trying to deal with separately, but in the meantime certainly need to run a dehumidifier. But I really

don't know if the added water removal capacity of the Santa Fe, and the more efficient (supposedly) power consumption of the larger unit, is worth it.

Thanks for any insight.

Comment (1)

  • sniffdog
    12 years ago

    I bought a Sante Fe whole house unit right after we moved into our new home. Problem occured in late spring/eraly summer when we noticed that we had water spots on the basement floor. The Sante Fe does a great job in keeping the basement dry.

    About a year after I put the Sante Fe in, I replaced my thermostats with Honeywell IAQ tstats. I wanted a Tstat that could control the HVAC, Humnidifier and Dehumidifier from one place. In programming the IAQ controllers, I noticed that they allow a feature where you can run the HVAC down to 3 degrees (programmable) below the temperature set point based on the humidity level (the IAQ tstat has a built in humidistat). That means you can use your air conditioner as a dehumidifier and actually have some control on how it operates. Our short term fix when we first noticed the water spots was to run the AC down to about 74 degrees and that cleared up the water spot issue immediately. The problem with this approach is that when you get spring/summer temperatures that are relatively low (say around 70) with very high hunidity, or in the winter, the AC approach won't work and that's when you need a DH.

    In doing you comparisons on the various units, see how many pints of water per day each one is rated to remove as well as the CFM of the blower on the unit. Also, read the reviews on line. I found that you get what you pay for with these units. IMO, the SF was worth the higher price we paid.

    Also - download the installation instructions before you order to make sure there is a configuration that will meet your needs. Check the ducting requirements. Also - all of the large capacity DH's require a floor drain to deal with the water. You will also need to elevate the unit a few inches above the drain to ensure proper drainage. You may also need to purchase a small hand held digital humidistat to get your unit set just right since the Sante Fe humidity dial is an analog knob and provides no indication on the actual humidity level.

Sponsored
Style Savvy Designs
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars19 Reviews
Northern Virginia's Luxurious Interior Designer & Decorator